NOTES for Joh 14:27-31

In a Christian's practical spiritual life, faith is expressed in accepting the truth of Christ's words that we read today in the Gospel of John.

The Lord says that He is the true vine and we are the branches. Without Him, unless we are rooted in Him, we are barren. “Without Me you can do nothing”—for some reason these words always come to mind precisely in their Church Slavonic form. Accepting this is harder than it may seem at first. These words imply that without Jesus Christ we are good for nothing, can do nothing, and therefore are not needed for anything. Why, then, does He love us? But unless you accept these words and let them permeate the depths of your heart, you will invariably remain a Pharisee and will not be able to experience the full resurrecting power of God's love.