John 15:5 | Done with Religion

Posts Tagged ‘John 15:5’

Cut from the Vine

Posted in christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged christian living, Christianity, flowers, John 15:5, Love of God, spirituality on July 6, 2022|

by Jim Gordon

While trimming some flowers in our backyard, I accidentally cut a new bloom that had just come out. I tried to replant the root and watered it good, but I noticed within half an hour the bloom was already starting to fade away.

This made me think of the bible verse in John 15:5, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing’. Once this nice, colorful bloom was cut from the vine, it could do nothing but wither away.

As followers of Jesus, we are attached to the vine. God is our source of life. As long as we are attached to God, we will grow and mature in our love for God and for one another.

Yet, when we get separated from God (the vine), we will wither and fade in our love for God and for one another.

Notice I am not saying if we separate from the church or from the religion of Christianity, but if we separate from the life and example of Jesus. If we separate from loving God and loving our fellow human beings we will begin to wither in our walk of faith.

Religion and the church organization are man-made ways of learning about God, but they are not necessary parts of living the example of Jesus. The Spirit lives within us and we are the house of God. The Spirit is our teacher and guide and we do not need an intermediate (pastor) to teach us.

Just as the bloom needed the vine to grow, we need connection to our source, the vine who is Jesus. In this way we will continue to grow and share the love of God with others.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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Jesus Is Our Source of Life

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged christian living, Christianity, grace, John 15:5 on September 15, 2021|

by Jim Gordon

John 15:5 – I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

We have read this verse many times, but it is so easy to pass over how important this verse is. Jesus is our life source. It is in Him that we live, and move and have our being. He supplies all we need. He provides us daily with the requirements for life and what we need to truly live a life of sharing his love with others.

Jesus has done all that is needed for us to be forgiven, made new and have a loving relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is by his grace we are free, and all the spiritual things we think we need to do to put us in right standing are so unnecessary.

Jesus is the one who has done everything needed to restore our right standing with God. It is Jesus who takes our burdens, frees us from guilt and guides us daily as we follow him. All we need to do is accept his work and rest in Him.

Our main focus should be on Christ, not on things about Him. He is our life. He is our all in all. We are to give Christ the preeminence in all things. He is the Vine, we are the branches; apart from Him we can do nothing. Rest in him and enjoy the peace he gives knowing we are in him and he is in us.

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Jesus Is Our All in All

Posted in Acceptance, christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged acceptance, christian living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John 15:5 on November 18, 2020| 2 Comments »

by Jim Gordon

In our world today, there are certainly many things that distract us and draw our attention away from our daily life. A world-wide pandemic, terrorism, racism, equality issues, conspiracy theories, these can all draw us away and cause strife, worry and depression.

I like to concentrate on a verse we all have read many times, but it is so easy to pass over how important this verse is for each of us. In John 15:5 Jesus said “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing”.

Jesus is our life source. It is in Him that we live, move and have our being. He supplies all we need. He provides us daily with the requirements for life and what we need to truly live. We cannot do anything worth doing or that makes a real difference apart from Him.

Jesus has done all the work that is needed for us to be forgiven, made new and have a loving relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. All the spiritual things we think we need to do to put us in right standing are so unnecessary. Jesus is the one who has done everything needed to fulfill the law and put us in right standing with the Father. All we need to do is accept his work and rest in Him.

Our main focus should be on Christ, not on things about Him. He is our life. He is to be our all in all. We need to give Christ the preeminence in all things. He is the Vine and we are the branches. Apart from Him we can do nothing. He lives within us in the form of the Spirit. Remember to focus on the Spirit that is within to teach, lead and guide you each day.

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Dead Flowers

Posted in christian living, tagged fruit of the spirit, He is the vine, Holy Spirit, John 15:5 on June 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »

A lot of people like to get flowers. Fresh cut flowers are so fresh and colorful and can be enjoyed for several days.

The only problem with cut flowers is that they do not last. Cut flowers are outwardly colorful and beautiful but they are actually dead.

The flowers die because they have been separated from the vine. The part that goes into the ground and gives water, nutrients and supplies life to the flower can no longer supply what is necessary for the colorful part to continue living.

Just as cut flowers wither and die because they have been cut off from their life source, so we as followers of Christ can wither and die spiritually if we are cut off from our source of life who is Jesus.

He is the vine, we are the branches. Apart from the vine just as the flowers are in the process of dying, so we too are in the process of dying spiritually.

John 15:5 – I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Apart from Christ we can do nothing that brings spiritual life to ourselves and spiritual joy to others. Apart from the vine we cannot bear good fruit. This is why it is so important to be connected to Christ who is our life source.

It is in Him that we live, move and have our being. He supplies all our need. He provides us daily with what we need to truly live for him. We cannot do anything that is of any spiritual worth or that makes a real difference in the life of another apart from Him.

Our main focus should be on Christ. He is our life. We need to give Christ the preeminence in all things. He is the Vine, we are the branches, apart from Him we can do nothing.

To continue showing the love and acceptance of God to others, to bring the good news of the gospel of Christ to those we meet we need to be attached to the vine, our life source who is Jesus, God within us.