Saved by grace, live by grace, and die by grace, John 15:3

Title: Saved by grace, live by grace, and die by grace, John 15:3.

 

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

 

John 15:2"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

 

John 15:3"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

 

The Lord is emphasizing that fruit production is not for salvation, but rather a privilege after salvation. He is teaching them to avoid legalism.

 

Phase 1 in the CWL occurs in one moment when you believed in JC as your Savior. Phase 2 in the CWL occurs over the years from the time that you are born again until the time you die.

 

At salvation you are made completely clean. After salvation you have the opportunity to walk in a manner worthy of who you are in Christ and thus bear much fruit.

 

Much harm has been done to the truth of the Gospel and the truth of the mystery doctrine for the Church that is given for application after salvation by those who have confused these phases and thus fallen into legalism and religion.

 

ROM 6:23

For the wages of sin is death [spiritual], but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

The pruning that is analogous to salvation or being completely clean is circumcision.

 

Circumcision - the cutting off of the flesh at salvation resulting in a brand new spiritual species, therefore circumcision is analogous to retroactive positional truth, COL 2:11.

 

COL 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

 

COL 2:9For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

 

COL 2:10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

 

COL 2:11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

 

COL 2:12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

 

COL 2:13And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

 

COL 2:14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

 

COL 2:15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

 

The physical act of circumcision was a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant, but it had no bearing on salvation.

 

GEN 17:9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

 

GEN 17:10This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

 

GEN 17:11And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

 

GEN 17:12And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

 

GEN 17:13A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

 

GEN 17:14But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

 

Abraham was saved long before he was circumcised.

[and there is no Mosaic Law yet either]

 

The ritual circumcision of every Jew at 8 days old was a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant and also a sign of rejection of the Phallic Cult that would surround Israel in the Promised Land.

 

The Phallic cult offered instant sexual gratification but without the substance of the right man right woman relationship and commitment in marriage. God has designed the right man right woman relationship through the commitment of marriage so that once again, as in the Garden, the man and woman could be naked and not ashamed. This lack of shame comes from compatibility, IUL, authority, forgiveness, and rapport. The Phallic Cult only delivered on physical gratification while leaving out the most important part of the sexual relationship.

 

Abraham’s progeny was to be blessed through right man right woman, however, as man always does, the Jews did not honor this covenant, but since the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional, God honored it by blessing the nations through Abraham and his seed, TLJC. 

 

Therefore, circumcision was also a sign that God would prosper and fulfill each one sexually through marriage of the right man and right woman.

 

The physical act of circumcision was a sign of God’s faithfulness.

 

HEB 11:11

By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised;

 

HEB 11:12

therefore, also, there was born of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

 

 

 

Satan and the KOD had infiltrated many of the churches by teaching that it was physical circumcision that was important for salvation. As always, Satan takes a grace doctrine and twists it into a form of legalism.

 

This false doctrine infiltrated the teaching in the church at Rome.

 

ROM 4:9 Is this blessing then upon the circumcised, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say, "Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. "

 

ROM 4:10How then was it reckoned? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;

 

ROM 4:11and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be reckoned to them,

 

 

ROM 2:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

 

ROM 2:29But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

 

Paul emphasizes the circumcision of the heart which occurs at salvation because the KOD was using circumcision as a rallying point for legalism.

 

Satan and the KOD will take all of God’s works and doctrines and twist them into a form of legalism. In John 15:3, Jesus Christ is being very sure to point out to the disciples that fruit bearing is not for salvation, but is a privilege after salvation.

 

At salvation the believer was cut off from the flesh [OSN] and so after salvation he has the freedom to produce fruit for the flesh is no longer his master.

 

This circumcision of the heart is what the Lord is teaching in John 15:3 and it is a lot different than the physical ritual of circumcision, which had no bearing on salvation, but was a sign of God’s faithfulness.

 

It’s a beautiful truth and a beautiful analogy and so Satan twisted it into a ritual that his students said was necessary for salvation.

 

The false doctrine infiltrated the church at Corinth.

   

1 Cor 7:17 Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And thus I direct in all the churches.

 

1 Cor 7:18Was any man called already circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.

 

1 Cor 7:19Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

 

The same infiltration happened to the church at Galatia.

 

GAL 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

 

What does it mean to be free in this verse?

 

Freedom from the penalty of sin.

Freedom from the power of the OSN.

Freedom to enjoy the presence of God for all eternity.

 

That’s phase 1, 2, and 3. Salvation, living the CWL, and eternity in heaven with God.

 

Therefore, the basis for all freedom is grace and never legalism. If we were saved by grace then we should live by grace and die by grace. God has provided everything in total and we can’t add anything to it or take anything from it.

 

 “Make a permanent stand in your God given right of liberty…”

 

The Lord didn’t provide liberty for a few days or weeks and then put us in bondage all over again. Legalism is bondage and slavery. Every believer, no matter what kind of life they have, must live in the manner of grace. If you live in grace you live in freedom.

 

This is why the Lord says, before He gets any farther with the call to fruit production in John 15, emphasizes that we are already clean or that the flesh or OSN has already been pruned when we believed in Him. Salvation was based on faith and grace and so is fruit production. Fruit production is the normal Christian life. It occurs so seldom that we hail it as something exemplarily when in fact it is simply living the life that God purchased for us and gave to us by means of grace. No believer should ever be elevated because he lives this life of liberty.

 

Every time we read “circumcision” we may substitute “salvation by works.” Water baptism, joining a church, walking an aisle, raising a hand, changing you wicked ways, etc.

 

GAL 5:2Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision [you thought it necessary for salvation], Christ will be of no benefit to you.

 

GAL 5:3And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.

 

 

Circumcision was a command in the Mosaic Law, following after Abraham, so Paul’s point is that if you want to be under the Mosaic Law then you have to keep the whole Law and not just circumcision. No one could keep it all save for Christ, nor did keeping it save anyone who could if it were possible.

 

LEV 12:3

And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

 

GAL 5:4You have been severed from Christ [sanctified sarcasm], you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

 

 “fallen from grace” = the unbeliever attempting to be saved by works. He has fallen away from Christ’s gracious offering.