Discussion Board Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board - Case Study Example In other words, Cole and Driscoll acknowledge that philosophy alone cannot revolutionize the mindset of a church organization when practice and identifiable roles are lacking. Another interesting similarity involves the impact of roles on leaders especially when they are imparting philosophical objectives upon the followers. Unlike Driscoll’s On Church Leadership that is often guided by religious doctrines and mores, organic contexts are free of dogmas. Therefore, both writers note that religious and secular settings should not hinder the nurturing of new leaders within the church. Alternatively, in organic leadership, according to Cole, mentors and re-energizes the follower by creating new practices and philosophies (Cole, 2009). Driscoll argues that church management is often hindered by lack servant leadership and succession plans by pastors. Interestingly enough, the writers might join hands in streamlining the ministry through recruitment of new followers dedicated to becoming leaders. This is through the empowerment of others as a key step toward enhancing the overall leadership vacuum. It implies that leadership debate by the two writers dem onstrates the shifting demographics determined mostly mentorship programs and strategic servant

Tthe Role of the Fashion Buyer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tthe Role of the Fashion Buyer - Essay Example The essay "Tthe Role of the Fashion Buyer" concerns the fashion buyer. In this perspective, the roles of a merchandiser and a buyer are complementary but deviate to distinct paths. In a traditional aspect, buyers focus on the visual aspects of garments while merchandising focuses on the analytical and numerical aspects of garments. A buyer’s principal objective pertains to identifying market appropriate garments that can as well satisfy the company’s profit requirements. This overall responsibility split into several roles. To begin with, it is crucial to consider types of buying roles in terms of high street and high end perspective. This splits in terms of retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers. In high street fashion, a buyer may be involved with stocking a shop that deals with designer brands. However, high street fashion deals with other garments apart from designer brands. In a multiple retail store, a buyer would concern with a whole process of product developm ent and arranging delivery of finished products. In independent clothes’ retailing, a buyer purchases garments from wholesalers and sell at one’s suitable price. In terms of a multiple retail store, a buyer possesses several specific tasks. To begin with, a buyer should select a range of garments that satisfy an optimum profit plan. Target margin refers to the profit that occurs after deductions of discounts and unsold stock. In this sense, a buyer’s task pertains to maximizing sales, of purchased stock, and minimizing unsold stock. Besides, a buyer should consider specific profit margin for single products. This necessitates that a buyer works with a merchandiser for a proper mix of stock. In addition, they observe trends of other businesses for interpretation to target customers. In addition, a buyer has a task of identifying a reliable supply base. Buyers must be knowledgeable of ineffective suppliers’ effect on sales and eventual profits (Jackson & Sh aw 2000, p. 67). More importantly, it is vital for a supplier to consider quality in terms of the cost that the supplier imposes. Furthermore, a buyer should consider the reputation of a manufacturer and supplier in terms of unethical practices. The media are so sensitive that it can pull down a major fashion store because of such an affiliation. After choosing a dependable supplier, a buyer considers the input from entities such as design garment technology and merchandising. This necessitates a process whereby the buyer negotiates of cost prices to supplies. This requires a buyer to possess skills of negotiation in terms of levers. Besides, buyers should evaluate and research on relevant and research market (Entwistle 2009, p. 57). This information is so diverse that it should include future fashion trends, past and current sales. In addition, the buyer should evaluate a consumer’s closest need. Buyers should also check competitor stores for evaluation of garments and price s. Besides, buyers should establish communication channels with the management, suppliers and product teams. For instance, supplier communication is vital for realistic, accurate and realistic about the specific terms of a placed order. Product range entails significant presentation in which creative details are clearly evaluated. In addition, buyers have the mandate of considering supplies within the constraints of a store’s budget. Other parameters include consideration such as historical orientation on sales and color trends. In addition, a

