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NASB | John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 15:7 "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. |
Bible Question:
Doc, I know, but what does the scripture mean. I truly need an answer. |
Bible Answer: Hi, Dee... Tim is right that the context of John 15 is Christ speaking to His disciples. However, it is commonly held that these words apply also to believers as a whole. The Scripture is replete with examples of God referring to His own as branches of the vine (cf Psalm 80:8-19; Isaiah 4:2; 5:1-7; 27:2-3; 60:21; 61:3; Jeremiah 2:21; 12:10; Ezekiel 15:2-6; Hosea 10:1; Zechariah 3:8; Matthew 20:1; 21:33; Luke 13:6). Our Savior is using this very metaphor, which would be very familiar to every Jew. Nonetheless, we need not puzzle over the question of who is being addressed, for the Apostle John, the one recording this Gospel, also wrote an epistle to believers in the church (1 John) in which the same sort of things are recorded! It is very good that you are using John 15 as a mirror – that is a good example to set for us all (James 1:22-25). A good exercise is to go through John 15 and record all of the attributes that Christ states belong to those who are His disciples. (I think the last time I did that, I came up with over 20 of them.) Then one can meditate on them, to see to what extent they apply to us, and to consider what we ought to do in order to cause them to increase. God is gracious that He doesn't tell us to just “feel” something or to experience something. Instead, He gives us characteristics that we can use for self examination (2 Corinthians 13:5). Another step would be to read 1 John while keeping in mind what you learned from the study of John 15. You will find there that John tells us that love characterizes the believer: Love of God, love of the brethren, love of the church, and love of righteousness (love of God's Word). It is exciting for me to see people drawn to the Word of God the way you have been drawn. For this is clear evidence of the Holy Spirit's work. That should be an encouragement! In the old days the word comfort was used in the sense of helping, healing, and easing the pain of soldiers wounded on the battlefield. We still hear it in sayings like “providing aid and comfort to the enemy.” Be assured that this is precisely the sense in which comfort is used for those who seek the Lord through His Word. It sounds very much as though you need exactly that kind of comfort. God bless you as you spend time learning to abide in Christ and let His Word abide in you! In Him, Doc |
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Questions and/or Subjects for John 15:7 | Author | ||
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DeeFrom Kosy | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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DeeFrom Kosy | ||
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Morant61 | ||
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DocTrinsograce |