John 15:1-16:15

New King James Version

The True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ²^(A)Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He ^[a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear ^(B)more fruit. ³^(C)You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴^(D)Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much ^(E)fruit; for without Me you can do ^(F)nothing. ⁶If anyone does not abide in Me, ^(G)he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷If you abide in Me, and My words ^(H)abide in you, ^(I)you^[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸^(J)By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; ^(K)so you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected

⁹“As the Father ^(L)loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰^(M)If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

¹¹“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and ^(N)that your joy may be full. ¹²^(O)This is My ^(P)commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³^(Q)Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. ¹⁴^(R)You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, ^(S)for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶^(T)You did not choose Me, but I chose you and ^(U)appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father ^(V)in My name He may give you. ¹⁷These things I command you, that you love one another.

The World’s Hatred

¹⁸^(W)“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹^(X)If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet ^(Y)because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you, ^(Z)‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. ^(AA)If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. ²¹But ^(AB)all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. ²²^(AC)If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, ^(AD)but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³^(AE)He who hates Me hates My Father also. ²⁴If I had not done among them ^(AF)the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have ^(AG)seen and also hated both Me and My Father. ²⁵But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ^(AH)‘They hated Me without a cause.’

The Coming Rejection

²⁶^(AI)“But when the ^[c]Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, ^(AJ)He will testify of Me. ²⁷And ^(AK)you also will bear witness, because ^(AL)you have been with Me from the beginning.

Jesus Warns and Comforts His Disciples

16 “These things I have spoken to you, that you ^(AM)should not be made to stumble. ²^(AN)They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming ^(AO)that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. ³And ^(AP)these things they will do ^[d]to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. ⁴But these things I have told you, that when ^[e]the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

⁵“But now I ^(AQ)go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, ^(AR)sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but ^(AS)if I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸And when He has ^(AT)come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹^(AU)of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰^(AV)of righteousness, ^(AW)because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹^(AX)of judgment, because ^(AY)the ruler of this world is judged.

¹²“I still have many things to say to you, ^(AZ)but you cannot bear them now. ¹³However, when He, ^(BA)the Spirit of truth, has come, ^(BB)He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴^(BC)He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵^(BD)All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He ^[f]will take of Mine and declare it to you.