What is the Divine Command Theory and How Might Socrates' Dilemma Be Essay

What is the Divine Command Theory and How Might Socrates' Dilemma Be Supposes to Undermine it - Essay Example In his dilemma, Socrates asks the following questions: Are God’s orders morally superior because they are ethically acceptable? On the other hand, are they ethically righteous because God commands them? It is in response to this question that the DCT comes across intricacy. A supporter of the divine command theory might assert that an act is ethically correct because God orders its existence. Conversely, the inference of this response is that if God commanded something different from what is the norm, doing so would be morally correct. Human beings would be required to act so because God ordered its occurrence. The setback to this response to Socrates’ question, then, is that God’s orders – the fundamentals of morality – result in becoming illogical, which then call for ethically reprehensible actions to become ethically obligatory. Socrates’ assertions, hence, eliminate the rational validity of God being obedient. In addition, the fact that God orders something because it is right and is palpable to Him in His infinite wisdom, evades the arbitrariness of the preceding alternative but introduces a new problem which brings us back to the start. If God commands something because it is right, accepting an argument that has deserted a religious concept of right and wrong is morally acceptable. All these propositions will lead an advocate of the divine command theory into an ethically uncomfortable field. Furthermore, delving into the ED, one could argue that it is a false dichotomy since mean and evil are not independent of each other. God’s ethical commands, then, would be ethically acceptable because God is the objective moral remedy by which everything is measured. Hence, he cannot do an arbitrary act. To clarify, God may even decide that...This view is one that binds morals and religion as one. This often provides a comfort zone for most people as it presents a solution to darned arguments on moral relativism and the detachment of ethics. This theory also asserts that morality is somehow reliant upon God and that moral accountability consists in deference to God’s commands. The clear content of these divine commands differs according to the religion and the precise views of an individual divine command theorist; all versions of the theory hold in common the claim that morality and ethical obligation depends on God in the end. The issue of the probable links between religion and morals is of interest to ethical theorists, as well as those of religion, but it also guides us to regard the function of beliefs in humanity and the nature of moral consideration. Given this, the arguments presented for and against DCT have both hypothetical and realistic significance. This paper starts by vividly defining DCT, looking into Socrates’ refutations of the theory, while also explaining how his dilemma might undermine the DCT and how the theory is still salvageable in spite of Socrates†™ critique. We finally end this with a clear conclusion that gives a summary of the discussion. Some of the renowned religious thinkers such as St. Thomas Aquinas discarded the divine command theory because of the mere rational dilemmas presented here.

Motivation Theories and How It Affects Employees' Commitment and Essay

Motivation Theories and How It Affects Employees' Commitment and Performance at Work - Essay Example From this study it is clear that   businesses should motivate its workforce not only for them to commit and perform but also to keep them in the organisation. Keeping valuable employees motivated in an organisation is not only intended to make them commit and perform but also to keep them over the long haul. The most common notion about motivation is to shower them with fat paychecks but this proved to be inadequate in keeping employees motivated. As what organisational theorists have reported, committing employees to perform towards a common goal involves an interplay of various factors that involves not only remuneration, but also the social and psychological dimensions of work that keep employees productive. Several business organisations even went as far as integrating play with work not only to keep their employees committed and productive, but also to induce creativity in the workplace which proved to be beneficial to a company’s diversification drive such as the case of Google. These various motivation theories shall be discussed in this paper and we will also tackle how these theories affect performance in today’s competitive environment. According to the discussion the classical theorists of motivation a. Frederick Winslow Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management Taylor first conceived the idea that workers are mainly motivated solely by wage. He posited that management has to possess the control and knowledge of the methods of production so that it would have a greater control of achieving efficiency in an organisation that includes motivating its workforce. For Taylor, the breaking up functions into small quantifiable tasks is necessary to make the time-piece rate pay possible that will encourage employees to work harder if they can see that they are being paid with more work. This theory assumed that employees are more motivated with more pay and confined motivation to solely addressing the economic needs of a business org anisation’s employees.

State Laws versus National supremacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

State Laws versus National supremacy - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that federalism is a structure of government with one central government and other smaller units such as states in the United States of America. It is a system of government in which the sovereignty is sub divided into the central government and other constituent units such as provinces or states. State rights refer to the political supremacy set aside for the American state governments other than the federal government in line with the American Constitution. Supremacy Clause is available in Article six of the American national constitution. It states that federal treaties and statutes form the supreme laws of the land and provides that these are the supreme and highest forms of law in the legal system of U.S. and mandates that all state statutes must follow the Federal law whenever a conflict occurs between the state law and federal law. The architects of the New Federalism, a program that permitted states to decisions concerning local iss ues, were George Bush and Ronald Reagan. For 200 years, the relationship between the two governments has shifted more towards the national supremacy, though several observers today believe that the power balance is beginning to stretch out back to the states. One major sign that the national government was growing in the 1960s was the great number of categorical grants that existed during that time. There has been a debate on power distribution between the national government and the U.S. States began as early as 1787 with the founding of the Republic and continues up to today.

