John 15:1 (NIV) I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. Here Jesus is using the spiritual illustration (parable) so you can see how Christianity works. Just like a grape branch is TOTALLY dependent on the vine that it is connected to, so are you TOTALLY dependent on being connected to Jesus.

John 15:2 (NIV) He cuts off every branch IN ME that bears no fruit, while every branch that DOES bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. This FRUIT Jesus is talking about has two parts to it; the first part has to do with spiritual growth. If you are spiritually healthy by having God’s power attitudes found in Matthew 5:3-12, then you are bearing one aspect of spiritual fruit. The other has to do with sharing; if you take every spiritual breakthrough you experience and share it with others, you are bearing the kind of fruit Jesus is talking about.

John 15:3 (NIV) You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. First, you had to experience salvation and justification. If you hadn’t been born again, then you would have already been cut off. But, now you have a perfect record with God. That makes to be connected to Jesus so you can receive spiritual food and power to grow spirituallly. That also qualifies you for the next aspects of Jesus’ training.

John 15:4 (NIV) REMAIN in Me, and I will REMAIN in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must REMAIN in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you REMAIN in Me. From the experience of salvation and justification on, you will constantly be given assignments from the Bible. The first Bible assignment you read or heard was IMMEDIATELY responded to by you living the Romans 7:15-24 type of Christian life. Because human effort and world training was all you knew, you tried to use them in Christianity. That brought you into the Romans 7:15 confusion: Rom 7:15 (NIV) I do not understand what I do. For what I WANT to do I do not do, but what I HATE I do.

John 15:5 (NIV) I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man REMAINS in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; APART from Me you can do nothing. If you are being trained by a mature, adult Christian, they will start TRYING to get you to give up human effort and world training and lead you into the number one most important FACT about Jesus and Christianity: APART from Me you can do nothing.

John 15:6 (NIV) If anyone does not REMAIN in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Some don’t remain in Jesus because they don’t like Jesus’ life and salvation. They try it and decide that they like human effort and the world. BUT, some start to detach because they are living the Romans 7:15-24 life and think that, that is what Jesus and Christianity are all about.

John 15:7 (NIV) If you REMAIN in Me and My words REMAIN in you, ASK whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is the second most important FACT about Jesus and Christianity. Rather than you TRYING to obey a Biblical assignment you are given through the Bible, you ASK! The more you learn to stop TRYING and start ASKING, the more you will move out of the Romans 7:15-24 life.

John 15:8 (NIV) This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. Growing in your attitudes and character and sharing your breakthroughs with those around you brings glory to your heavenly Father. You and the people around you start demonstrating the love, generosity, power, grace, and transformation from God.

You have now have two tool sets, which are: The Three Keys To All Of Christianity and The Six Biblical Principles. Those who are aware of these two tool sets, will read the assignments that are constantly being given to them from the Bible, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and will know what to do. They will know how to use these tools to stay attached to Jesus. They will know how to start looking to Him for everything they need in life. They will know how to gradually stop consulting themselves and other humans; they will learn to always include Jesus in their thoughts, feelings, words, and actions through ASKING.

Jesus is going to take you through Romans 6:12-19 where you are going to be exposed to numerous assignments. Then, after you are exposed to them, He is going to lead you into powerful, specific prayers that GET these assignments fulfilled in your life. If you feel ANY pressure, feel fear, become overwhelmed, or feel inadequate, you are yielding to thoughts and feelings that are pressuring you as a human. You are thinking that YOU are being asked to full that Biblical assignment with YOUR abilities, skills, talents, and world training. If you feel faith, assurance, peace, and excitement, then you are moving into remaining in Jesus; your eyes are fixed on Him.

Rom 6:12 (NIV) Therefore do not LET sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Once the Bible tells you WHAT your assignment is, you have to know HOW to “do what it takes” to get it done. If you don’t IMMEDIATELY apply The Three Keys To All Of Christianity and The Six Biblical Principles, you WILL use human effort and world training to TRY to not LET sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Rom 6:13 (NIV) Do not OFFER the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather OFFER yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and OFFER the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. In order for you to not OFFER the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, you are going to have to apply ASKING, SEEKING, and KNOCKING to your DESIRING, STUDYING, PRAYING, BELIEVING, LOVING, and taking FAITH-ACTION. These are your two spiritual tool sets for LIVING The Victorious Christian Life.

Rom 6:14 (NIV) For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. It is only by the grace of God that you have such powerful tools like The Three Keys To All Of Christianity and The Six Biblical Principles. You have a clean record with God that made you not under law, but under grace. But, the main reason God gave you that perfect record was so you could gain possession, training, and power to use these tool sets so that sin shall not be your master.

Rom 6:15 (NIV) What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Some Christians are sinning because they don’t know about Jesus’ tool sets. They are TRYING, DETERMINING, PROMISING, and failing. They are trying to learn from their mistakes, trying to get other Christians to hold them accountable, using the process of self-forgiveness, acting like they are doing fine while hiding their sins, deciding that they are just in process and maybe someday they will do better, and using a lot of other HUMAN techniques. There are even those who have decide that sinning is a normal way of life and that they just have to accept the fact that “no one is perfect.”

Rom 6:16 (NIV) Don’t you know that when you OFFER yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you OBEY--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? After a lot of Christians have tried everything they know how to apply to their issues of sinning, they give up and just “do the best they can.” Some “accidently” apply ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK by reading their Bible, going to church, listening to Christian music, doing devotions, and hanging around mature Christians. They don’t do it based on training, obedience, and spiritual growth. They just happen on to them and don’t know why they get SOME breakthroughs and not others.

Rom 6:17 (NIV) But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. The form of teaching Jesus is causing you to be exposed to, not only helps you strategically take the necessary steps, you are able to know why you succeeded. And, you know how to help others take the Biblical steps so they can win. If you don’t why or how you are winning, then you can’t give others Jesus’ form of teaching. 2 Tim 2:15 (AKJV) Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING the word of truth.

Rom 6:18 (NIV) You have been SET FREE from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Now we are back to the three forms of freedom. Salvation made you free by GIVING you forgiveness for your past sins. Justification made you free by GIVING you forgiveness for your present and future sins. THEY provided you a perfect record with God for as long as you have the Romans 7:15 WANT and HATE. THAT want and hate are able to motivate you to the third aspect of freedom through sanctification or spiritual growth. That is where you skillfully, strategically, and powerfully apply your tool sets to each and every spiritual issue you face.

Rom 6:19 (NIV) I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to OFFER the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now OFFER them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

Just like you used human effort and world training to help you OFFER the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, use ASKING, SEEKING, and KNOCKING on DESIRING, STUDYING, PRAYING, BELIEVING, LOVING, and taking FAITH-ACTION, to OFFER them (the parts of your body) in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

It took some training from other sinners, television, internet, magazines, books, and your own human trial and error process to learn how to OFFER the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness. And, it is taking training from Jesus to learn how to OFFER them (the parts of your body) in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.