Tag Archives: glorified

JOHN’S GOSPEL…THE SAGA OF THE SEED – 22a

November 29, 2025Bible Studybear fruit, glorified, much fruitLuella Campbell

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬, ‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Fruit! What is the purpose of a vine? Much has been preached and taught about the union between the vine and the branches as the analogy of the union between Jesus and His followers…but what about the fruit? After all, viticulturists only grow vines for their grapes.

What would the world do without grapes? Apart from delicious fruit, a world without wine would be unthinkable. Jesus’ first miracle recorded in John’s gospel happened because the wine vats were empty! Wine forms the centrepiece of the Lord’s Supper. There is no other fruit that can substitute for wine with all its symbolism.

So, Jesus did not say “I am the apple tree and you are the branches…” or something like that. The vine also forms an important part of Old Testament imagery for Israel. For example, God saw Israel as the choice vine He had planted and tended, only for them only to bear inferior grapes.

“I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus picked up on the picture, significantly to teach the men, who would form the nucleus of this “vine” of the New Covenant, a very significant lesson. Their union with Him would guarantee that the fruit they bore would reflect the nature of the vine…Jesus Himself.

How could this happen?

First, be sure to be in the true vine.

The original vine, Israel, failed. Membership of the nation of Israel, however much they prided themselves on being the covenant people of God, could never guarantee that the fruit of that union would be good. Their history was nothing but rebellion and failure.

“It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is an exclusive section of Abraham’s offspring that are the fruit of faith…a union established with Jesus, the real vine, brought about by the power of God. This is God’s “vine” towards which all His energies are concentrated.

Second, the vine exists for one purpose…to bear fruit. Everything else about the vine will go up in flames when the vine no longer bears fruit. Jesus said that every branch that bears no fruit will be pruned from the vine. There is no place in the vine for useless branches.

Fruit is the natural extension of the vine. Jesus said that a tree is identified by its fruit. A tree cannot say, “I am an apple tree,” when the fruit is obviously lemons. So too with the fruit that grows on our “tree”!

Third, the fruit a tree bears is not an end in itself. Inside the fruit is hidden its most precious part…the seeds that reproduce its kind. The fruit’s purpose is to nourish the seed in the ground until the environment in which the seed grows takes over the task.

Now, let’s return to Jesus’s teaching.

A branch can only produce fruit when it is connected to the vine. The Father, the gardener, carefully tends the vine for one purpose…fruit…because fruit has in it the seeds that guarantee the vine’s continued reproduction, of the same quality as the vine that produced the fruit. Seedless grapes, for example, are pleasant to eat but have no further value for the gardener.

What is Jesus intending to convey? Unbroken union between the branch and the vine is the only way to bear fruit. The fruit must be of the same quality as the vine to reproduce itself faithfully. The Father’s pleasure is in the fruit since the fruit guarantees the continuation of the vine.

What is the nature of the “fruit” that pleases the Father?

To be continued…

CHOSEN AND PREDESTINED – 2b

March 30, 2024Bible Studyglorified, predestined, SanctifiedLuella Campbell

Now that we have a better understanding of “chosen”, let’s take a closer look at “predestination”.

‭Romans 8:29 NIV‬
[29] “For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

‭Ephesians 1:12-14 NLT‬
[12] “God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. [13] And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. [14] The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

I have decided to present an entire quote from “gotquestions.com” because I cannot explain predestination any better than this.

“Many people have a strong hostility to the doctrine of predestination. However, predestination is a biblical doctrine. The key is understanding what predestination means, biblically.

“The words translated “predestined” in the Scriptures referenced above are from the Greek word proorizo, which carries the meaning of “determining beforehand,” “ordaining,” “deciding ahead of time.” So, predestination is God determining certain things to occur ahead of time. What did God determine ahead of time? According to Romans 8:29-30, God predetermined that certain individuals would be conformed to the likeness of His Son, be called, justified, and glorified. Numerous scriptures refer to believers in Christ being chosen (Matthew 24:22, 31; Mark 13:20, 27; Romans 8:33, 9:11, 11:5-7, 28; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9; 2 Peter 1:10). Predestination is the biblical doctrine that God in His sovereignty chooses certain individuals to be saved.