Herodotus Thucydides Essay Example for Free

Herodotus Thucydides Essay The accounts of what happened in the past are known as history. People who recorded history in any way are called historian. As early as 5th millennium B. C, ancient Sumerians already recorded their history, making them the earliest historians. Many great historians were produced as history was being made. But simply writing history will not produce good historians. Good historians are not only producing written accounts of what they believed happened just for the sake of recording something, but can also provide genuine material or testimonial evidences of what they claimed happened which can be inspected, tested, reviewed, or retraced by others , can accurately record the facts without incorporating their own ideas or beliefs, can effectively transmit their recorded works through succeeding generations, and can bring their reader back to the past when the event actually happened (Simkin 1). The two most common ancient historians whom works are always being compared are Herodotus of Halicarnassus and Thucydides of Athens. Herodotus of Halicarnassus was known from his work entitled â€Å"The Histories† which was divided into nine volumes and was given the name of a muse- Greek mythology Goddess- for each. In his books, Herodotus recorded mainly the events happened during the Persian and Greek wars and the accounts of his journey throughout the Mediterranean and Black sea including the place he reached, describing the geography, faunas, and floras, and the people he met, taking into accounts of the stories, claims, ideas and beliefs of each individual (Zarit 1). With his early written descriptions of history, Herodotus has been known as the â€Å"Father of History† (â€Å"Herodotus Compared with Thucydides† 1). On the other hand, Thucydides of Athens was an Athenian military general known from his work entitled â€Å"History of the Peloponnesian War† which describes the battle between the Peloponnesian Alliance- led by the Spartans- and Delian Alliance- led by the Athenians (Maxwell 1). Thucydides escaped death caused by the plague that spread in Athens. This plague killed many famous philosophers and scholars, including the elite and common Athenians. Thucydides obtained fame and respect from his fellow Athenians with less effort since he came from an aristocrat Athenian family. He served in the military and later became a general which gave him easy access to account accurate information (Zarit 3). Thucydides has been known as the â€Å"Father of Scientific History† due to the historical accounting method he used, and has been called the â€Å"Father of the School of Political Realism† due to his unbiased account of different political views in his book (Maxwell 1). Herodotus and Thucydides were both Greek historians but both wrote history on different historical perspective, analysis, and purpose as seen in the contents of their works. Herodotus wrote his book mainly for his fellow Greeks. He intended not only to inform but also to entertain them by infusing his literary writing capabilities. If some information he gathered was not too appealing and would cause disinterest to his audience, Herodotus would sometimes exaggerate or use some â€Å"artistic† words to his work to attract the attention of the audience (â€Å"Herodotus Compared with Thucydides† 1). Since Greeks considered their selves direct descendant of Gods and Goddesses, they accepted Greek God mythology as fact, believing the will of their Gods and Goddesses as valid and true. Furthermore, the Greek oracles was considered the link between them and their immortal Gods, therefore anything that the oracle said was also considered an absolute truth (Maxwell 1).. Herodotus included the prophecies and advises made by the Greek oracles in his work. He explained things or events, relying to Greek God mythology as his reasons. He usually used the prophecies and advises of the oracle to predict the outcome and to explain the consequence of a historical event. The influence of his religion and his artistry to his works could be seen when he named his book after the nine Greek God deities (Zarit 2). Herodotus took into account all information, data, and facts available to him whether these said information, data, and facts was directly connected to his subject being discussed in his book or unnecessary information. He recorded detailed account on his subject matter, sometimes too detailed descriptions that create several degrees of sub-subjects which may lead to confusion or comprehension difficulties for some readers. Furthermore, if the first hand information is not available for his access, Herodotus used second hand information. Even if the source of the second hand information was not certain with the details, Herodotus was obliging the source to pick the closest information he could remember. In some instances, Herodotus