Severed from the flesh and elected by God whose Sovereign will desires His highest and best for every believer, John 15:3.

Title: Severed from the flesh and elected by God whose Sovereign will desires His highest and best for every believer, 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.

 

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 churches at Corinth, Rome and 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…”

 

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.

 

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

 

GAL 5:5For we [believers] through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness [our resurrection bodies].

 

GAL 5:6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

 

GAL 5:7You were running well; who hindered you [broke your stride] from obeying the truth?

 

GAL 5:8This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.

 

GAL 5:9A little leaven [legalism] leavens the whole lump of dough.

 

Legalism spreads like a cancer and eventually it will infect every doctrine that the legalist claims to know.

 

GAL 5:10I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

 

GAL 5:11But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.

 

GAL 5:12Would that those who are troubling you would even mutilate [castrate] themselves.

 

I want to review one last thing before moving on to John 15:4 and that is one of the 40 things that occurs at salvation along with the pruning of your OSN, and that is election.

 

Look again at:

GAL 5:8This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.

 

 “calls” = the election of the Church-age believer. Election is the expression of the Sovereign will of God for every Church-age believer.

 

Under election, the Sovereignty of God wills His highest and best for every believer, having previously deposited in escrow, in eternity past, blessings that stagger the imagination.

 

EPH 1:3 Blessed [worthy of praise and glorification] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

 

EPH 1:4 just as He chose [elected] us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

 

Election is God’s Sovereign will and predestination [God’s unique plan for your life] is God’s Sovereign provision to fulfill your election.

 

There are three elections in history; the election of Israel which through the circumcision of Abraham inducted a new racial species, the election of Christ in hypostatic union, and the election of the Church through circumcision of the heart inducted a new spiritual species.

 

Since every believer is pruned of the flesh and is clean completely through faith, and through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation has been entered into union with Christ, then every believer enjoys an equal foundation and has the freedom or liberty to exploit that foundation and build upon it.

 

1 Cor 3:10

According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation [JC], and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it.

 

Under election and predestination every believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity. Every believer is a royal priest, has logistical grace, has a unique plan, and is in union with Christ.

 

EPH 1:5 In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

 

EPH 1:6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

 

What gets praised and glorified through the victory of the believer is the grace of God and not legalism or works.

 

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.

 

John 15:4"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 

 “Abide” - aorist active imperative of meno [meno] = to remain, to abide, to tarry, to reside without leaving. Aorist - start now.

 

Abide therefore means to remain in the plan of God for your life by not quenching or grieving the HS and remaining positive towards the word of God.

 

When we abide in Christ we abide in certain virtues that belong to Christ.

 

Abiding in Christ means living the resurrection life in time, 1 John 3:15.

 

1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

 

Abiding in Christ means the love of Christ abides in you, 1John 3:17.

 

1 John 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

 

Abiding in Christ means the continued mentoring and teaching of the Holy Spirit, 1John 2:27.