Introduction
Introduction
I am the vine; you are the branches.—JOHN 15:5.
After discussing the change brought about by regeneration in those who will inherit eternal life, as opposed to their natural state of degeneracy, I will now address the transformation that occurs when they unite with the Lord Jesus Christ, in contrast to their natural state of misery. The doctrine of the saints' union with Christ is clearly and extensively elaborated upon in this chapter's first eight verses, as part of our Lord's farewell sermon to his disciples. Their hearts were filled with sorrow, and they were likely wondering what would become of them once their Master was gone. Who would instruct them, resolve their doubts, support them through difficulties and discouragements, and how would they live without their usual interaction with him? Thus, our Lord Jesus Christ fittingly introduces them to the mystery of their union with him, comparing himself to a vine and them to its branches.
He makes two comparisons:
1. Himself to a vine. "I am the vine." He had just celebrated the sacrament of his supper with his disciples—a symbol and confirmation of their union with him—and informed them that he would no longer drink the fruit of the vine until he did so anew with them in his Father's kingdom. He then reveals himself as the vine from which the wine of their consolation would flow. The vine may lack the beauty of other trees, but it is incredibly fruitful, aptly symbolising our Lord's humble state while leading many to glory. His main goal in likening himself to a vine is to portray himself as the supporter and nourisher of his people, through whom they live and bear fruit.
2. He compares them to branches; they are the branches of that vine. They are connected to and growing from this source, drawing life and sustenance from it. It is an elegant analogy, as if he were saying, "I am like a vine, and you are like the branches of that vine." There are two types of branches: 1. Natural branches that initially sprout from the trunk. These branches have always been part of the tree. 2. Grafted branches, which are detached from the tree that first nurtured them and then inserted into another to grow upon it. This process results in branches being part of a tree that they did not originally belong to. The branches mentioned in the text are of the latter type; they are separated from the tree that initially sustained them, as the original language implies. None of humankind's offspring are natural branches of the second Adam, Jesus Christ, the true vine; they are the natural branches of the first Adam, the degenerate vine. However, all of the elect are eventually broken away from their natural source and grafted into Christ, the true vine.
DOCTRINE: Those who are in a state of grace are grafted onto and united with the Lord Jesus Christ. They are removed from their natural origin and are now grafted into Christ as their new source.
In general, to understand the union between the Lord Jesus Christ and his elect, who believe in and rely on him, I observe:
It is a spiritual union. In marriage, a man and woman become one flesh through their union; Christ and true believers become one spirit through this union, as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:17. Just as one soul or spirit animates both the head and the members in a natural body, the one Spirit of God dwells in Christ and the Christian. For "if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to him," Romans 8:9. Earthly unions are formed through contact, like the stones in a building, but this is a union of a different nature. If it were possible for us to physically eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, it would not benefit us, as mentioned in John 6:63. It was not Mary's physical act of bearing him in her womb but her faith in him that made her a saint, as seen in Luke 11:27-28.
It is a real union. Due to our weaknesses in our current state and our immersion in sin, we tend to create mental images of everything presented to us, and whatever is denied to us, we are inclined to suspect as mere fiction. However, nothing is more real than what is spiritual, as it closely resembles the nature of God, the source of all reality. We cannot see the union between our own soul and body with our eyes, nor can we accurately imagine it as we do with tangible things, but the reality of it is undeniable. Faith is not a fantasy but "the substance of things hoped for," Hebrews 11:1. The union between Christ and believers, established through faith, is not imaginary but highly real: "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones," Ephesians 5:30.
It is a close and intimate union. Believers, those who are regenerated and rely on Christ, have put on Christ, as stated in Galatians 3:27. If that is not enough, he is in them, as mentioned in John 17:23, and is formed within them like a child in the womb, according to Galatians 4:19. He is the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11), and they are the living stones built upon him (1 Peter 2:5). He is the head, and they are the body (Ephesians 1:22-23). Furthermore, he lives in them, as their very souls live in their bodies (Galatians 2:20). And most significantly, they are one with the Father and the Son, just as the Father is in Christ and Christ is in the Father (John 17:21).
Although it is not merely a legal union, it is a union supported by law. Christ, as the guarantor, and Christians as the principal debtors, are one in the eyes of the law. When the elect incurred a debt to God's justice along with the rest of humanity, Christ became their guarantor and paid the debt. When they believe in him, they are united to him in a spiritual marriage union. This union is so effective that what Christ did and suffered for them is considered, in a legal sense, as if they had done and suffered it themselves. Hence, they are said to be crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), buried with him (Colossians 2:12), and even raised up together with Christ and made to sit with him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), which can only be understood in a legal context.
It is an indissoluble union. Once united with Christ, the bond remains forever. He never leaves the heart where he has taken residence. Nobody can break this blessed connection. Will Christ himself dissolve it? No, he will not, as he says in Jeremiah 32:40, "I will not turn away from them." Can sinners sever the bond? No, they cannot, for God declares, "they shall not depart from me." Can devils do it? No, unless they are stronger than Christ and his Father, for Christ declares in John 10:28-30, "neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand," and "none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." Even death, which separates husband and wife and the soul from the body, cannot dissolve this union. As seen in Romans 8:38-39, the Apostle Paul is convinced that neither death nor life, angels nor demons, the present nor the future, nor any powers, height nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Just as death separated Christ's soul from his body but could not separate either from his divine nature, so too will the saints remain united to Christ in both life and death, for they "sleep in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:14) and "he keeps all their bones" (Psalm 34:20). Union with Christ is the grace in which we stand, firm and stable like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved.
I now come to speak more specifically about this union with, and grafting into, Jesus Christ.
I. I will consider the natural stock from which the branches are taken.
II. The supernatural stock they are grafted into.
III. Which branches are cut off from the old stock and placed into the new.
IV. How this process occurs.
V. The benefits that flow from this union and grafting.