Abiding in Faithfulness (Faithfulness 3)

The production is fruit, produced by a united vine.

Sometimes you just see something in scripture you’ve never seen before and you wonder how you could have missed it in the first place. The interplay between faithfulness and fruit in these Galatians and John passages is beautiful. The complement each other very well.

Jesus, without using the word, describes beautifully how faithfulness works - as belief in God and fidelity to God. The abiding nature of John 15 is well-known. It is a partnership, a dance, and interplay between Christ and disciple.

But Jesus takes it beyond the relationship to resulting production. The image here and with Paul is fruit. Abide in me, and you will bear much fruit. Not might. Will. The fruit of the Spirit is not a spiritual personality test or a vague suggestion about who we could be if we tried harder. It is the inevitable result of shared life with Jesus.

Faithfulness, then, is not gritting our teeth and trying to stay religious. It is remaining connected, rooted, held. It is staying in the presence of Jesus long enough for his life to become our life. That’s why Jesus uses such earthy language: vine, branch, fruit. It’s not magic. It’s connection. And most of the time, it’s slow growth.

And of course, the haunting inverse is mentioned as well: apart from me, you can do nothing. That sounds harsh until we realize that Jesus isn’t shaming us. He’s describing reality. Fruit doesn’t come from effort detached from the source. A branch by itself can look alive for a while, but eventually it dries out and becomes brittle. How many of us have tried to live Christianly without actually living with Christ?

Notice the rhythm here: abide → bear fruit → glorify the Father. Jesus doesn’t say, “Produce fruit so you can prove your worth.” He says, “Stay connected to me, and my life flowing in you will produce something you could never generate on your own.” We are not commanded to force fruit. We are invited to remain faithfully attached to Jesus.

So what does this look like in real life? Daily, ordinary fidelity through small acts of returning to the presence of Christ: prayer when it’s not convenient, forgiveness when it’s not deserved, generosity when it’s not easy, trust when the outcome is unknown. These are not random spiritual tasks. They are the posture of abiding. Faithfulness in motion.

The fruit of the Spirit begins with faithfulness, and faithfulness begins with staying close. As Paul would say, Keep in step with the Spirit. As Jesus says, Abide in me. Same call. Same life. Same vine.

Galatians 5:13-26

John 15:1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.”

Prayer

God,

There are so many distractions. Help me to drown them out with attentiveness to your voice and to those around me.

By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.

—

Today, I offer you the next hymn - O Come, All Ye Faithful. It’s a call to those who truly want to come and adore Christ. My favorite line is the last - “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.”

Flesh is the fruit. Not just words, but life in its fullness. Lived out.

I hope you enjoy this one.

(These songs should begin to appear on your favorite music outlet very soon - Spotify, iTunes, YouTube Music, etc.)

O Come, All Ye Faithful
(arranged & played by Jeremy D. Scott)