[Jesus said,] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5
This agrarian metaphor may sound strange to our modern ears, but it gives us an indispensable picture of the Christian life. We are dependent beings. Without Christ, there are no Christians. While this appears obvious, there are those who would use the name Christian, but deny essential elements of who Christ revealed himself to be. The evidence of our union with Christ is in our allegiance to his commandments as demonstrated in the lifestyle (i.e. fruit) we produce. Ultimately, we cannot live in an appropriate manner apart from Christ.