Sanctification Part 2
This is Part 2 in Mack’s 3-part series on Sanctification
We have considered what Scripture says is the will of God for the Christian. Above everything else, for those who are saved, it is their sanctification. To become more and more like Jesus is the will of God for each one of His children. We have briefly considered what sanctification is, and what it is not. Now we must turn our attention to how we become sanctified.
There is no greater passage which pertains to Christian discipleship than John 15:1-11. Here we find the key to our sanctification.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Our Lord uses the analogy of a vine and its branch. This parable reveals the nature of our relationship with the Lord and (more importantly) the type of relationship He seeks with us. It is closely knit and dependent; dynamic and alive. Just like the branch to its vine, we are meant to be inseparably connected to the one who gives us life. And just like a branch to its vine, our connection to Jesus is an organic relationship – it is not static or abstract, but rather concrete, and it grows (and we grow because of it). By using this analogy, Christ highlights that our growth as Christians is the product of a relationship that receives from Him, just as a branch receives from the vine. Just as Christ said, “apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5c).
John Chapter 15
Why is John 15 the chapter to refer to regarding how we are sanctified? It is the use of the word “fruit” that justifies the selection.
In the New Testament the word ‘fruit’ is often used metaphorically to refer to the product, potential, or consequence of a particular person or action. The English word fruition, which means the realization or accomplishment of a desired end, carries within it the word fruit. To bear fruit is to bring about something innate or hidden – to bring to completion or wholeness. In one sense, it is to bring about what was already there.
A branch bears fruit when it receives the nutrients it needs from the vine. Notice however, that the fruit of a branch was innate in the branch, hidden until the proper time, because the branch was a branch. Because of what the branch is does it bring forth fruit when it receives life from the vine. Fruit from the branch shows that the branch is healthy and acting according to its nature.
Jesus Often Used Analogies
Since Jesus used the analogy between a branch and its vine, we can apply the concept of fruit to ourselves. We bring forth the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) when we receive the nutrition we need to do so. The presence of this fruit is the evidence that we have the Spirit. As Christians, when we bear the fruit of the Spirit, we show that the Holy Spirit is in us. And if the Holy Spirit is in us, we show that we belong to Christ (Eph 1:13-14; Rom 8:9) and that we are becoming more and more like Him (Rom 8:12-17).
You will remember that this is what sanctification is (to become more like Jesus). Just as the fruit of the branch proves the branch is a branch and connected to the vine, the fruit of the Spirit proves that we belong to Christ (justification) and that we are connected to Him (our vine). The fruit of the Spirit is proof we are sons and daughters of God; the increase of fruit is evidence that we are connected to our vine, and we are becoming who we are.
Abide in Me and I in You
Therefore, when Christ says “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” He refers to the truth that separated from Him, we do not bear fruit. This is to say, when we do not abide in Christ, we step outside the sanctification process – we disobey the will of God for our life. To abide in Jesus is the key to our sanctification. “By this,” says Christ “my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8).
So how do we abide? Verse 10 tells us. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” The requisite to abide is the study of and obedience to the commands of God. We must study God’s word and obey it. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22). To do this is how we abide in Christ. 1 John 1:5-7 testifies to this: “this is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
God is holy. He has told us what He desires – “what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:2b) – in His word. To walk contrary to His word is to step out of fellowship with Him. Not for nothing does Christ warn those who think they can get into heaven without abiding. “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. One that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in you name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in you name? And then will I declare to them ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matt 7:21-23). To sin is to be out of fellowship with Him, which is to be a branch separated from its vine.
We Abide in Christ When We Pray
We are commanded to pray, and as such, it is an act of obedience. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). But prayer is also relational, and therefore fits to the analogy of the vine and branch. Prayer is communal. It is interaction with God. To have a relationship with God without prayer is as absurd as a relationship with someone without conversation.
We abide when we worship. We are commanded to worship (Matt 4:10; Deut 6:13); but we are also told that God is “enthroned” on the praises of His people. The Hebrew word used for enthroned is ya.shav which means “to sit upon, to abide.” As we worship God, God abides upon our praises. Worship is a type of prayer. The soul of a believer intimately gives his adoration to the Godhead; God responds with His delight.
Finally, we are commanded to community, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Heb 10:24-25). But what is more, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt 18:20). Whenever and wherever we gather in mutual adoration of the Godhead, there Christ is with us. To gather as a congregation in the name of Jesus is to gather to Him. This, too, is abiding.
Sanctification is God’s Will
We have seen that sanctification is the will of God for our lives. But we cannot do this by ourselves. We grow in sanctification as we abide in Christ, because just as a branch cannot bear fruit without the life-giving nutrients that come from the vine, we cannot grow in the Spirit or produce the fruit of the Spirit without Christ. We need the life-giving presence of Jesus. We must abide in Him; and we do this when we obey His commandments – we cannot have fellowship with God if we walk in disobedience to Him. To obey is to study and do His commandments; to pray is to converse with God; to worship the Godhead is to adore Him; and to fellowship in His name is to have Him among us. This is how we abide; therefore, this is how we are sanctified.
