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E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - John 15:5

without. Greek choris, apart from. Compare John 1:3 and John 20:7 (by itself), the only other occurance in John. nothing . Greek. ou ouden, a double negative. read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - John 15:6

If a man . . . not . Greek. ean me tis. App-118 and App-123 . See "except" in John 15:4 . It is no longer "you "or "ye" but "any one", speaking generally. is cast forth . . . is withered . (Both verbs are in the Aorist) = was cast forth, &c., perhaps referring to the fig-tree (Matthew 21:19 , and App-156 ). Compare Matthew 13:6 . a = the. men = they. Compare Matthew 13:30 , Matthew 13:39 , Matthew 13:41 . into . Greek. eis. App-104 . the fire . No art. in received text, but added by... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 15:1

This chapter is a continuation of the farewell discourses. True, the Lord gave the signal to conclude the meal and depart; but see the final paragraph in the preceding chapter. As Dodds said:He saw their reluctance to move, and the alarmed and bewildered expression that hung upon their faces; and he could not but renew his efforts to banish their forebodings and impart to them intelligent courage to face separation from him.[1]First, in this chapter, is Jesus' metaphor of himself as the true... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 15:2

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.Not only will the husbandman (God) reject the degenerate vine, he will also give the strictest attention to the true vine, extended here to mean not merely Christ but all the church "in him."Every branch in me ... See under John 14:20 for elaboration of the significance of being "in Christ." One not in Christ has the same status as a severed branch.... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 15:3

Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.Christ here intimates that the apostles do not at the moment need "pruning," having already been pruned enough by the devastating teachings and revelations of that entire evening. Their pride, secularism, trust of themselves, and their vain ambitions had all been swept away in the knowledge of Judas' treachery, Peter's forthcoming denial, and the Lord's impending death, the latter being a fact that their minds could no longer... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 15:4

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.Abide in me ... standing at both ends of this verse is, in short, the plan of human redemption. All depends upon one's being "in Christ," and abiding "in him" until probation has ended. Jesus did not here elaborate the means by which one is brought into such a sacred relationship with himself; but the New Testament leaves no doubt of how this comes about.... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 15:5

I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.See under John 15:1 and John 15:4, and under John 14:20.Apart from me ye can do nothing ... As regards procurement of righteousness in the sight of God, no human being can ever achieve any semblance of it. Christ Jesus wrought the only righteousness (in the ultimate sense) ever known on earth. No man could ever achieve the tiniest fraction of such a... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 15:6

If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.Here is the answer to the old question of whether or not a Christian can so sin as to be lost. Both the precept and the example are here. Judas, at first a true apostle, did not abide in Christ and was cast forth as a branch. Salvation for every man ever born turns upon just two questions: (1) is he "in Christ"? and (2) does he remain "in Christ"?... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - John 15:1

John 15:1. I am the true vine,— Our Lord, having gone with his disciples to the mount of Olives, (see the last note of the former chapter,) spent the remaining hours of his ministryin preaching to his disciples a long and excellent sermon, recorded in this and the following chapter. He began with the parable of thevine, taken from the vines that were growing around them on the mount of Olives. In this parable he taught them the excellency of his religion, and the nature of the relation which... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - John 15:2

John 15:2. Every branch in me, &c.— "Though by the outward profession of my religion you become members of the visible church of God, you must never forget, that this, of itself, is not sufficient to constitute you true members of the spiritual church of God, of the mystical body of Christ: you must be accepted through the Beloved; and you must answer the end of your high dispensation, by bringing forth the fruit of holiness; otherwise my Father will cut you off, depriving you of all the... read more

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