Our Scripture reading today is John 15:1-5.
Verse 4, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."
Salvation is a free gift to the sinner due to the penalty of sin being paid by God's Son, Jesus Christ. There are no amount of good works that can save a lost sinner. We must come to God by faith and receive the gift of salvation being offered to us.
Salvation is not the end, but the beginning of our Christian life. Once we are saved by grace, it is time to start bearing fruit for the glory of God. Our fruit bearing will occur only when we are abiding in the Vine. In this passage of Scripture, we are the branch and Jesus Christ is the vine. As in salvation, we must come to the conclusion that fruit bearing is completely dependent on Jesus Christ. It is impossible to go to Heaven without Jesus Christ and it is impossible to bear fruit without Jesus Christ.
Another word for "abide" is continue. In order to bear fruit we must continue to grow in grace. Every Christian should continue to read, study and obey God's Word. Every Christian should continue to actively be a part of a Bible preaching church. Every Christian should actively GO with the Gospel! The more we continue or abide in the Vine, the more fruit we will bear. It ought to be our goal to bear as much fruit for God as we possibly can. John 15:5, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."