“Predestination is an explicitly biblical doctrine. Yet the determination of predestination is not disconnected from the rest of God’s unchanging character (Malachi 3:6). It is connected to His foreknowledge (Romans 8:29, 11:2), His love (Ephesians 1:4-5), and His plan and pleasure (Ephesians 1:5). God’s desire is that all would be saved and come to repentance (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). Predestination is personal and relational, not capricious.

“The most common objection to the doctrine of predestination is that it is unfair. Why would God choose certain individuals and not others? We must remember that no one deserves to be saved. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are all worthy of eternal punishment (Romans 6:23). As a result, God would be perfectly just in allowing all of us to spend eternity in hell. However, God chooses to save some of us. He is not being unfair to those who are not chosen, because they are receiving what they deserve. God’s choosing to be gracious to some is not unfair to the others. No one deserves anything from God; therefore, no one can object if he does not receive anything from God.

An illustration would be a man randomly handing out money to five people in a crowd of twenty. Would the fifteen people who did not receive money be upset? Probably so. Do they have a right to be upset? No, they do not. Why? Because the man did not owe anyone money. He simply decided to be gracious to some.

“If God is choosing who is saved, doesn’t that undermine our free will to choose and believe in Christ? The Bible says that we have the choice—all who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). The Bible never describes God rejecting anyone who believes in Him or turning away anyone who is seeking Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). The truths of God’s sovereign predestination and also man’s responsibility are not mutually exclusive. Somehow, in the mystery of God, predestination works hand-in-hand with a person being drawn by God (John 6:44) and believing unto salvation (Romans 1:16). God predestines who will be saved, and we must choose Christ in order to be saved. Both facts are equally true.

Romans 11:33 proclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
(got questions.com, article “What is predestination?”)

For the Apostle Paul, then, predestination is not about God being unfair but merciful. Without His mercy, no one has a chance. His mercy provides the motive for everything that Jesus made available to us through His death. Those God chose to be conformed to the image of Jesus form the forever family God wanted He saved because of His mercy.

‭Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT‬
[4] But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”

So, predestination has to do with the DESTINATION of those He CHOSE – to be recreated in the image of His Son.

‭Colossians 3:9-10 NIV‬
[9] “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

https://bible.com/bible/111/col.3.9-10.

However, we have not reached the pinnacle of God’s purpose for election and predestination until we realise that it’s all about shining the light on God Himself. Only when God’s glory fills the horison of our thoughts and actions can we understand more clearly what God is about when He acts so graciously towards us.

How can we ever fathom the depths of who God is unless He does what is unfathomable to reveal the measure of His love? All He has done should lead us, first to an outburst of praise….

‭Romans 11:33-36 NLT‬
[33] “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! [34] For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? [35] And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? [36] For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

… And then to a prayer…

‭Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT‬
[14]”When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, [15] the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. [16] I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. [17] Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. [18] And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. [19] May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

GOD’S RIVER

February 5, 2024Christian Lifeglorified, living water, RiverLuella Campbell

The Bible has many references to God’s river. The imagery of a river teaches us great lessons about the benefits of God’s living water in our lives. First of all, who or what is this stream?

God often describes Himself as the fountain of living water. To drink from this fountain is to quench our thirst from the source of divine love, out of which flows all His benefits to humans. God Himself is the only source of life. He created us, and He sustains us from the bounty of all that He is. To seek life from any other source will lead to death.

‭Psalms‬ ‭36:7‭-‬9‬ ‭NLT‬
[7] “How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. [8] You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights. [9] For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.”

God had an issue with His people Israel, because they had dumped Him for sources that could never quench their thirst.

‭Jeremiah‬ ‭2:11‬ ‭NLT‬
[11] “Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols!…
[13] “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!”

God dwells in a city through which this river of living water runs, which sustains everything in its path. It flows from its source beneath God’s throne.

‭Psalms‬ ‭46:4‭-‬5‬ ‭NLT‬
[4]”A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. [5] God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it.”

Ezekiel saw this river…

‭Ezekiel‬ ‭47:1‭-‬7‬ ‭NLT‬
[1]” In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. [2] The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway. [3] Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. [4] He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. [5] Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through. [6] He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. [7] When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river.”

