¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

Spiritual growth, whether individually or corporately, is first and foremost God’s business. He not only is vitally interested, He is the primary cause of spiritual growth. As humans, we have a part, as seen in Jesus’ commands to remain or abide in Christ. But our role is not causative, but instrumental. To the prideful Corinthians, Paul spelled it out this way, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. (1 Cor 3:6).

Overshadowing all that Jesus is about to say about abiding in the vine, and the various layers of understanding what that means, two things stand out in stark relief. First, the vine He is talking about is Himself. Second, the primary responsibility for growth of the vine lies with the vinedresser, God the Father.

To be sure, as D.A. Carson puts it, “People don’t drift toward holiness, without grace driven effort.” But our efforts are not the primary causative factor here. Paul expressed divine certainty to the Philippians, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6). And to Timothy he breaks out in praise, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13). The vinedresser is concerned about His vine, that it be fruitful. He will make it happen.

Now as will be seen, as Jesus unfolds the metaphor, the human element is necessary to the growth of the vine. However, this is subservient to the efforts of the vinedresser. In other words, we followers and believers of Jesus Christ are to make every effort to do the good works God created for us to do (Eph 2:10), but we must remember that, “it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). God works through our efforts in the same way as a hand works through a glove. It is not the glove that does the work, but the hand working through the glove. So our efforts are like God’s glove. He is the one doing the work.

And it is not as though God is rewarding our efforts and therefore working through us. No, the initiative lies with His desire for growth of the vine, not with our faithfulness in living the right way. Our efforts are nothing more than a response of faith to His growth initiatives. We are the responders to grace, which may look very active from the human perspective, but we are really passive in respect to God. Any other way opens the door to boasting. Yet, with Paul we must say, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14).

Lord, thank You for working in me to will and to do Your good pleasure.