Nothing Means Nothing

John 15:5

I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abides in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me, ye can do nothing.

Jesus was making a very important point here as He was describing how each and every believer can have a fruitful life. He says that it is by bringing forth much fruit that a person will bring glory to God.

Can you imagine that it is possible for us to bring glory to God? What a blessed privilege it is for the creature to glorify his creator. It should be the desire of each one to find out how this can be done and to start allowing their lives to count for the glory of God.

The key to this type of life is found in the illustration that Jesus used. He said that He was the vine and that we are the branches. As you know, the vine is the part of the plant that provides all the essential elements that are needed for producing the fruit. It is only as the branch gets its life from the vine that fruit is brought forth.

Jesus also gave the other alternative to abiding in Him. He said that it would be impossible to bear any fruit apart from Him. Now note this, He didn’t say that it would be hard or that it would be more difficult, He said that without Him we can do nothing. Do you know what nothing means? It is pretty self explanatory, it means exactly what it sounds like it means, NOTHING. Nothing means nothing. No a little or a bit, but nothing.

It may seem like that I am belaboring the point here a little too much. The reason that I am spending so much time is that there seems to be the idea that Jesus didn’t really mean what He said, that this was just a nice little illustration. There’s too much nothing going on in our lives and churches because we do not take this literally. Self effort prompted by self will for self gratification and glory is never going to get anything of lasting value accomplished. Hence, the Bible says that it is Christ in you the hope of Glory. There is no other way for you to give God glory.