In his book, “The Courage to Change”, journalist and self-help advocate, Dennis Wholey, describes how easy it is for many people to get stuck in the past and unable to move forward. Some of the saddest people he met were those living in a situation shaped by what someone did to them long ago. He makes this observation: “They have been allowing that person to live in their head rent-free for years, and they are totally immobilized.” The person is gone and the moment has passed, but the message they planted still talks inside your head. That voice can take up space in your mind for years, even without permission or any benefit to you. If you let it, it will shape how you interpret situations and react under pressure. It will shape your decisions and your self-talk when no one is listening. Over time, it governs how you think.
If that is true, then it would be wise to ask yourself whose voice is shaping the person you are becoming? Because whether we realize it or not, day by day you do not stay the same. You are always being formed by someone or something. The question is whether it is happening on purpose or by accident. Most people are not shaped mainly by ideas they claim to believe but by the voices they trust, repeat, or obey. The strongest voice is not always the loudest voice. It is the voice that remains, sticking around in your head, and showing up in your reactions, decisions, and your self-talk.
A person becomes a Christian by submitting to the voice of Christ. The gospel call is heard, the sinner believes, repents, and submits. He has come under a new Lord and Christ’s words becomes the voice that defines what is true, what is good, and who you are. If you are a Christian, are those same words still shaping you now? When Christ’s voice disappoints a desire you have, do you submit, or do you reach for a different voice? When you are afraid, hurt, tempted, angry, or discouraged, whose voice do you turn to first? That is the voice that is shaping you. Jesus puts His finger on that in John 15 when He says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…”
John 15:1-8 NASB "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so 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, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
In verse 2, Jesus says the Father deals with branches in two ways. He removes branches that bear no fruit, and He prunes branches that bear fruit, so that they bear more fruit. Then, in verse 3, Jesus looks at His disciples and says,
John 15:3 NASB: “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”
That sequence matters because it answers an anxious question before it is asked. If the Father is cutting, how do I know I am not being rejected? If the Father is removing some branches, how do I know I am not one of them? Jesus’ answer is not, “Look at your performance.” His answer is, “Look at what My Word has already done in you.” He grounds their security, not in their maturity, but in their cleansing.
So verse 3 functions like an assurance statement inside a pruning passage. Jesus is distinguishing His true disciples from dead wood. They are not clean because they have never failed. They are clean because His Word has separated them to Himself. That is why the Father’s cutting for them is cultivation, not condemnation.
John 15:2 NASB "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
In verse 2, when Jesus says the Father “prunes” the fruitful branch, He is making the point is that pruning is a kind of cleansing. A vinedresser cleans the parts of the branch that are draining its strength by pruning it. The Father prunes the fruitful branches, and the disciples are already clean. Their cleanness is the result of Christ’s Word doing a decisive work in them. The Word made them “clean,” and because they are clean, the Father treats them as branches worth pruning.
The Christian life is always being shaped by a voice. The Father’s pruning is aimed at fruit, not fear. I want to look at the instrument Jesus says that the Father uses to cleanse and cultivate His people. Jesus answers that plainly in verse 3. He says that their cleanness did not begin with their resolve or circumstances. It began with what He spoke, because…
Christ’s Word has already made the believer clean.
John 15:3 NASB "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
When Jesus says His disciples “already clean” He is not saying, “You have no remaining sin.” He is making a statement about who they are. That is why they are not condemned branches. They are living branches, fit for Fatherly pruning.
Throughout the Gospel of John, God brings men to life through truth received by faith. The words that Jesus speaks reveal who He is, and the Holy Spirit opens the heart. Then the sinner believes, repents, and is joined to Christ. So, your ability to understand the words of Jesus is not a ladder you climb. When you hear His words in the gospel, you are hearing His voice calling you to Himself.
Jesus’ words, recorded in the Bible, cleanse you by bringing you into the light. The Bible exposes what you hide and what you excuse. Then it deepens conviction, because it places sin before a Holy God. As conviction grows, confession becomes more honest and specific. Then God reshapes how you think, because truth replaces old lies. In that way, the Word not only informs you, but purifies you. It makes you feel secure, because it shows you that God is dealing with you as His child.
In John 15:3, ‘the word’ means what Jesus has said to them. In John 15:7, Jesus says, ‘My words abide in you,’ meaning His words keep living in you. In other words, His voice is the one you keep listening to. It is the voice you come back to when you do not know what to do. Abiding is not just feeling close to Jesus. It is letting what He says shape what you think, what you want, and what you do.
That is why Christians call the Bible “Scripture”; because it is written and stable. We call it “God’s Word,” because it carries His authority. We call it “the Word of truth,” because it is reliable and unchanging. We call it “the Gospel,” when we focus on its saving message. We call it “promise,” when we cling to what God has pledged. We call it “testimony,” because it bears witness to Christ. Each name reminds us that the Bible is not mere religious content. It is God speaking with authority and mercy. It tells us what is true, and it binds our conscience with His promises and commands. Therefore…
Christ’s Word must become your main voice.
