John 15:5

“I am the vine, ye are the branches, etc.] Christ here repeats what he said of himself, “the vine”, for the sake of the application of “the branches” to his disciples: which expresses their sameness of nature with Christ; their strict and close union to him; and the communication of life and grace, holiness and fruitfulness, of support and strength, and of perseverance in grace and holiness to the end from him: he that abideth in me, and I in him; which is the case of all that are once in Christ, and he in them: the same bringeth forth much fruit; in the exercise of grace, and performance of good works; and continues to do so as long as he lives, not by virtue of his own free will, power, and…”

“without me--apart, or vitally disconnected from Me. ye can do nothing--spiritually, acceptably.”

“I am the vine - John 15:1. Without me ye can do nothing - The expression “without me” denotes the same as separate from me. As the branches, if separated from the parent stock, could produce no fruit, but would immediately wither and die, so Christians, if separate from Christ, could do nothing. The expression is one, therefore, strongly implying dependence. The Son of God was the original source of life, John 1:4. He also, by his work as Mediator, gives life to the world John 6:33, and it is by the same grace and agency that it is continued in the Christian. We see hence: 1.That to him is due all the praise for all the good works the Christian performs. 2.That they will perform good works…”

“I am the vine, ye are the branches - Our Lord in this whole passage speaks of no branches but such as are, or at least were once, united to him by living faith. John 15:6”

“vine: Rom 12:5; Co1 10:16, Co1 12:12, Co1 12:27; Pe1 2:4 same: Joh 12:24; Pro 11:30; Hos 4:8; Luk 13:6-9; Rom 6:22, Rom 7:4; Co2 9:10; Gal 5:22; Eph 5:9; Phi 1:11, Phi 4:13, Phi 4:17; Col 1:6, Col 1:10; Jam 1:17; 2Pet. 1:2-18, Pe2 3:18 without: or, severed from, Act 4:12 can: Joh 5:19, Joh 9:33; Co2 13:8; Phi 4:13 John 15:6”