HILLFAITH STUDIES: Jesus’ Seventh Great ‘I AM’ Claim – ‘The True Vine’

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser … I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:1,5

One of the most familiar maxims about living and working on Capitol Hill is “it’s all about who you know.” Somebody who gets things done is often said to be “well-connected.”

Congress is not unique in this respect, but there are few places in America where the maxim is more fundamental. What you know is essential, but ultimately on the Hill, it’s who you know that has the most influence on your ability to accomplish your goals.

So, if you work on the Hill and are reading John 15, verses one and five, for the first time, Jesus’s metaphor of the vine and the branches might not immediately seem all that relevant to your daily routine. In fact, Jesus is speaking a truth as important to the quality of every aspect of your life as the air you breath.

Think about it: The branch of a grape vine that produces wine can only be green, growing and fruitful if it is connected to the vine. Otherwise, the branch becomes separated from the vine, withers, dies and rots away.

Have Life More Abundantly:

Jesus has said that He came to this Earth so those who follow Him “may have life and have it more abundantly. He explained what that means in His various “I AM” formulations that are the focus of this HillFaith Studies series. He is “the resurrection and the life,” He is “the bread of life,” and so forth.

Most importantly, as we saw last week in the sixth post of this series, He is “the way, the truth and the life” and “no man comes to the Father but through me.” Jesus is the only way to heaven and eternal life in the same way as being connected to the vine is the only way for the branch to live and produce the fruit of the vine.

And if He created you, then as a branch, you must be connected to Him, the vine, if you are to grow to your full potential. Not just in your work, but in every aspect of your daily existence, if you are to be fruitful and live the most productive possible life.

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Troubled by this? Wrestling with questions about Jesus? Then let’s talk, confidentially. Email me at mark.tapscott@hillfaith.org and we’ll set something up.

Don’t worry, I don’t preach, I mainly listen and humbly provide answers based on His Word and my experience of a life-altering relationship with Him since 9:15 am on March 1, 1991.

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Schedule for Jesus’ Great I AM Claims Posts

July 6: Introduction

July 13: “I am the bread of life.” John 6:35

July 20: “I am the light of the world.” John 8:12 and 9:5

July 27: “I am the gate for the sheep.” John 10:7

August 3: “I am the good shepherd.” John 10:11

August 10: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” John 11:25-26

August 17: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6

August 24: “I am the true vine.” John 15:1

Make a note on your calendar to be sure and check back here each Tuesday, Regardless if you are already a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ working on Capitol HIll, or a congressional aide who is curious about Jesus, skeptical about Him or just plain apathetic about the whole thing, I promise you will gain some valuable new insights and understanding  as a result of following this study.

And it might change your life forever.

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While you are here, check out this incredible scene from “The Chosen” where Jesus explains what it means to be “born again:”

Have You Heard The Most Familiar Fallacy Used by Anti-Christian Skeptics?

This may surprise you and it may also surprise you to learn that most people, regardless of their views on spiritual issues, fall back on this fallacy on a regular basis. Go here to learn more about this common problem.

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