There is No Other God but the Son

John 15:1-17

The True Vine

1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected

9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 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.

11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

Jesus is the only place to live.  If we live and remain in Christ we are as branches of a grapevine that receives all nourishment and life from Him whose blood flows into us and sustains us from here to eternity.  Jesus is the only true vine.  There is none other than Him (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) who can give and sustain life both now and forever after death.  There is no other god but God and Jesus Christ is His Son.  This confession of truth is our salvation and hope which cannot ever disappoint.  All other religions and philosophies of life dry up on the vine and fall to the ground to be burned in the end.  Only by entering into Jesus the Christ can we escape the withering away and useless end by fire.  This picture of the vine and the dead disconnected branches contrasts sharply with the abiding nourishment of being attached to the living vine of life who flows into us and causes us to bear good fruit in various forms and amounts, yet promises to do so abundantly.  This comes from His word which we bring in (Jeremiah 15:16) to change us over time into His image as we realize more each passing day how we truly and absolutely can do nothing without Him in us!  His joy then also is a result of His presence flowing through our veins that provides the strength to remain on the vine which supports and supplies us with life that we might glorify and honor our Lord.  He perfects this joy and love in us with these words of absolute hope that cannot disappoint (Romans 5:5) us as we cling to the vine of God Himself and not attach ourselves elsewhere in  futility.  Remaining in His love is a result of remaining in His word with joyful obedience as we do what He says just as we did so when believing in Jesus as His Son who died for us and gave us this life in Himself as we find ourselves in Him and His love.  He spoke these words to the disciples and left this written testimony of His will and heart as a testament of grace after His death and resurrection to remind us of this certain hope found on the Vine of life.  Such love given us causes us to also lay down our lives for each other in return as we serve one another and nourish each one in and with His love given us.  This is because we are His friends who are told things from heaven above out of the Father’s heart to us as recorded here in scripture that we might remain in His presence of love and joy in bearing such acceptable fruit of a life lived for Him.  This abiding brings answers to prayer and love for one another as the rewards for willing trust and obedience out of joy.  May we hold fast to our confession that there is no other God but in the Son and always abide close to Him in His word and in living to honor and glorify our great God and Savior (Titus 2:13), Jesus Christ!