THE ENGRAFTED WORD

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21). 

 

A neighbor who lives behind me has an amazing apple tree.  It is enormous, and has been there for a very long time.  It provides a lot of shade to them in the summer time, and an ample amount of fruit in the fall.  The amazing thing about this tree, though, is not its size, or age, or even the amount of apples that it bears; no, the amazing thing is that it bears five different varieties of apple!  Someone years ago took the time to graft the branches of other apple trees into the branches of this existing tree.  Now, that which was not possible for this tree to bear on its own has not only become possible, but a reality.

 

The Bible teaches us that the Word of God can be grafted into the lives of believers.  It is an operation that is, unfortunately, very foreign to man in general.  Paul tells us in Romans 7, “In me (that is in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing.”  My nature is to be carnal and selfish, but God in His infinite love and wisdom, grafts His own nature into me through the Word of God so that I can become spiritual and selfless.  This does not occur simply through reading the Word, or by memorizing it.  Instead, it is a deliberate act on my part of letting the Word search me out, expose my sin, and through faith allow it to heal and change me.  

 

Grafting is not a superficial process.  It is not as simple as strapping a branch of one tree onto that of another.  It requires cutting into the host tree and inserting the new branch into the flesh of the host.  Likewise, it may be a painful process for me to see myself in the light of God’s holiness, but it will produce His righteousness in me in the end.  In order for it to take hold, however, it must cut my flesh.  I can then bear fruit in my life which I would never be able to bear naturally.  Oh, I can mimic the fruit of the Spirit, and act as if I have love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, and temperance; but only the Spirit of God is able to produce these qualities in me for real.  In times of trial or temptation, when my will would normally break under the pressure; instead of caving in to the pressure, and yielding to sin, the life of Christ flows into me and empowers me to overcome.  Everything around me can be working together to shatter my peace, steal my joy, try my patience, and topple my faith; but Christ’s presence in my life gives me peace and victory that passes all understanding.  It’s then that I can say with Paul, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

 

Jesus used a similar analogy in the fifteenth chapter of St. John in describing our relationship to Him.  He teaches us that He is the true vine and God the Father is the husbandman, or vinedresser.  He then likens us to the branches which are attached to this vine.  We have been grafted into this vine that we were never a part of originally, but now that we are, He is looking for fruit to be produced in our lives.  If I am not bearing fruit, there is a danger of being removed altogether, and cast aside as a dead branch.  If, on the other hand, I do bear fruit, He prunes me so that I bear more fruit.  These are principles that every good gardener or vinedresser knows.  Cutting away at a tree or grapevine may seem excessive or counterproductive to the unlearned, but it results in a much more abundant yield and better fruit.  Jesus finishes the analogy in John by describing the means by which He prunes us, saying, “Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3).  His Word is indeed a sharp instrument capable of pruning away our unfruitful parts.    

 

It is essential that we let God cut us, prune us, and graft His living Word into us, replacing this carnal nature of ours with His holy nature.  This is the only way that we may be changed.  We also must learn to abide in the Vine, who is Jesus Christ, so that all the life that flows from the Father through Him may fill these branches.  This abundant life is the source of everything good that we can produce as Christians.  This is the engrafted Word, which is able to save our souls!

 

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do." (Hebrews 4:12, 13).