How can I respond to the Gospel?

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Overview

The concise version with out embedded scriptures:

1) Get with God: Be Born Again (Click here to see 11 pages of scripture on this topic)

a) Admit His identity: The Jesus of the Bible, and yours: A sinner who is incapable of knowing Him.

b) Believe who He is in relation to you. Redeemer, Forgiver, Lord; Master.

c) Confess Jesus as your only hope of being saved by your personal, loving, and continual relationship with God.

2) Listen to Him.

a) Read His Book, the Bible.

b) Hear His Voice.

3) Do what He says.

a) Obey the Scriptures

b) Obey His voice

4) Examine Yourself:

a) If you miss it big, repeat steps 1-3. If your sin is not a sin unto death, then ask God to forgive you and move on.

5) Be water baptized

Steps to knowing God

The expanded version with embedded scriptures:

1) Get with God: Be Born Again (Click here to see 11 pages of scripture on this topic)

a) INTRODUCTIONS: Meet Jesus by admitting His identity (Jesus of the Bible) and yours (a sinner who is incapable of knowing Him).

The Bible word for identity is “name”. An angel explained Jesus’ name to his step father:

Matthew 1:21
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[ 1:21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves.] because he will save his people from their sins."
(Whole Chapter: Matthew 1 In context: Matthew 1:20-22)

Saving from sin is Jesus’ name.

i) Admit His identity (Jesus of the Bible)

(1) John 14:6 Jesus answered him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me. (Good News Translation)

(2) John 1
The Word Became Flesh
¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.
³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood^[1] it.
⁶There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.^[2]
¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- ¹³children born not of natural descent,^[3] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,^[4] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

ii) And yours (a sinner who is incapable of knowing Him).

(1) What is sin?

1Jo 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

(a) Matthew 19 The Rich Young Man
¹⁶Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
¹⁷"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
¹⁸"Which ones?" the man inquired.
¹⁹Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,'^[4] and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'^[5] "
²⁰"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
²¹Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
²²When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
²³Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

(b) Not only did Jesus reiterate the law, he also magnified it: Most Rabbis expected Messiah to “magnify” the law: To bring new light on it, or to make it bigger:

(i) Isaiah 42
²¹ It pleased the LORD
for the sake of his righteousness
to make his law great and glorious.

(ii) Matthew 5
Adultery
²⁷"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'^[1] ²⁸But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

(2) Are you a sinner?

(a) Isaiah 64
⁵ You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?
⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
⁷ No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and made us waste away because of our sins.

(b) Ps 53:3-4 God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. ³ Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one (NIV)

(d) 1 John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (Whole Chapter: 1 John 1 In context: 1 John 1:9-11)

(e) Luke 18
¹³"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

(3) What is the effect of sinning?

(a) Isaiah 59:2, "Your sins have caused a separation between you and your God...."

(b) Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

(c) Jhn 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

(e) Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

(f) Ephesians 5
⁵For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^[1] ⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

(g) Colossians 3

(j) ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.^[2] ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

(4) What now?

If all are dead in their sin, with God’s wrath abiding on them, then how can anyone be saved from their sin? We are dead in our transgressions of God’s Holy law. We have no right to enter eternal life in Heaven, but deserve the punishment for our sins in Hell.

2 Thessalonians 1

⁸He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power ¹⁰on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.

The Bible says that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). This means that we have all offended God. We have all broken His revealed will that is written in His word, the Bible. Because of this, we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2), dead in our sins (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:3), cannot please God (Rom. 3:10-11), and will suffer damnation (2 Thess. 1:9) if we are not saved through Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
     Since we are sinners, we are incapable of removing the guilt of our sinfulness through our own efforts. Gal. 2:21 says, "...if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." The Law is the do’s and don’ts of moral behavior. In other words, we can’t become righteous by what we do. Why? Because we are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:3).
     This means that since we cannot remove our own sins, God must do it.
     Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; 8:58; Col. 2:9), bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). In other words, He died in our place. He paid the penalty for offending God that should have fallen upon us. He satisfied the very heart of God the Father by dying on the cross. -From http://www.carm.org/index/whatisthegospel.htm

Anyone who is willing to accept His terms of forgiveness can be born again through Jesus. The Word, or God, became a man named Jesus. He died in our place, paying the righteous penalty that the Father’s law required for our sins. The prophet Isaiah described it this way, hundreds of years before it occurred.

Isaiah 53
⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression ^[1] and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken. ^[2]
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes ^[3] his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life ^[4] and be satisfied ^[5] ;
by his knowledge ^[6] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, ^[7]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong, ^[8]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus explained His fulfilling this and other Bible prophecies this way:

Luke 24
⁴⁶He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

b) Believe who He is in relation to you. Redeemer, Forgiver, Lord; Master. John 5:24
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

i) Redeemer (read Romans Chapter 5) – to redeem means to “buy back out of slavery”.

(1) 1 Peter 1
¹⁷Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. ¹⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

(2) Romans 3: Righteousness Through Faith
²¹But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^[9] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

(3) 1 Cor. 15:1-4: Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."

(4) Matthew 20
²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

ii) Forgiver

(1) Act 3:19-20 GNB Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins. If you do, (20) times of spiritual strength will come from the Lord, and he will send Jesus, who is the Messiah he has already chosen for you.