From a trickle only ankle deep, the river gathered momentum until it became a stream too deep to wade. Fruit trees grew along its banks providing sustenance to all in its path.

John saw the same river in his vision of the New Jerusalem.

‭Revelation‬ ‭22:1‭-‬2‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] “Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. [2] It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.”

Who or what, then is this river?

Jesus answers the question for us.

‭John‬ ‭7:37‭-‬39‬ ‭NLT‬
[37]”On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! [38] Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” [39] (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)”

God promised to Israel, on the day when He would change their hearts, that He would also pour in and through them the source of all life, the river of His Holy Spirit,

‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36:26‭-‬27‬ ‭NLT‬
[26]”And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. [27] And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

Time and again, He repeated His promise of the gift of His Holy Spirit to His people until the day of Prntecost came.

‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭2:2‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬
[2] “Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. [3] Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. [4] And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability…
[14] Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. [15] These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. [16] No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: [17] ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. [18] In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.”

So, to every believer God gives His Spirit to indwell us, the Spirit of Jesus to be our Companion and Helper, to provide the power to live the life Jesus gave us through His death.

‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:13‬ ‭NIV‬
[13]”For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

Perhaps one of the most beautiful stories in the New Testament is the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well outside Sychar. Tired as He was after walking in the blistering heat at midday, Jesus was not too tired to recognise this woman’s need.

How tenderly He directed her, step by step, to the source of the water that would quench her thirst forever. He recognised that, deep inside of her, was the yearning to be loved. Her liaisons with men were a glaring clue to her need.

Without a hint of condemnation, Jesus exposed her festering wound, revealed His knowledge of her sordid life, and diagnosed her emotional ill…she was drinking water from a polluted fountain. No religious “correctness”, worshiping God in the right place, would cure her illness.

Her joyful response was a clear indication that she got the message. Gone her shame, gone her polluted source, she gladly, and without embarrassment, shared her newfound faith with her fellow villagers.

There is a perennial fountain of God’s love flowing from His presence through the Holy Spirit.

‭Romans‬ ‭5:5‬ ‭NIV‬
[5] “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

All are invited to drink from this source, but only those who do will live in the abundance of that love.

Those who do, says God’s Word, will be like trees that keep growing and bearing the fruit of that love…

‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22‭-‬23‬ ‭NIV‬
[22] “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

‭Psalms‬ ‭1:1‭-‬3‬ ‭NIV‬
[1] “Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. [3] That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7‭-‬8‬ ‭NIV‬
[7] “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. [8] They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

The invitation is given to anyone who is thirsty.

‭Revelation‬ ‭22:17‬ ‭NIV‬
[17] “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.'”

Paul said that to drink of the Spirit is to allow Him to control our lives.

‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:18‬ ‭NIV‬
[18]”Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,”

When we follow His leading, we are connected to the source of the love which satisfies our needs and out of which flows all the resources, we need to bear good fruit.

DYNAMITE IN A SMALL PACKAGE

September 25, 2021Bible Studyglorified, kove one another, new commandLuella Campbell

DYNAMITE IN A SMALL PACKAGE

“When he was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will glorify the Son in Himself, and will glorify Him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me and, just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now. Where I am going you cannot come.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.'” John 13:31-35 NIV.

Was Jesus talking to Himself at that moment? Is almost sounds like it, doesn’t it?

As soon as Judas was out of the picture, He breathed a sigh of relief, With Judas gone, the tension in the room lifted. He could now concentrate on what was most important to Him, putting His Father’s glory on display during the coming hours of His passion. It was up to Him to live through those hours right to His last breath in the disposition of the Father — gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and full of love and faithfulness, forgiving sin…

He had another important task to fulfil. This was the moment when He would gather up all the teachings of the Old Covenant into one pithy but powerful instruction couched in three words — “Love one another!” Paul caught the spirit of Jesus’ words when he wrote, “Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law…Love does no harm to his neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfilment of the law.” Romans 13:8; 10 NIV.

There is a positive and negative side to this commandment which Paul sums up in Romans 13. There is no sentimentality in this kind of loving, just practical involvement with others. Here is a simple definition of this love — meeting the needs of others at one’s own expense. Isn’t that what Jesus did? The other side is simply refraining from doing anything that would hurt another person.

