John 15

I Am the True Vine

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he removes, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes so that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in them bears much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, they are thrown out like a branch and wither. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you. 8My Father is glorified in this: that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

Remain in My Love

9“Just as the Father has loved me, I also have 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 spoken these things to you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12This is my commandment: love one another just as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what the master is doing. I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that remains—so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you. 17These things I command you so that you love one another.

The World’s Hatred

18“If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. 19If you were from the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not from the world—rather, I chose you out of the world—the world hates you. 20Remember the word I told you: ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21But they will do all these things to you because of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25But this happened so that the word written in their Law might be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without cause.’ 26“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”