“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23). Yet, such fruit must not be considered fulfilled in theological agreement, but in the practice of good works. For example, Paul told Titus to remind the brethren to learn to devote themselves to good works, in an effort to supply whatever others need, and in so doing the believer won’t be unfruitful (Titus 3:14). Therefore, the fruit of the Spirit is made manifest in good works, and walking by the Spirit of Christ (Galatians 5:25) involves abiding in and living by the Life of the Vine.
As the Father loved and worked through Jesus, so Jesus loves and works through his disciples. Consequently, we need to abide in the love of Christ (John 15:9-10), never doubting that he will supply the needs of others through our obedience to his love. Accordingly, as we fulfill the needs of others, we not only increase our own fruit borne for the enjoyment of the Father, but we also cause others, whomsoever they may be, to be thankful to God for the love, with which he loves them, as expressed through those who abide in Christ (2Corinthians 9:8-12).
Abiding not only involves mutual agreement, it also has to do with mutual effort. Abiding involves partnering with God in good works, doing the things he wants done. While God is able to command obedience, he is unable to obey for us. Our cooperation and our willingness to obey is not only assumed but is demanded by our abiding in Christ. Christ loves us, and we know this, because he died for us, but he also died for his enemies (Romans 5:8, 10), for the sins of the whole world (John 3:16; 4:42; 1John 2:2). What believers have that the world does not have from Christ is his joy, for it is for the joy that was set before him, that he endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). His joy, like a father’s pride in his son, is expressed, because we want to be like him. We want to abide in him. There is no joy in rebellion. One is able to love a son who rebels, but one doesn’t take pride in a son who rebels. A father has no joy in the world.
Therefore, Jesus told his disciples these things so that his joy would remain in them (John 15:11). He expected them to desire to be like him, to desire to do as he did, so he told them the reasons why everything was occurring the way the did. It was because they were no longer servants, doing what they were commanded to do, but they were friends doing what they were commanded to do. The difference is: a friend knows why but a servant does not (John 15:14). So, if Jesus is able to have joy his disciples, then it stands to reason that they also would have joy in the thing they did. That is, Jesus had joy in the labor of his hands, vis-à-vis working with his disciples for the past three- and one-half years. Therefore, if his disciples were abiding in him, they, too, would be able to take joy in their obedience. For example, after he had preached the Gospel and claimed that those who believed had fellowship with the Father and the Son, John was writing to them so that his joy would be fulfilled. In other words, just as Christ had joy in his disciples, John had joy in the labor of his hands in bringing folks to Christ (1John 1:1-4).
All that a man has he would give in exchange for his life (Job 2:4; Matthew 16:26). However, for the treasure he saw in the world (Matthew 13:44) Jesus sold all he had to purchase it (Philippians 2:6-7), and not only so, but with all else spent, he gave his life to secure it (Romans 5:6-10). In this context, then, Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another, as he loved them (John 15:12), and there is nothing more one could possibly give another than to spend one’s life for the benefit of his friend (John 15:13).
Therefore, although Jesus died to save the world (1Corinthians 15:3; 1John 2:2), a world that hates him (John 15:18, 25), he identifies with those who obey him, and he calls them his friends. Although some may try to obey out of compulsion to save his own life, only a friend would obey out of love (John 15:14). Therefore, Christ distinguishes between his servants and his friends, but telling them everything his Father has told him (John 15:15). While his servants know what is commanded of them, only his friends know why they need to obey.
Yet, at the end of the day, even Christ’s friends, perhaps only Christ’s friends, come to realize they would never have chosen such a Savior, such a Messiah. Folks are naturally drawn to the hero, the great general, the man who receives the glory of the world (Matthew 4:8-9), the glory we would not only give willingly but naturally. Alas, however, Jesus was not such a man. We would never have chosen him just as he is, we looked for something different in a Savior. Nevertheless, he has chosen us, just as we are, and commands us to bear fruit to him that would be everlasting (Acts 5:38-39; Matthew 16:17-18), not that man has such power, for even the greatest empires have lost all their power, and their works have no lasting effect in the world they once ruled supreme. Rather, the everlasting fruit is due to the Father’s power working in and through Jesus’ disciples, keeping their labors lasting, as they pray to him for the success of his Kingdom (John 15:16; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5; 4:23-31).
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