Follow Jesus Christ

Religion is often viewed as an exhibition of sacred artifacts, or salvation imagined as the outcome of a courtroom verdict. Yet Jesus, in His teaching, offered a very different picture: one that was dynamic and alive, deeply connected to the rhythms of living nature.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”

Humanity and Christ are bound together as one: life-giving energy flows from the Creator to the person day and night, completely sustaining the capacity to live. Humanity’s cosmic calling is simple — to grow and to bear good fruit. When a person loses that capacity, he is cut off from the source of life and dies — forever. Cleansing through the acceptance of Christ’s teaching strengthens vitality and deepens the ability to bear the fruit of good works. This dynamic life, this transformation of the mind, is what “salvation of the soul” truly means.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 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. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers.”

Jesus teaches that true religion, true spiritual life, is nothing less than an unbroken connection between God and humanity. Without this connection, a person acts autonomously, remains unchanged, and cannot bring anything truly new or good into the world. The death of a person, in this sense, can be understood as the final severing of the bond with God — a shutting off of divine energy. Yet “abiding” in God is not merely some mystical energy-link; it does not leave room for self-willed independence. Jesus often taught that He Himself had duties, a mission entrusted to Him by the Heavenly Father. If the very Son of God did not claim total freedom to act on His own, then surely no ordinary person can.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

To become one with Jesus means to become His companion in thought — to share His convictions, His way of life, and His moral vision. By inheriting the ethical and spiritual framework of Yeshua, a person gains true philosophical and moral orientation in the universe — and thus the right and ability to ask for what God Himself desires. Goodness can be done in a million ways, and God’s response will always be yes. To be like Jesus is to be like God: to be His friend, to be loved by Him. All of this becomes possible through learning the personal message of Jesus and embracing His vision of life.