This verse comes from one of Jesus’ most well-known metaphors: the vine and the branches. Further, throughout the book of John, we see Jesus making seven statements of “I am.” This section features the seventh of these seven statements in John 15:1, 5. It’s in this section that Jesus describes several ideas on Christian perseverance, our faith, false conversion, and spiritual effectiveness. And as Jesus wraps up this metaphor, He makes another reference to loving obedience, thus transitioning to His next passage of teaching.
However today, we’re focusing on the topic of prayer, as this verse has been misconstrued, stripped from its context, and used incorrectly by false teachers (especially in those that preach prosperity gospel) to establish incorrect expectancies among Christians about the character of God. It is my desire that each and every one of you understand this verse in its correct context and meaning so that if you do hear it twisted, you can defend what is true. You can help those who don’t understand it to truly know what it means. This verse is so much more powerful than anything that we could come up with on our own. It is more comforting than any twisting of its original meaning. So before we begin, let’s talk briefly about how this gets twisted: this verse does not mean that God will give you every earthly desire that you pray for. Yet some people out there teach that if we exercise enough faith, we can compel God to make us prosperous, healthy, and have many material possessions. Look closely at what I’m saying: some teach that if we exercise enough faith, we can tell God what His will is. We can compel Him to give us what we want. So, as some teach, if you continue to suffer from afflictions or poverty, you must not have enough faith. I hope that you see how absolutely backward from scripture this is.
I say all of this not to confuse you, but to make you aware of what is being taught by some, and today we’re going to look at what the Bible actually says about it.
It’s in this verse that Jesus gives us two basic conditions regarding answered prayer:
“If you abide in me.” – We are not the Vine. Jesus is. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). This concept of “abiding in” Him refers to those who are truly connected to the True Vine, and therefore bear spiritual fruit as a result (John 15:1-6). So what does it mean to be connected to the True Vine? Simply put, it means we rely on Jesus for all of life. It’s a joyful and continual relationship with Jesus that is marked by dependence, trust, and obedience.
“…and my words abide in you.” – Jesus tells us in this second line that not only does He want us to abide in Him, but that He wants His words to abide in us. This doesn’t necessarily just mean memorizing Bible verses, but is pointing to a responsive obedience to Jesus and His revelation of Himself (the Bible). We must learn to love His Word by reading, studying, meditating, and savoring it.
But don’t let it end there. Take this desire and relationship with Jesus to prayer.
When we know His words and His words abide in us, our desires and character begin to shift towards God’s will. A branch receives what it needs from the vine.
“So by these two conditions – staying in Jesus and having Jesus’ words stay in us – he shapes our desires and our thoughts through the Holy Spirit so that our wishes and his are increasingly the same.” – Jon Bloom.
It’s through the words of Jesus abiding in us, that we are prepared
