Appointed to bear fruit
May 7, 2021
14:1 – 15:17 Being in Jesus, just as Jesus is in the Father
Read John 15:16-17
One of the great themes of the Old Testament is that the Jews were God’s chosen people (Deut.10:15; 14:2; Psalm 135:4; Isaiah 41:8). Now, in Christ, that is said of Christians too. Peter addresses his letter “to God’s elect… chosen according to the foreknowledge of God” and tells them that they “are a chosen people” (1 Pet.1:1-2; 2:9). Paul likewise emphasises that Christians are chosen and predestined according to God’s will and purpose (Eph.1:11). Where human free-will fits in is a profound mystery, but Jesus here declared the same truth: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (16a; cf. John 6:44).
Puzzling though this is, if we are honest with ourselves, we recognise that without God’s initiative we would never have found him. This means that there are no grounds for any pride that we belong to God’s people – it is all by his grace (Eph.1:6-7; 2:5-9). Instead of getting wrapped up in a theological conundrum, what should be focused on is that this is for a purpose: “to go and bear fruit”. The word go points to evangelistic mission, just as Israel in the Old Testament had been chosen and appointed to be “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6; Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47).
The fruit is also about becoming like Jesus, being “conformed to the likeness of God’s Son”, in holiness and love (Rom.8:29; Eph.1:4), in order that “we might be for the praise of his glory” (Eph.1:11-12). Such fruit – both kinds – will remain (meno) and be of lasting value. It can only come from our being in Jesus, a relationship which assures us of our prayers being answered providing we remain in him (16b; 14:13-14; 15:7). So, his final word in this section is a repetition of the essential condition for remaining in him, namely “love each other” (17; 15:10,12).