John 15

The Vine and the Branches

¹“I am^a the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes,^b and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. ³You are already clean^c because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.^{d 5}I am the vine;^e you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit,^f because you can do nothing without me. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside^g like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire,^h and they are burned.^{i 7}If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.^{j 8}My Father is glorified^k by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be^l my disciples.

Christlike Love

⁹“As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.^{m 10}If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.ⁿ

¹¹“I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.^o

¹²“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved^p you. ¹³No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life^q for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master^r,^s is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you.^t I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask^u the Father in my name,^v he will give you.^w

¹⁷“This is what I command you: Love one another.

Persecutions Predicted

¹⁸“If the world hates^x you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen^y you out of it, the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^z If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word,^aa they will also keep yours. ²¹But they will do all these things to you on account of my name,^ab because they don’t know^ac the one who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.^ad Now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³The one who hates me also hates my Father.^{ae 24}If I had not done the works^af among them that no one else has done,^ag they would not be guilty of sin.^ah Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled:^ai They hated me for no reason.^aj,^ak

The Counselor’s Ministry

²⁶“When the Counselor^al comes, the one I will send to you from the Father^am #— #the Spirit of truth^an who proceeds from the Father #— #he will testify about me. ²⁷You also will testify,^ao because you have been with me from the beginning.