“I AM the True Vine”: John 15:1–17 Interpreted Through the Law of Assumption and the Song of Solomon

Neville Goddard Symbolism

In John 15:1–17, Jesus—symbolising the awakened imagination—speaks to his disciples, who represent various faculties of the inner man. This isn’t a historical instruction to a group of men. It is the I AM within you, addressing your own thoughts, desires, fears, and assumptions. Through Neville Goddard’s teachings and poetic echoes from the Song of Solomon, we can read this passage as the soul’s guide to conscious manifestation, inner unity, and spiritual fruitfulness.

Verses 1–2

“I AM the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He takes away every branch in me which does not give fruit: and every branch which gives fruit he makes clean, so that it may give more fruit.”
The vine is imagination—source of all reality. The Father, your deeper consciousness, removes assumptions that do not bear fruit and strengthens those that do. Pruning is the natural process of self-correction: not punishment, but refinement.
Song of Solomon: “My love is to me as a branch of the cypress-tree in the vine-gardens of En-gedi.” (1:14)

Verse 3

“You are clean, even now, through the teaching which I have given you.”
You are cleansed by inner conviction—by aligning your self-concept with your chosen assumption. The word is not external; it is the assumption accepted as true.
Song of Solomon: “Your lips are like a thread of red, and your mouth is lovely.” (4:3)

Verses 4–5

“Be in me at all times as I AM in you... I AM the vine, you are the branches...”
Remain in the state of the wish fulfilled. A branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine; likewise, you cannot manifest unless you dwell in the assumption of already being.
Song of Solomon: “I AM for my loved one, and my loved one is for me.” (6:3)

Verse 6

“If a man does not keep himself in me, he becomes dead...”
When you detach from the imagined end, you fall back into the lifelessness of unfulfilled desire. Staying connected to the vine is staying faithful to your vision.
Song of Solomon: “They took away my robe from me, those who kept the watch on the walls.” (5:7)

Verse 7

“If you are in me... anything you have a desire for will be done for you.”
This is the Law of Assumption in action. When imagination and belief are united, manifestation follows.
Song of Solomon: “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand is about me.” (2:6)

Verse 8

“Here is my Father's glory, in that you give much fruit...”
Manifestation is the natural expression of the divine within. When your assumptions become reality, it glorifies the one source—your I AM.
Song of Solomon: “The fig-tree puts out her green figs…” (2:13)

Verses 9–10

“Be ever in my love. If you keep my laws, you will be ever in my love…”
Love is fidelity to your assumption. The “law” is not moral regulation, but psychological discipline—remaining in the feeling of the wish fulfilled.
Song of Solomon: “Much water may not put out love…” (8:7)

Verse 11

“So that your joy may be complete.”
Joy is the result of harmony between the inner state and the outer world. Joy is not chased—it is allowed.
Song of Solomon: “Let us go out early to the vine-gardens… let us see if the vines are in flower.” (7:12)

Verses 12–13

“This is the law I give you: Have love one for another...”
This is the heart of the passage. Neville taught that Scripture is psychological. “Love one another” is an inward command: Love every part of your Self. Love your contradictions, your doubts, your faculties. Unite them in a single purpose. When your inner man no longer fights itself, manifestation becomes inevitable.
Song of Solomon: “You are all fair, my love; there is no mark on you.” (4:7)

Verses 14–15

“You are my friends… no longer servants…”
The faculties of the mind evolve. When they obey only unconsciously, they are “servants.” But when they act in harmony with the I AM, they become “friends”—aware, deliberate creators.
Song of Solomon: “My loved one said to me, Get up… come away.” (2:10)

Verse 16

“You did not take me for yourselves, but I took you for myself… whatever request you make to the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”
Desire arises within you not as a whim, but as a calling. To ask “in my name” is to identify with the state desired. It is already yours.
Song of Solomon: “I took him by the arm, and would not let him go…” (3:4)

Verse 17

“So this is my law for you: Have love one for another.”
This concluding verse underscores the command: Love all aspects of the Self. Harmonise your thoughts. Let no inner faculty rebel. As Neville would say:
“Assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled and persist in that assumption.”
This is the fruit of the vine.

Song of Solomon: “Put me as a sign on your heart, as a sign on your arm…” (8:6)

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