Avoiding False Vines by Recognizing the True Vine of Christ

by Barbara Latta

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).

Jesus used the analogy of vines and branches to teach believers about our relationship with the Father through the Son.

The agricultural society of biblical times understood Jesus’ comparison because they lived a planting and harvest lifestyle. Those of us who do not live on farms must delve a little deeper into the

Jesus is the true vine.

workings of seeds and growth to get the true meaning of Jesus’ message.

A visit to a friends farm showed us how large these vines can grow. Small, curly vines reached toward the sky hiding the larger stems and growth underneath. The aged vine had grown thick and woody like a tree trunk. Roots penetrated the earth and reached deep sucking up the moisture to nourish the branches. 

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

Jesus said He was the true vine. That means there must be false vines and we need to recognize what that those false vines are so we can avoid them. Staying in the true vine gives us life.

What are some false vines offered in life?

• False religion – religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and any other manmade religion depends on man’s works for approval from the god of their religion.
• New Age religion – elevates humanity as a replacement for the real God.
• Political correctness – this becomes a religion to certain groups who live by the approval of society rather than the approval of God. Following this philosophy results in acceptance of evolution, atheism, homosexual lifestyles and devaluing of humanity through abortion and euthanasia.
• Peer pressure – accepting advise and opinions of others, even if well-intended, can still be misleading, thus producing a false vine.

Some false vines are poisonous, such as poison ivy, and other vines do not produce food. Vines grow on trees behind our house that bear leaves exactly like muscadine leaves, yet they do not produce fruit. If we tried to eat these leaves, they wouldn’t give us any nourishment and could be harmful.

Jesus is the truth and He leads us into all truth. To know the truth, we abide. Satan can come and hide in our garden to tempt us with these false vines the way he did in the Garden of Eden. His words are false, but he covers them with some element of truth for deception. This is what he did with Adam and Eve. He added doubt to the instructions God gave by making disobedience attractive. The false vines of religion, political correctness and peer pressure can be attractive because they include acceptance from others and can produce success in certain areas of life for a season. But they are still death because eating from those vines separate us from God.

Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day and talked with Him. They should have been familiar enough with their Creator to know what He said was true so when something else was introduced to them, they would know it was a lie. But they must not have been abiding with God the way they should have. They fed on a false vine and died.

Our continued abiding in the Son of God will give us the truth.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). No other vine can do that. That’s why they are false.

Please feel free to share other false vines you may have recognized in the world.

Recognizing the true vine versus false ones (click to tweet)

Jesus is the only way to God (click to tweet)