Sometimes the loudest voice in your head is not your own. It is something someone said to you. It may have been careless, or it may have been cruel. Yet you keep replaying it, and it keeps steering you. When that happens, the issue is not only that you were hurt but that their words are still governing you, abiding in you.
John 15:3 says “the word which I have spoken to you.” John 15:7 then adds a second phrase that tightens the meaning.
John 15:7 NASB "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
When He says, “My words abide in you” He is not describing a life of occasional contact with His words. He means His words take up residence in your mind and heart. They remain close and carry weight in your decision making. They keep showing up when you are tempted, confused, or afraid. His words secure your abiding. They keep you connected to His mind and will, instead of being steered by passing feelings.
When Christ’s Word becomes your main voice, it does several stabilizing things. It gives you a steady standard that does not shift with your mood. It gives you promises that do not collapse under pressure. It also gives you commands that are clear, even when you feel confused. Abiding is sustained communion and obedience through the Word. It is not mystical fog. It is Christ’s voice staying near, and staying weighty.
Remember that Jesus’ metaphor of the Christian life is controlled by fruit bearing and pruning. Verse 2 speaks of pruning. Verse 3 speaks of cleanness by the Word. Verse 7 speaks of the Word abiding, which shapes prayer and yields fruit that glorifies the Father. It would be a mistake to think that the Word’s only role in the believer’s life is comfort. The Word does comfort, but it also exposes, cuts, and corrects because sin kills branches, even when it looks small.
Christ’s Word will cut you in order to grow you.
There are times when reading the Bible feels uncomfortable to the Christian. The Holy Spirit uses it to expose thoughts and habits we would rather hide or at least ignore. The cover we used for comfort or control gets removed. Scripture has a way of naming what we spend our lives renaming. We call pride “confidence,” because it sounds better. We call lust “just hormones,” because that feels excusable. We call bitterness “I am just being honest,” because we do not want to admit we are nursing a wound. We call greed “I have goals,” because we want more without saying why. Yet when God’s Word calls those things by their real names, it feels like a cut, because it takes away the cover stories we used to feel okay. Still, that cut is not God shaming you. It is God healing you. He is not exposing you to get rid of you. He is exposing you because He intends to free you, and because He is growing real fruit in you.
The Bible often contradicts us, because Jesus will not be added to your life like a decal. He does not come to decorate your goals but to change them. That is why the Bible often pushes back on what feels normal. It tells you that you cannot serve God and money, even when money feels like safety. It tells you not to pay back hurt with hurt, even when revenge feels fair. It tells you to forgive, even when holding a grudge feels powerful. It tells you that your words matter, your thoughts matter, and your secret habits matter, because God is after the real you, not the public you. That contradiction feels like a cut, because it ends the illusion that you can stay neutral while calling yourself a disciple.
The Bible warns us, because love tells the truth about danger. Scripture puts consequences in front of you before you crash. It tells you that sin hardens you, often slowly, until you stop noticing. It tells you that hypocrisy grows, because you learn to perform instead of repent. It tells you that love can grow cold, and that a person can drift without meaning to. It also tells you that God disciplines His children, not because He enjoys pain, but because He refuses to let sin own them. That warning feels like a cut, because it removes presumption and forces honesty.
The Bible commands us, because Jesus is not only a Savior; He is Lord. Scripture not only invite you to feel close to God, but calls you to obey God. It tells you to put away anger that you keep feeding. It tells you to run from sexual sin that you keep excusing. It tells you to pursue holiness when the crowd is fine with compromise. It tells you to love your neighbor when you would rather mock him. It tells you to tell the truth when lies feel convenient. Those commands feel like a cut, because they take away your right to self-rule.
The Bible reframes your desires, because God does not only want you to stop doing bad things. He wants you to want better things. Scripture lifts your eyes from lesser sweetness to greater sweetness. It shows you Christ as better than approval, better than comfort, and better than being in control. Over time, sin starts to taste cheap, not because you got tougher, but because you found something better.
The Bible redirects your hope, because hope always sits on something. If it is not Christ, it will be something fragile. So the Word keeps pulling your trust off what cannot carry you. It pulls you off your competence, because you are not God. It pulls you off approval, because people change their minds. It pulls you off comfort, because life is not stable. It pulls you off control, because you never truly had it. Then it puts your hope back where it belongs, in Christ Himself. That redirection feels like a cut, because it removes supports that felt safe but could not save.
