"I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me."
John 15:5, HCSB
(Let me be clear on one thing, before we go any further: all Christians who come to redemption, regardless of background, are grafted into the Body of Christ. I am using extreme examples, and referring to some as being "naturally there," only because they were born to Christian parents who shared Christ's teachings and the values of a Christian lifestyle. However, all human beings that are conceived are conceived into a sinful nature, and there is always a grafting process to become one with the Vine.)
It's called grafting, and it is the process by which one thing is joined permanently to another. For instance, to use real world examples, skin and bone can be grafted into areas that need them, and this enhances the healing process. A properly grafted bone can restore function, and even be stronger than the original. The same is true for skin and organs, too. It is often a very painful procedure (thankfully, anesthetic is used to keep that from being noticed) even to look at or think about, and the recovery is, I would imagine, just as painful... but the ends are totally worth the means!
Going back to the original premise, a young man grows up in a home that is not filled with the teachings of Christ, and he decides to go along with the teachings of the world, because he has that freedom to choose. In high school and college, though successful in academics and athletics, he is always troubled by something that seems to be missing. One day, he asks a friend in confidence about this feeling, and Jesus is shared for the first time. This begins the grafting process, which is ended by the young man asking Christ to be Lord and Savior over him, to live in his heart and guide his paths. At that point, this once-foreign branch is now just as natural in appearance as those that were grown directly off of the Vine, and there is no distinguishing between any of them... period.
One key point to remember, no matter what it is you study or how you look through it, is this: the ground is ALWAYS level at the foot of the Cross. You, me, and every other redeemed sinner are on the exact same level, and there is absolutely no distinction between us. Never, ever forget that.
Of course, one risk that is run with grafting in medicine is rejection. The donor and recipient have to be compatible in order for the procedure to be a success, as anyone who is familiar with transplanting or grafting has already been thinking. It is important to note, for all you folks out there in this mindset, that Jesus' blood (in this scenario) would be O Negative... universal donor... anyone can receive it. So, before anyone decides that they are not capable of receiving it, please note that God has once again given us a real and tangible example that there are things that anyone can have, and salvation through Christ (being grafted onto the Vine) is definitely among them!
Never doubt that if you are pruned, as discussed earlier, that your pruning is necessary and important. It is not frivolously done for whimsy, but for the prompting of better and stronger growth. Similarly, if you are grafted to the Vine, never forget that you are a part of the Vine from that moment forward. There is no separation between the grafted and the natural, just as there is no separation between the saved and the saved... no, that's not a typo... if you are saved (regardless of your past) and I am saved (regardless of my past) then we are both saved, and both saved the same way. Again, the ground is always level at the foot of the Cross.
God bless you all!!!
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