There is much discussion, preaching and teaching about what believers in Jesus are supposed to do with the law. It is subdivided into moral law and ceremonial law. Some say that we are obliged to keep the moral law but not the ceremonial law. Some groups teach and practise strict adherence to parts of the ceremonial law, like the dress code and the food laws. Others insist that, because we are under grace, the law does not apply to us at all.

Firstly, we must ask, “Why did God give His people the law in the first place?” For two reasons: To show them what He was like, and to show them how impossible it was to live up to His perfect standards. Jesus was a perfect human being and He perfectly kept the law. We cannot possibly hope to live like He did, perfectly loving God and His neighbour.

Secondly, if God knew that we could never reach His standard, did He do away with the standard? No way! What did He do with the law? He placed it and all our debt to the broken law on Jesus at the cross. Jesus gave us a new commandment which sums up everything He requires of us in three words — LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now instead of rummaging through the Ten Commandments and all 613 laws of the Old Covenant to find which one would suit the circumstance, we can turn to the Holy Spirit who is in us and ask, “How do I love in this situation?” He not only shows us how but gives us the power to do it.

“And hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who had been given to us.” Romans 5: 5 NIV.

Is Jesus command impossible to keep? Not if we love Him. “’If you love me, keep my commands.'” John 14:15 NIV.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”1 John 4:10, 11 NIV.

God’s love for us is the root, our love for Him and one another the fruit of that love, If we abide in Him, His love flows freely through us to others by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us.

This is dynamite in a very small package!

Acknowledgement

A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

September 11, 2021Bible Studyglorified, sign, the whole worldLuella Campbell

A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

“At first His disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that these things had been done to Him.

“Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised Him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that He had performed this sign, went out to meet Him. So, the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!'” John 12:16-19 NIV.

Although John was writing as though he were an objective observer, we must remember that he was one of the disciples and he knew the inside story. He was one of those who did not realize that Jesus was fulfilling prophecy in front of their eyes. Once again, like all the other events in Jesus’ life, none of this would make sense to them until it was all over, and they could put all the pieces of the puzzle together and see the bigger picture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We cannot blame the disciples for their slowness to understand and believe. Everything that was happening was outside their experience and their frame of reference. Like the women who went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, (and found the tomb empty and a glowing figure sitting inside who told them an outlandish story about Jesus being risen which was enough to terrify the wits out of them), the disciples could not correctly process these events until they had time to make sense of them with hindsight.

It seems that the Lazarus incident set off a wave of popularity for Jesus that sent the Pharisees into a frenzy. Things were getting out of hand and it was time for them to take action rather than to keep meeting and planning.

In the meantime…

“There were some Greeks among them who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.” John 12:20-22 NIV.

Two stories are running parallel here. There were dark forces egging the religious leaders on to get rid of Jesus, stirring up the jealousy, hatred and anger that dragged them deeper and deeper into their ungodly intentions. At the same time, there were men, Gentiles and foreigners, who were moved by the stories they were hearing about Jesus. Was it mere curiosity that prompted their request, or was there a genuine interest in what they were hearing about this man because there was answering response in their hearts?

John stated the reason for their presence in Jerusalem. They had come to worship at the Feast. That put them squarely in the camp of the “God-fearers” – Gentiles who had abandoned their idolatry and had become adherents of Judaism, not yet inducted into the covenant but participating in the ceremonies and festivals of the Jewish people. Somehow, in spite of the ritualistic rigmarole of Judaism, they had been attracted to their monotheistic religion that worshipped an unseen God who received and embraced them although they were not part of His covenant people.

As the events of this saga unfold, in the sovereignty of God He was slowly moving the two camps closer together — antagonists who wanted to kill Jesus and sympathisers who were interested in what He was saying and doing. The two stories converged at the cross; the killers accomplished, in the perfect plan of God, what the enquirers would need to complete their search after God!

Only a wise and sovereign God could devise and put into action a plan so complex and yet so precise that prophecy, human hatred and divine love could meet at one strategic moment in time and effect a deliverance so great that embraces all of time and eternity and shines the spotlight on the mercy and grace of the One who put it all into action.