June 5, 2012 – John 14:15 – 15:17

I understand that I have talked about this many times, but here is another passage that points out clear unbiblical idea of all these different denominations all being Christian.  14:17 calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth.  How in the world can anyone believe that they are relying on the Holy Spirit to lead them or to start their own church when it disagrees with another church?  I cannot comprehend how a Spirit of Truth could allow so many contradicting beliefs among a church that it is suppose to watch over.  I don’t know how you could ever convince me that this makes sense. 

And as far as faith alone believers, throughout this passage, I don’t believe Christ talks about faith a single time.  Follow the commandments and love one another.  That is what Christ instructs them to do.  Belief in Christ does not get you anywhere if you are not going to follow what He commands. 

I was thinking about the vine and the branches and a vine that is cut off.  15:4 – “a branch cannot bear fruit on its own”.  Would you describe a person that breaks away from the Church on their own.  I was thinking about Luther and whether this might qualify.  The thing that struck me was whether you could say whether he bore fruit.  If you break away, you cannot bear fruit, but Luther broke away and appears to have bore fruit.  There are many denominations and people throughout the world that believe in Christ, at least in some way, because of non-Catholic denominations.  Can you say that those are not fruit. 

I think there is an argument that can be made that they are not fruit of Luther because he did break away, but only fruit of Christ by His mercy.  When Luther broke away he led people astray, through teaching and scandal, and split the Church in an irreversible way.  Everything that happens after he opened the Pandora box is not fruit but dead on the vine.  You think that Christians convert people now, what would it look like if the Church were united in one belief as it should be.  So, I think it does apply.  Luther broke away from the Vine, and his branch has not provided fruit.  That doesn’t mean it can’t be grafted back on, Christ allows for that conversion.  But until it is reattached to the vine, the branch remains infertile and unable to bear fruit.