let his reader choose the most likely conclusion of an event if unexpected outcome or opposing result can occur (â€Å"Herodotus Compared with Thucydides† 1). The focus of Herodotus in writing his work was to find the cause that led to the Greek-Persian war. He tried to include all possible reasons including but not limited to religions, topography, culture, animals and beliefs of different places involved (Zarit 2). Herodotus’ â€Å"The Histories† can be summarize as a history book written in a literary way. Despite of biased and inaccurate accounts, readers still prefer to read Herodotus’ work than Thucydides’ because it was presented in an amusing way. Thucydides wrote his book mainly for the purpose of educating future generations. Unlike Herodotus, Thucydides accounted history using inductive approach. He deduced the outcome of a phenomenon based on what the accessible evidences were dictating. He was unbiased when recording information, keeping out his personal ideas and beliefs to influence his work. Despite of being a military general of Athens, he still presented his works fairly, without being impartial to Athenians or Spartans point of view (â€Å"Herodotus Compared with Thucydides† 1). Although Thucydides was raised as Greek, nurturing strong Greek ideas, beliefs, and norms, he did not let this influence him. He tried to explain phenomenon and conclude the outcome of events using logic as reason not divine intervention which was contradictory on what Herodotus did. Thucydides’ written accounts were concise and direct. His descriptions on his subject were detailed and straightforward which were usually supported by several evidences he gathered including his own observations. He did not include information or description without supporting evidences to back them up. He made sure that the proof he used can be tested, viewed or examined again by others (Maxwell 1). If proofs were not available, he preferred not to record the event. This approach of Thucydides’ explanation was similar to the method used now in scientific inquiries and investigations- the scientific method-, hence giving Thucydides the title â€Å"Father of Scientific History†. Thucydides’ perspective to history is mainly about politics as seen in his work the â€Å"History of the Peloponnesian War†. In his work, Thucydides clearly and accurately recorded facts. Thucydides described the sites where the war had taken place. He introduced the people involved in the war, their roles and goals. He accounted the outcome of several military campaigns. But most importantly, he discussed the political aspects, morals, and decisions behind each event and their corresponding consequences that led to the outcome (Zarit 3). He used these facts to synthesize theories why men go to war. He tried to explain the cause of war in the context of human reasons. Furthermore, he concluded that if man would prefer reasons to settle conflicts, war could be prevented. Thucydides’ conclusions, political perspective and analysis to history are still widely used today (Maxwell 1). Today, the validity of his ideas is still applicable and is still being taught. With this perspective and analysis to history, Thucydides was named â€Å"Father of the School of Political Realism† (Zarit 3). Herodotus’ and Thucydides’ approach in writing history were very different. Regardless of whom the audience is and what the purpose is in writing history, the historical contents should be valid, accurate, precise and true. This could be supported by evidences such as written documents, geographical validity or verbal accounts. Furthermore, the continuing relay and availability of historical facts through succeeding generations is equally important as its truthfulness, since history is written to be read by others. Since both works of Herodotus and Thucydides satisfied the successful transmission through generations, only its truthfulness could be questioned. Many evidences proved the validity of Thucydides claims. On the other hand, some claims of Herodotus were also proven valid. But in this race of who is better historian between the two, Thucydides of Athens gave more valid and accurate claims in his account, therefore making him the better historian. References: â€Å"Herodotus Compared with Thucydides. † Free Essays. 21 November 2001. 23 August 2008 http://essays.org. uk/classical-studies/herodotus-thucydides/2paper/. Maxwell, Michael. â€Å"Herodotus Thucydides. † StudentsFriends. 2001. 23 August 2008 http://www. studentsfriend. com/historians. html. Simkin, John. â€Å"What makes a good historian? † The Education Forum. 1 January 2005. 23 August 2008 http://educationforum. ipbhost. com/index. php? showtopic=2777. Zarit, Ben. â€Å"Herodotus and Thucydides Through the Lens of Aristotle. † The Perseus Project. 9 May 1995. 23 August 2008 http://www. perseus. tufts. edu/GreekScience/Students/Ben/aristotle. html.

