JOHN – Chapter 15
What/who was important to Jesus?
Abiding Faith, Love And Bearing The Fruits Of The Spirit
What needs did Jesus meet?
He perfected love and joy through the self-giving of self-sacrificial service
What did Jesus ask or require of his followers?
Once again Jesus makes clear that the Calvinist doctrine of once saved always saved is false by requiring that believers continually abide in Him through faith or they will perish and lose their salvation just as Arminianism rightfully states (also, there is no such thing as false converts nor that those who reject Christ were never really Christians to begin with---those are erroraneous Calvinist inventions); or as John Wesley says: “Branches that ‘abide not’ are cast forth and burned (John 15: 6)…and One who has been baptized into the church can fall away. One who has served splendidly, as a branch of the true vine can be cut off (John 15: 1-6).” {pgs. 270 and 273 of Thomas C. Oden’s John Wesley’s Scriptural Christianity: A Plain Exposition Of His Teaching On Christian Doctrine and I’d recommend Roger E. Olson’s Arminian Theology: Myths And Realities for a more in-depth study on this subject}; Jesus, also, requires us again to love one another and to bear fruits of the Spirit
What issues did Jesus address (relationships, work, money, character, religious practice, etc.)?
Abiding Faith and the Fruits thereof---especially perfected love and joy
What is compelling to you about Jesus in this section?
He, once again, makes clear that the essence of the Gospel is unconditional love
How do followers respond to Jesus?
Abide in faith and produce Fruits worthy thereof---especially perfected love and joy
What in this section challenges us to respond/ imitate/obey?
Abide in our faith and produce Fruits worthy thereof---especially perfected love and joy
How did Jesus change the world (for an individual or for a community)? He perfected love and joy through the self-giving of self-sacrificial service
What vision of being missional do you glimpse for yourself? For the church? God loves us unconditionally without exception, so too should the church love unconditionally with perfected love and without exception and expectation
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