The Seven “I AM” Statements in the Gospel of John PART 8

The Seven “I AM” Statements in the Gospel of John PART 8

I AM the True Vine (John 15:5)

[“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5)][1]

            Benjamin Franklin is often credited for the discovery of electricity through his kite and thunderstorm experiment. That discovery was just the beginning of what would lead to its more complex and fruitful transmission due various scientists improving its properties over the centuries.[2] Electricity has single-handedly made man’s life easier by its ability to give power to various machinery, technological devices, medical life-saving instruments, and home appliances. All one has to do is plug their device into an active power source and their device will be able to work properly. Without electricity, most modern-day conveniences would cease to function, and people would be thrown back into the dark ages and some may even die. Similarly, Jesus gives power to those who believe because He is the True Vine that enables His followers to operate through His authority. Without them being properly connected to Him, they would spiritually die.

            In the Gospel of John, Jesus is recorded as telling the disciples that He is the True Vine and that his Father was the Gardener who did the trimming of every branch that did not produce any fruit.[3] Jesus used this analogy to show that everyone who is in Him receives their vitality from Him because He is the Source that gives them the spiritual nutrition needed to produce good fruit. No one can grow spiritually without being connected to the True Vine. The Holy Spirit supplies the believer with the fruit of the Spirit that comes from being connected to the True Vine which is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.[4] All of these fruits embody the essence of who Jesus is as the True Vine. The Bible lets one know that you can recognize those who belong to Christ by the fruit that they bear.[5] Therefore, the believer is a product of the True Vine and will bear witness to who He is. Anyone who does not represent the Christ will not bear any fruit and the Father will cut him off as a gardener cuts off old branches.[6] 

 

            During the fall season, the leaves begin turning orange and brown on the trees and eventually they fall to the ground. The reason this takes place is because there is no more life in them. Homeowners will normally rake their yards and dispose of the leaves either by placing them into trash bags or putting them into a pile to be burned. Either way, the leaves are disposed of because they are no longer fruitful to the trees from which they fell. It is the same way with God. Those who choose to disconnect from the Vine will be pruned away and designated for eternal damnation. Unlike the leaves that fall to the ground, everyone has a chance to be reconnected to the True Vine if they have fallen away as long as they have breath. John the Baptist preached the message of repentance during his day and he proclaimed the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.[7] That message is even more urgent in modern times due to the Bible being fulfilled at an accelerated rate than ever before. The only way to have an eternity with God is to stay connected to the True Vine and in Him brings eternal salvation. 

A.    Overview of Divine Qualities as the True Vine.

a.)    Oneness with the Father

aa.) Jesus is the True Vine for He gives power through the Holy Spirit to all who believe because the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One and operate as such.

b.)    Incarnate nature

bb.) Jesus became flesh and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the believer with spiritual gifts that embody the character of Him. Those who know Him recognize His gifting in them and will use those gifts as a representation of the Father.[8]

c.)    Transcendent qualities

cc.) Jesus is the True Vine that spreads throughout the world showing the goodness and mercy of the Father. It is through His believers who act as branches producing good fruit that the world may see and get to know Him.

d.)    Redemptive works

dd.) Jesus gave His life and returned to Heaven so that the Holy Spirit could come down and give His followers the power to do greater works than He. They in turn show those who are lost the miraculous wonders of the Father who loves and cares for them. 

B.     Application of the Believer

a.)    Jesus has made the Holy Spirit available to all who believes so that they can bear good fruits as ambassadors for Christ. The believer must stay connected to the True Vine to avoid spiritual slothfulness and to receive a constant supply of power to connect others to the Holy Spirit’s power.[9]

Conclusion

The Gospel of John reveals that Jesus is the I Am sent by the Father to embody His divine attributes for He and the Father are One. The seven I Am statements spoken by Jesus bears metaphors to help His disciples and others learn about the Father’s love and care through Him. Jesus often used parables when speaking to a crowd so that they could have simplicity in their understanding of Him. Therefore, the seven I Am statements, although mistakenly taken literally by some of the Jews, was Jesus way of relating a message of compassion for all who were willing to accept Hm as their Creator, Provider, Shepherd, and Redeemer.

 First, Jesus, who is the Bread of Life, gives spiritual nourishment to the believer just as the Israelites were given manna in the wilderness. Second, He is the Light of the world to those wandering around in spiritual darkness. Third, Christ Jesus is the Gate that protects His sheep from would-be wolves, strangers and robbers whose goal is to spiritually sabotage His children. Fourth, He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep, so that they could next experience Him as the Resurrection and the Life having gained victory over death and hell.

Sixth, Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life for it is only through Him that a believer can get access to the Father. He was the Word made flesh in which Truth that leads to eternal life offers anyone who will accept Him the hope of redemption. Finally, Jesus is the True Vine who enables the believer to have an unlimited supply of Holy Spirit power. As a result, the believer produces good fruit and acts as a living witness for the world to see that the Lord is Good.[10] Therefore, everything has been made complete in Jesus from the beginning of creation for the salvation of those who ask, believe, repent and confess that He is Lord over their lives.[11] Jesus offers rest for those who are weary, salvation to those who are lost, freedom from the captivity of the sinful nature, and resurrection to those who are spiritually dead.[12] All one has to do is walk in the knowledge gained from the seven I Am statements to be in alignment with the will of the Father that was manifested through the works of His son, Jesus Christ, who takes away the sins of the world.

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[1] John 15:5 (New Living Translation).

[2] Universe Today, "Who Discovered Electricity?," Universe Today, last modified December 23, 2015, https://www.universetoday.com/82402/who-discovered-electricity/.

[3] John 15:1-2 (New International Version).

[4] Gal. 5:22-23 (New International Version).

[5] Matt. 7:16 (New International Version).

[6] John 15:6 (New International Version).

[7] Gary M Burge, The NIV Application Commentary: John (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 31.

[8] Burge, NIV Application, 59-60.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ps. 34:8 (New International Version).

[11] Brown, "Creation’s Renewal," 288.

[12] Carson and Moo, New Testament, 263.