Chosen to Bear Fruit that Loves Others - John 13-15

John 15:16-17 (ESV Strong's)

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Chosen to Bear Fruit that Loves Others

In John 15 we have the teaching of Jesus about the “vine’ and the “branches.” Jesus is the “vine” and believers in Him are the “branches.”   It is impossible to be a branch, fully grafted into the vine, and NOT bear fruit.  It would be both natural and expected for a branch, coming off the vine to bear fruit.  If it did not, something would be wrong with the branch; not the vine.  This is the point of Jesus’ teaching.   He is the true vine that supplies the energy for the branch to bear fruit.  The branch does not bear fruit on its own.   In the above verse we read that we don’t even choose to be part of the vine.  Jesus chose us, not the other way around.  Since He chose us, He grafted us into Himself and that begins to produce fruit that is abides ... meaning it is not a one and done type of fruit.    In a true, vine-to-branch relationship with Jesus, there will be “long-lasting” fruit.   What does the fruit look like? Or, what is the character of the fruit?  It is something born of love.   It is the acting of loving other believers.   This is all done because we put our faith in Jesus.  This passage may be one of the strongest text to study in regard to faith-based-sanctification.   When Jesus chose us, He gives us faith to believe in Him.  When we follow Him, in that same faith, He produces fruit in us.  He empowers us to love our fellow believers, the way He loves them.   As a result we have an intimate relationship with Him and can come to Him with any of our needs and He promises to meet them.  But, there is a fruit of love that should be flowing from us as branches that He grafts into Himself.