Paths in Biblical Studies

Book of John · Chapter 15 of 21

John 15: Verse-by-Verse Commentary (with Videos)

27 verses · 5 video commentaries from 3 courses · Berean Standard Bible

1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.

2He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

5I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

6If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.

7If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.

9As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.

10If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.

11I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

14You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.

16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

17This is My command to you: Love one another.

18If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.

19If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

20Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

21But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.

22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

23Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well.

24If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.

25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’

26When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.

27And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

John 15 Section and Chapter Commentary

John 15:1-27

Celestial Access and Divine Indwelling

A key theological point in John is that humans, having acquired a spiritual nature, can achieve celestial access and divine indwelling. This means they can rise to God in heaven and experience God dwelling within them, fostering a relationship mediated by the spirit. This spiritual ascent and ability to cross between heavenly and earthly realms is emphasized, particularly in chapters 14 and 15.

Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · What's the Point of John's Gospel? · watch the clip

John 15 Verse Notes

John 15:4

John's unique vocabulary and idioms

John's portrayal of Jesus' speech includes unique expressions and idioms not found in the Synoptic Gospels. Phrases like 'born from above/again' (John 3), 'born of the Spirit,' 'abide/dwell in me,' 'whoever believes has eternal life now,' 'walk in the light,' and 'overcome the world' are characteristic of John's theological language. These distinct linguistic patterns suggest the author's creative development of Jesus' teachings.

Summarized by AI · The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible · Lecture 11: John | Reimagining Jesus · watch the clip

John 15:7

God's Intervention and Answered Prayer

The instructor reflects on the traditional Christian belief in an active, intervening God who answers prayers, as depicted throughout the Bible. From leading Israel out of Egypt to Jesus' miracles and the apostles' works, God is portrayed as loving and powerful, capable and willing to help. This belief is challenged by the widespread, unaddressed suffering in the world, leading the instructor to question the reality of such divine intervention.

Summarized by AI · Why I am Not a Christian: How Leaving the Faith Led to Life of More Meaning and Purpose · Lecture 2: My Leaving the Faith | Going Where the “Truth” Leads You · watch the clip

Ineffectiveness of Prayer

The belief that prayer is always answered, or that God's answer might be 'no,' ultimately renders prayer ineffective as a means of influencing divine action. If God always does what is best, human prayers are unnecessary to inform or persuade Him, suggesting that prayer's perceived success is often attributable to coincidence or psychological factors.

Summarized by AI · Why I am Not a Christian: How Leaving the Faith Led to Life of More Meaning and Purpose · Lecture 3: The Traumas of Deconversion | Emotional, Social, and Eschatological (Think: Fears of Afterlife!) · watch the clip

John 15:12

John's Gospel: Love Within the Community

The Gospel of John, written decades after Jesus, shifts the focus of love. While Jesus emphasized universal love, John's portrayal stresses love within the Christian community, so that outsiders can observe it. This reflects a historical change in Christian teachings towards prioritizing love among believers.

Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Do Fundamentalists (Actually) Follow Jesus? · watch the clip

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