(2) 2 Corinthians 7
⁹yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.

(3) Acts 5:31 God exalted him [Jesus] to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

(4) Isaiah 1
¹⁸ "Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD .
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

iii) Master (Lord)- The word “Lord” has come to mean something less than it’s literal translation, “master”.

(1) Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to save his life[ 8:35 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 36.] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
(Whole Chapter: Mark 8 In context: Mark 8:34-36)

(2) Luke 14 The Cost of Being a Disciple
²⁵Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
²⁸"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, ³⁰saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
³¹"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³²If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
³⁴"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

c) Confess Jesus as your only hope of being saved by your personal, loving, and continual relationship with God through Him.

(1) Romans 10
⁹That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ¹¹As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."^[1]

(2) James 2:24
You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
(Whole Chapter: James 2 In context: James 2:23-25)

(3) Paul claims that we are justified by believing. James asserts that we are not justified by faith alone. What type of believing is this that Paul refers to then? Is it purely mental assent? No, it is a type of believing that manifests itself behaviorally. True believing, or faith, is followed by deeds of obedience to God’s word.

James 2:26
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
(Whole Chapter: James 2 In context: James 2:25-27)

Romans 1
¹Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-- ²the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, ⁴and who through the Spirit^[1] of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God^[2] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

Hebrews 4:2
For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.[ 4:2 Many manuscripts because they did not share in the faith of those who obeyed]
(Whole Chapter: Hebrews 4 In context: Hebrews 4:1-3)

Acts 26

¹⁹"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. ²⁰First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

ii) Personal- In John 17:3, Jesus says, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (Whole Chapter: John 17 In context: John 17:2-4)

iii) Loving-

(1) 1 John 2
⁴The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But if anyone obeys his word, God's love^[1] is truly made complete in him.

(2) John 14:15-16, 21 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth.” ²¹Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

iv) Continual

2) Listen to Him.

a) Read His Book (Bible).

i) Acts 20
³²"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

ii) James 1:21
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

iii) John 8

The Truth Will Make You Free
³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "⁽⁴⁶⁾ If you continue in My word, then you are truly ⁽⁴⁷⁾ disciples of Mine;
³² and ⁽⁴⁸⁾ you will know the truth, and ⁽⁴⁹⁾ the truth will make you free."

b) Hear His voice.

i) John 10
²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

ii) Click here to see 36 pages on how to hear God’s voice.

3) Do what He says.

a) Obey the Scriptures

i) James 1 (NIV)
²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

ii) ²¹Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

(1) Avoid sin

(a) 1Jo 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (KJV)

(b) Matthew 18:9
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
(Whole Chapter: Matthew 18 In context: Matthew 18:8-10)

(2) Obey it’s positive commandments

(a) Matthew 19:16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

(b) Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

(c) Romans 2:7
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (NIV)

b) Obey His voice

i) John 10
²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

ii)       Hebrews 3: ⁷So, as the Holy Spirit says:
   "Today, if you hear his voice,
       ⁸do not harden your hearts
   as you did in the rebellion,
       during the time of testing in the desert,
   ⁹where your fathers tested and tried me
       and for forty years saw what I did.
   ¹⁰That is why I was angry with that generation,
       and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
       and they have not known my ways.'
   ¹¹So I declared on oath in my anger,
       'They shall never enter my rest.' "^[1]
¹²See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. ¹⁴We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

Note to reader: Response required.

4) Examine Yourself:

2Cor 13:5

5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-- unless, of course, you fail the test? (NIV)

Heb 3:12-15

12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." (NIV)

I Jn 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. (NIV)

1 John 5:13
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (NIV)

Philippians 2
¹²Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

b) If you fail the test, repeat steps 1-4.

c) If your sin is not a sin unto death, then ask God to forgive you and move on:

i) 1 John 2
¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for^[1] the sins of the whole world.

ii) Move on:

(1) 2 Corinthians 7
⁹yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.

(2) Psalm 51
¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

(3) Act 3:19-20 GNB Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins. If you do, (20) times of spiritual strength will come from the Lord, and he will send Jesus, who is the Messiah he has already chosen for you.

5) Be water baptized.

Can anyone obey this Gospel of grace?

He invites ALL to come DIRECTLY to Himself for eternal life (Jn. 5:40; 6:35; 7:37; Matt. 11:28-30). He won't reject YOU (Jn. 6:37).

John 6
³⁷All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

Obey this gospel…

1 Corinthians 15:2
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
(Whole Chapter: 1 Corinthians 15 In context: 1 Corinthians 15:1-3)

Colossians 1
²¹Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of^[6] your evil behavior. ²²But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- ²³if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

..by grace

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
(Whole Chapter: 2 Corinthians 9 In context: 2 Corinthians 9:7-9)

John 1:12
¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (KJV)

1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
(Whole Chapter: 1 Corinthians 15 In context: 1 Corinthians 15:9-11)

Gospel of grace

Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
(Whole Chapter: Acts 20 In context: Acts 20:23-25)

Colossians 1:6
..All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.
(Whole Chapter: Colossians 1 In context: Colossians 1:5-7)

I hope that you come to an understanding of God’s grace, in all it’s truth, so that your response to this Gospel would be fruit-bearing.

John 15
The Vine and the Branches
¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[1] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain 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.
⁵"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. ⁶If 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. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.