Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
“JOHN 15:1-16”
E-GO ei-mi he AMpe-los [288] he a-le-thiNE,
I am the true :vine,
kai ho paTER mou ho ge-orGOS [1092] es-tin.
and my :Father is the husbandman.
pan KLEma en eMOI me PHEron [5342] karPON [2590], AIrei [142] auTO:
Every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes it away:
kai pan to karPON PHEron,
and every one that bears :fruit,
kaTHAIrei [2538] auTO, HIna karPON PLEIo-na PHEre.
he prunes it, that it bear more fruit.
Ede huMEIS ka-thaROI es-te diA ton LOgon [3056] hon leLAle-ka huMIN.
Already YOU are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.
MEIna-te [3306] en eMOI, ka’ ’GO en huMIN.
Abide in me, and I in you.
kaTHOS to KLEma ou DUna-tai [1410] karPON PHErein aph’ he-auTOU,
Even as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
eAN me MEne en te amPElo;
unless it abide in the vine;
HOUtos ouDE huMEIS, eAN me en eMOI MEne-te.
thus neither you, unless you abide in me.
eGO ei-mi he AMpe-los, huMEIS ta KLEma-ta:
I am the vine, you are the branches:
ho MEnon en eMOI, ka’ ’GO en auTO,
Who abides in me, and I in him,
HOUtos PHErei karPON poLUN:
the same bears much fruit:
HOti choRIS [5565] eMOU ou DUnas-the poiEIN [4160] ouDEN.
for apart from me you can do nothing.
eAN me tis MEne en eMOI, e-BLEthe Exo hos to KLEma, kai e-xeRANthe [3583];
Unless one abide in me, he is cast forth as the branch, and is withered;
kai suNAgou-sin auTA, kai eis to pur [4442] BALlou-sin, kai KAIe-tai [2545].
and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
E-AN MEIne-te en eMOI, kai ta HREmaTA [4487] mou en huMIN MEIne,
If you abide in me, and my :words abide in you,
ho eAN THEle-te aiTEsas-the [154], kai geNEse-tai [1096] huMIN.
ask whatever you will, and it shall be done to you.
en TOUto e-doXASthe [1392] ho paTER mou,
Herein was my :Father glorified,
HIna karPON poLUN PHEre-te, kai geNESthe eMOI ma-theTAI [3101].
that you bear much fruit, and become my disciples.
j. 15:9 THE DESCENDING PATTERN OF LOVE
kaTHOS eGApeSEN me ho paTER, ka’ ’GO huMAS eGApe-sa:
Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you:
MEIna-te en te aGApe te eME.
abide you in :my :love.
eAN tas en-toLAS [1785] mou teREse-te [5083], meNEIte en te aGApe mou;
If you keep my :commandments, you shall abide in my :love;
kaTHOS eGO tou paTROS tas en-toLAS teTEre-ka,
even as I have kept the commandments of my :Father,
kai MEno auTOU en te aGApe.
and abide in his :love.
TAUta leLAle-ka huMIN, HIna he chaRA [5479] he eME en huMIN E,
These things have I spoken to you, that :my :joy be in you,
kai he chaRA huMON ple-roTHE [4137].
and your :joy be made full.
HAUte es-TIN he en-toLE he eME,
This is my :commandment,
HIna a-gaPAte alLElous, kaTHOS eGApe-sa huMAS.
that you love one another, even as I have loved you.
MEIzo-na TAUtes aGApen ouDEIS Echei,
Greater love has no one than this,
HIna tis ten psuCHEN [5590] auTOU the huPER ton PHIlon [5384] auTOU.
that a man lay down his :life for his :friends.
huMEIS PHIloi mou esTE, eAN poiEte ho eGO enTELlo-mai [1781] huMIN.
YOU are my friends, if you do what I command you.
ouKEti LEgo huMAS DOUlous [1401];
I call you no longer bondmen;
HOti ho DOUlos ouk OIden ti poiEI auTOU ho KUri-os:
for the bondman knows not what his :lord does:
huMAS de EIre-ka PHIlous; HOti PANta
but you I have called friends; because all things
a Ekou-sa paRA tou paTROS mou egNOri-sa [1607] huMIN.
that I heard from my :Father I have made known to you.
ouch huMEIS me e-xeLExas-the [1585], all’ eGO e-xe-leXAmen huMAS,
You did not choose me, but I chose you,
kai Etheka [5087] huMAS, HIna huMEIS huPAge-te kai karPON PHEre-te,
and appointed you, that you go and bear fruit,
kai ho karPOS huMON MEne [3306]:
and that your :fruit abide:
HIna HOti an aiTEse-te [154] ton paTEra en to oNOmaTI [3686] mou, do huMIN.
that whatever you shall ask of the Father in my :name, he give you.
NOTE: 12 Embryonic Revival Principles came together in 1948 as Restoration Truths – 7 of them through George R. Hawtin. God started to form them in his life in a specific manner in 1935 in Star City, Saskatchewan. One of them is in our text – John 15:5b – “For apart from Me you can do nothing!”
In 1945 God sovereignly led me following my Navy discharge to Bethel Bible Institute of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, founded by George R. Hawtin. Often Brother Hawtin led the Chapel worship in the morning. One of his favorite choruses was –
Without You – we can do nothing;
Without You – we’d surely fail;
Without You – we’d only be drifting –
Like a boat without a sail.
This was the heart of Brother Hawtin, and like King David of old, he desired to walk in an abiding relationship with Jesus. Did David walk perfectly in this relationship? No – and neither did George Hawtin or any other human being.
J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission and close friend of George Muller – was another who treasured the truth of this verse. But it didn’t happen until 20 years after he started walking with the Lord. Then one day he was ascending the Yangtze River on a Chinese Junk. And as he sat on the deck watching the passing mountains – without warning the Lord dropped into his heart the absolute truth of John 15:1-16. Mrs. Howard Taylor wrote “Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret” on the basis of this revelation. Scarce a letter he wrote following this revelation, but he did not challenge his readers to receive and walk in the truth of us as branches – effortlessly bearing fruit by abiding in the Vine! Following this revelation, he saw the Lord through him accomplish 2-3 times the fruitfulness of the past through him, with but one half the effort on his part.
And finally, John 15:16 is probably the key verse to this passage. Dr. E. Stanley Jones released God to move through him each time he preached – on the basis of the truth of this verse. It is NOT US – but JESUS who initiates His plan through us – and uses us. And our abiding fruitfulness is because of HIM, not us. Oswald Chambers effectively and powerfully sets forth this truth in his writings.
For me then – THIS PASSAGE shines forth as a powerful example of how Jesus releases the Holy Spirit through us to accomplish His Father’s purposes and to let His Glory shine forth.