That is why the Bible is vital to sanctification. Without the Word’s cutting, sin stays camouflaged, and growth stays shallow. Without the Word’s authority, you start redefining fruit for yourself. Then you call comfort “peace,” and you call avoidance “wisdom,” and you call compromise “balance.” The Word cuts through those lies, because the Father intends to grow real fruit.
Without the Word, your growth will stall.
John 15:7 ties Christ’s words to prayer and fruit. Jesus says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you.” Then He adds, “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” That means your praying life is not meant to run on impulse. It is meant to be shaped by His words. When His words stay in you, your desires start to change. Then you ask for what fits His will. Then the Father answers in a way that glorifies Him. The vine discourse also assumes that fruit does not come from willpower but from dependence. Yet dependence this is not vague. Jesus locates it when He says “My words abide in you.” If that link is weak, then the whole pattern suffers.
So how does sanctification work if a Christian has minimal engagement with Scripture? I realize that some believers cannot read well and I don’t intend to crush your conscience. Others are new to the Bible and finding parts of it challenging to comprehend. God can and will still feed you through Scripture heard, faithful preaching, and Christian fellowship. He is kind, and He is patient.
However, if your struggle is simply caused by neglect, your spiritual growth will stall. If Christ’s words are not abiding in you, other voices will. Your growth will stall because the main cutting instrument is missing. Without the Word, sin stays unnamed. And if it stays unnamed, it stays unconfessed. If it stays unconfessed, it keeps its power.
Your spiritual growth also stalls because you do not learn how to tell what is wise from what is foolish. The Bible trains your conscience and without it, you continue thinking like everyone else around you. The things that God calls dangerous you begin to call ‘no big deal’. You start thinking of the Bible’s view of the normal Christian life as ‘extreme’.
Your spiritual growth stalls because that things that bring you comfort become fragile. If God’s promises are not regularly present in your mind, you will build your assurance on feelings. When your feelings shift, so will your peace. Then your joy becomes unstable, even if you truly belong to Christ.
God sees the heart and we cannot measure holiness with a ruler, but trajectories are real. When Christ’s words do not abide in a believer, fruit tends to thin out. Conviction softens and spiritual drift feels normal. Jesus’ warning is not “Try harder.” He is calling you to let His words abide in you, because without the Word, your growth will stall.
Build a life where the Word abides in you.
John 15:7 is not a vague ideal but Christ’s normal design for discipleship. His words are meant to live inside you. They are meant to stay with you and should be present when you decide, react, and pray. The goal of the Christian life is not a to experience a single spiritual event that fixes me. The goal is to build a life around hearing and obeying His word. You do not want the Bible to merely be a weekend contact. You need it to be a daily influence. You want Christ’s words to show up first, not last.
Many believers would say, “I wish I wanted the Bible more.” That is honest. Yet appetite often follows what you feed on. So do not wait for interest to feel strong. Begin, and ask God to grow desire as you go.
If you want Christ’s Word to abide in you, do not try to become a private expert. Instead, seek His Word with His people, especially with seasoned saints. Ask for help from older believers who have walked with Christ for years. Ask them to read John 15 with you. Ask them to show you how to slow down, ask questions, and obey what you learn. Bring your real confusion into the light. Bring the verses you do not understand. Bring the sins you are tempted to hide. A mature saint can help you see what you could not see alone.
Also, put yourself under the public ministry of the Word. Come to the preaching. Come to Bible study. Come to prayer meeting. Christ feeds His sheep through ordinary means. Then, talk about the Word on purpose. Ask a godly man or woman, “What did you see in the text?” Then ask, “How should I obey?” That is how Christ’s words begin to live in you.
This is how growth is shaped. Christ’s Word makes you clean. Christ’s Word becomes your main voice. Christ’s Word cuts you in order to grow you. Then your growth does not stall, because His Word keeps doing its work.
Conclusion
As we come to the Lord’s Table, remember that Christ’s Word cleanses because Christ’s blood cleanses. His Word does not cleanse by magic. It cleanses by bringing you to Christ, and by keeping you near Christ.
So come honestly. If the Word has been cutting you, do not call it condemnation. Call it pruning. If the Word has exposed sin, confess it. If the Word has warned you, heed it. If the Word has commanded you, submit to it. If the Word has redirected your hope, thank Him for that mercy.
Also come believing the gospel. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took flesh. He lived in perfect obedience. He died for sinners. He rose from the grave. He offers full forgiveness to everyone who repents and believes. If you are not in Christ, come to Him today.
Branches are not strong if they are not dependent. A branch has one job. It abides in the vine. So come as a branch, needing Christ, trusting Christ, leaning on Christ. Then ask Him for what John 15 promises. Ask Him to make His words abide in you. Ask Him to bear fruit in you that glorifies the Father.
Christ is not ashamed to feed His people. Therefore, let His Word remain in you, and let His grace strengthen you, as you abide in Him.
