Teks -- John 15:4 (NET)

15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Joh 15:4 - Abide in me

Abide in me ( meinate en emoi ).

Constative aorist active imperative of menō . The only way to continue "clean"(pruned) and to bear fruit is to maintain vital spiritual connexion with Christ (the vine). Judas is gone and Satan will sift the rest of them like wheat (Luk 22:31.). Blind complacency is a peril to the preacher.

Robertson: Joh 15:4 - Of itself

Of itself ( aph' heautou ).

As source (from itself) and apart from the vine (cf. Joh 17:17).

Robertson: Joh 15:4 - Except it abide

Except it abide ( ean mē menēi ).

Condition of third class with ean , negative mē , and present active (keep on abiding) subjunctive of menō . Same condition and tense in the application, "except ye abide in me."

Vincent: Joh 15:4 - Of itself

Of itself ( ἀφ ' ἑαυτοῦ )

Properly, from itself. See on Joh 7:17.

Vincent: Joh 15:4 - No more can ye

No more can ye ( οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς )

Literally, so neither can ye . So Rev.

Wesley: Joh 15:4 - Abide in me

Ye who are now pure by living faith, producing all holiness; by which alone ye can be in me.

JFB: Joh 15:1-8 - I am the true vine

Of whom the vine of nature is but a shadow.

JFB: Joh 15:1-8 - my Father is the husbandman

The great Proprietor of the vineyard, the Lord of the spiritual kingdom. (It is surely unnecessary to point out the claim to supreme divinity involved in this).

JFB: Joh 15:4 - Abide in me, and I in you; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, &c.

As all spiritual fruitfulness had been ascribed to the mutual inhabitation, and living, active interpenetration (so to speak) of Christ and His disciples, so here the keeping up of this vital connection is made essential to continued fruitfulness.

Clarke: Joh 15:4 - Abide in me

Abide in me - Hold fast faith and a good conscience; and let no trials turn you aside from the truth. And I will abide in you - ye shall receive every help and influence from me that your souls can require, in order to preserve and save them to eternal life

These two things are absolutely necessary to our salvation

1.    That we continue closely united to Christ by faith and love, and live in and to him

2.    That we continually receive from him the power to do good; for as the branch, however good in itself, cannot bear fruit from itself, through its own juice, which it has already derived from the tree, and can be no longer supported than it continues in union with the parent stock, neither can ye, unless ye abide in me. As the branch partakes of the nature of the tree, is nourished by its juice, and lives by its life, so ye must be made partakers of my Divine nature, be wise in my wisdom, powerful in my might, and pure through my holiness.

Calvin: Joh 15:4 - Abide in me

4.Abide in me He again exhorts them to be earnest and careful in keeping the grace which they had received, for the carelessness of the flesh can never be sufficiently aroused. And, indeed, Christ has no other object in view than to keep us

as a hen keepeth her chickens under her wings,
(Mat 23:37)

lest our indifference should carry us away, and make us fly to our destruction. In order to prove that he did not begin the work of our salvation for the purpose of leaving it imperfect in the middle of the course, he promises that his Spirit will always be efficacious in us, if we do not prevent him. Abide in me, says he; for I am ready to abide in you And again, He who abideth in me beareth much fruit. By these words he declares that all who have a living root in him are fruit-bearing branches

Defender: Joh 15:4 - Abide in me

The verb "abide" is the same in the Greek as "continue" or "remain" and is used no less than twelve times in Joh 15:4-16. The same word is used in Joh 8:31 when Jesus said those who "continue in my word" are "my disciples indeed." Thus, abiding in Christ is not some mystical concept but simply adhering strictly to the words of Christ as found in the Scriptures, guarding them as true and authoritative in every respect and seeking to obey them by God's help (Joh 15:7).

Defender: Joh 15:4 - cannot bear fruit

There are various kinds of "fruit" which Christians should produce. There is the ninefold "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22, Gal 5:23), manifest in a gracious and consistent Christian character, as well as "the fruits of righteousness" (Phi 1:11; Heb 12:11). Eph 5:9 says that "the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth," and all of this will produce fruit in the form of others won to Christ. For example, Paul expressed to the people in Rome his desire to "have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles" (Rom 1:13)."

TSK: Joh 15:4 - Abide // I // As

Abide : Joh 6:68, Joh 6:69, Joh 8:31; Son 8:5; Luk 8:15; Act 11:23, Act 14:22; Gal 2:20; Col 1:23; Col 2:6; 1Th 3:5; Heb 10:39; 1Jo 2:6, 1Jo 2:24-28; 2Jo 1:9; Jud 1:20,Jud 1:21

I : Joh 6:56, Joh 14:20, Joh 17:23; Rom 8:9, Rom 8:10; 2Co 13:5; Eph 3:17; Col 1:27

As : Isa 27:10,Isa 27:11; Eze 15:2-5; Hos 14:8; 2Co 12:8-10; Gal 2:20; Phi 1:11

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Joh 15:4 - and I in you

This our abiding in Christ is expounded, by an abiding in his words, Joh 15:7 , by abiding in his love, Joh 15:10 , an abiding in his Spirit, 1Jo 2:27 , a walking as Christ walked, 1Jo 2:6 , an abiding in the light, Joh 15:10 , not sinning, 1Jo 3:6 . The exhortation is, without doubt, to a holiness of life and conversation, by which our union and communion with Christ is upheld and maintained, and which is in itself an abiding in the love of Christ: nor is there a want of sufficient reason for this exhortation, though our union with Christ cannot be dissolved, nor our communion with him wholly interrupted; because,

1. It must be upheld and maintained on our part by the exercises of faith and holiness.

2. The sense of it in our souls may be eclipsed, and wholly fail, Psa 22:1 .

3. We may fall away foully, though neither totally, (as Lutherans say), because the seed of God abideth in the believer; nor yet finally (as papists say).

We had need therefore of all exhortations and arguments imaginable, to persuade us to do what in us lieth that we may abide in him. We have a great encouragement to the use of all possible endeavours to abide in the love of God, from the promise annexed,

and I in you that is, I will abide in you; do you strive, and I will help you to perfect; do you fight, and I will help you to overcome; I will continue to you such gradual influences of grace, as shall be sufficient for you; grace wherein and whereby you shall stand, Rom 5:2 . You shall be kept by the power of God through faith to salvation, 1Pe 1:5 . But look as it is with the branch, it cannot bear fruit of itself; but if it be once separated from the influences of the stock, it dies and withers; so it will be with you, you can bring forth no fruit unless you abide in me.

Lightfoot: Joh 15:4 - Abide in me

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.   

[Abide in me.] Indeed, a true fixing and abiding in Christ is by a true faith. But may we not suppose our Saviour here more peculiarly warning them against apostasy, or falling back from the gospel into Judaism, a plague likely to rage exceedingly in the church?

Gill: Joh 15:4 - Abide in me, and I in you // as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me

Abide in me, and I in you,.... The former of these is an exhortation to continue in the exercise of faith and love upon Christ, holding to him the head, cleaving to him with full purpose of heart, and so deriving life, grace, strength, and nourishment from him; the latter is a promise encouraging to the former; for as Christ is formed in the hearts of his people, he continues there as the living principle of all grace. And so,

as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me; which strongly expresses the necessity of abiding in Christ by fresh repeated acts of faith: and it is easy to observe, that when believers depart from Christ, though it be but partially, and for a time, for they cannot finally and totally depart from him, in what a poor, withered, fruitless condition they are, both in their frames and duties.