Explanation of John 15
Napsal(a) Rev. John Clowes M.A.
Explaining the Inner Meaning of John 15
Verses 15:1, 2. That the Lord is the all of spiritual truth, cherished and enlivened by divine good, by virtue of which good, all who are principled in truth and not in good, are separated, or cast out, whilst all who are principled in good united with truth, are purified.
Verses 15:3, 4. For all spiritual purification comes from the union of divine good and divine truth, and since this union is complete in the Lord, therefore all, who are principled in truth, ought to seek reciprocal conjunction with him in the good of his love, otherwise they cannot attain good.
Verses 15:5, 6. But if they attain that conjunction, they then attain heavenly good, which they acknowledge to be derived from such conjunction, since without such conjunction they are deprived of all spiritual life, and associated with infernal societies, and become a prey to all the evil of craving, and thus perish in eternal death.
Verses 15:7, 8. Whereas if they have reciprocal conjunction with the Lord, through obedience to his commandments, they acquire omnipotence over all evil and false principles, and exalt the divine good in their wills, and the divine truth in their understandings.
Verses 15:9, 10. For as the divinity is united by love with the humanity which he assumed, so is the humanity united by love with all those, who obey the truth, and thus attain reciprocal conjunction with him, which conjunction is effected by obedience to the truth, in like manner as the reciprocal union of the divinity and humanity was effected by the obedience of the latter to the divine good.
Verses 15:11, 12. That thus it is the end of the divine commandments, to introduce man to a participation of divine blessedness, by filling all his natural delights and gratifications with corresponding spiritual joys, which end is accomplished by mutual love and charity derived from the divine love.
Verses 15:13, 14, 15. Which love and charity is perfected in proportion as a man renounces self-love, and prefers another's good to his own, since in so doing he attains to a state of spiritual freedom, whereas otherwise he is in a state of spiritual servitude, through ignorance of the divine loving-kindness, inasmuch as all true freedom is derived from heavenly knowledge.
Verses 15:16, 17. Nevertheless, that the power which man possesses of conjoining himself with the Lord by love, is not of himself, but of the Lord, who alone instructs man in truth, to the intent that he may live accordingly, and thus attain to heavenly good, and that this good may be operative in good works, and thereby put man in possession of all that he can desire, since all is comprehended in mutual love or charity.
Verses 15:18, 19. Yet that they, who have attained such love, through the acknowledgement of the divinity in the Lord's humanity, will be opposed and vilified, as the Lord himself was opposed and vilified, and for the same reason too, because their affections and thoughts are in contrariety to those of the worldly-minded.
Verses 15:20, 21. They are therefore to keep in mind, that if the divine love itself be opposed, and the divine truth itself rejected, they also will be opposed and rejected, who are only receivers of that love and truth, and for this reason, because the divinity in the Lord's humanity is not acknowledged.
Verses 15:22, 23, 24. That this non-acknowledgement of the divinity in the Lord's humanity is the source of all human disorder and condemnation, since whoever opposes the Lord's humanity, or divine truth, opposes at the same time his divinity, or divine good.
Verse 15:25. Thus fulfilling divine prediction.
Verses 15:26, 27. Nevertheless the operation of the Lord's humanity, when fully united with the divinity, will prove to every believer that he is the Only God by virtue of that union, and every true believer will also confirm this testimony, because he will perceive that all of regeneration from the first insemination of truth, is from that divine source.
John 15
1
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
2
Every branch in me that doesn't bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3
You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4
Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.
5
I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6
If a man doesn't remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7
If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.
8
"In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.
9
Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.
10
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and remain in his love.
11
I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12
"This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.
13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
14
You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.
15
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn't know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
16
You didn't choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17
"I command these things to you, that you may love one another.
18
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20
Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his lord.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
21
But all these things will they do to you for my name's sake, because they don't know him who sent me.
22
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23
He who hates me, hates my Father also.
24
If I hadn't done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn't have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father.
25
But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.'
26
"When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.
27
You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
