Month: October 2015
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The Fruit of the Vine: Grace and Works
Don: If we are saved by grace, what is the purpose of works? Scripture appears conflicted over the matter: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Romans and Galatians repeat…
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The Fruit of the Vine
Jay: Fruit is mentioned often in the Book of Matthew, For example: Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already…
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I Am the Vine III: Fruit-bearing
Continued from last week The allegory of the vine and the branches is primarily about the bearing of fruit and not about salvation or ultimate judgment. If that is true then we should focus more on what fruit-bearing means. The scripture refers to four types of branch: 1. Non-fruit-bearing branches in Jesus. (John 15:2) 2….
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I am the true vine II
Continued from last week Don: On the face of it, this seems to be a simple metaphor about those who are saved, those who are lost, and so on. But on closer inspection, it grows more puzzling. It seems as if the purpose of the vine is to produce fruit. Fruit is apparently the key…
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I am the vine
Don: We have studied several of the “I am” statements of Jesus, including: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) which emphasizes God’s creative power. God created light in the Genesis, and he will create a world of light in the Revelation. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35) which emphasizes God’s…