I Am Sayings Of Jesus In Johns Gospel Religion Essay

I Am Sayings Of Jesus In Johns Gospel Religion Essay The aim of this assignment is to exegetically discussing the I AM sayings of Jesus within Johns Gospel, state their significance to salvation. Jesus used symbolic language in talking about Himself and His relationship to people. According to Tenney the reason for Jesus using symbols was to illustrate various aspects of His ministry. John uses symbols to point to the heavenly reality revealed in Jesus. In light of this Butler states that the word symbol does not appear in the Bible however, both the Old and New Testament are rich in symbolic language. Authorship The author of Johns Gospel is not mentioned by name, but early Christian sources indicate this Gospel was written by John, the disciple and son of Zebedee, one of the twelve disciples who was at the Passover meal with Jesus. John referred to himself as the beloved disciple and eyewitness of the events of Jesus life. He identifies himself as, this is the disciple that testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true (John 21:24). Johns Gospel includes seven I AM sayings revealing God as manifested in Jesus and His relationship with Israel. Gods name I AM reveals His identity, His status, and His character, and was given to Jesus so that He can reveal Gods glory to mankind, in the world where many claim to be gods and saviours. The Bread of Life This is the first of Johns sayings where he uses the metaphor to reveal Jesus as life-giving food. As a whole the passage challenges the Galileans to believe in Jesus heavenly origin and incarnation so that they may have eternal life now as well as at the end-time. John describes Jesus as the Son of Man, who is the true food that gives imperishable life; this teaching was a testing to see whether the hearers would decide to follow Christ or reject Him. After Jesus had satisfied the hunger of five thousand people from multiplying five loaves of bread and two fishes; they had became hungry again and asked Jesus to tell them about the spiritual truth about the food that nourished each of them. Milne claims that the Galileans had materialistic agenda and a lacked the awareness of the needs of the heart. For them Gods blessings are a free food supply and a political Messiah who would rid them of their heated Roman leaders. Their concern is with what they can do to help the cause along. They demanded another miracle to prove His claim to give eternal life. They thought that believing could come only by seeing miracles. Jesus points out to them that if they spend their present and future life working to gain material things and ignore the food available to them in Jesus, they will perish. The people challenged Jesus claim that He had sole authority by God to give them imperishable food. They then began to cite Scripture to Jesus by saying, it is written that our forefathers ate manna that was given to them as food from heaven by Moses (Exodus 16:31). The point they were trying to make here is that the manna eaten by their forefathers had a heavenly character. Jesus responded by correcting their misinterpretation of the scripture, and stated that the manna had not come from Moses but from God, his Father. Whereas the manna (food) God supplied in the wilderness through Moses was perishable it gave physical life and satisfying physical hunger and was only for the people of Israel. The bread God gives through Jesus is the true imperishable bread and is the gift of life for the whole world. The people asked Jesus to give them this bread always, they did not understand what it was they were requesting. They did not know the spiritual significance of the food given nor that Jesus Himself is that food, but assumed that Jesus was speaking of some kind of supernatural food that would be available whenever they felt hungry. This then prompts Jesus to finally say, I am the bread of life, who ever comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John states that they were focussing on the gift without recognising the giver, and saw Him as a wonder worker. Jesus is the imperishable food, He is the source of life imparts life to humans, and to receive this life one should come to Him in faith not by works. Jesus concern is to confront them with their errors and point them to the true way to find life from God, they only need to believe and rely on Him and on Him alone as the one the Father has sent as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. The Light of the World The second saying of Jesus claim to be the true Light of the people of God, not only of Israel, but of the whole world. Within this passage it gives two ways of life on earth which is dominated by two opposite forces light and darkness. John uses ideas that were current in his time to proclaim that anyone who believes in Jesus and obeys Him cannot be controlled by evil, and because Jesus is the Light darkness cannot overcome Him. In chapter (8:24) Jesus conflict with those who were in darkness because of their sin and unbelief, illustrates an ongoing conflict between light and darkness and further justifying His claim as the Light of the world. What he is saying here is that only He can lead people out of darkness into light, out of their delusion into truth, and from death by giving the light of life. Whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness but have the light of life. From this Jesus is saying that He has a unique relationship with the Father and He is the revelation of the one and only God, who is light and salvation. Jesus is the Light of the world in the sense that He is the radiance of Gods glory in the world, and bearer of the light of God. In (Isa 49:6) He is also recall as the Servant of the Lord who would be a light for the Gentiles who will bring salvation to all mankind. The Good Shepherd and the Door This passage contains two metaphorically I AM sayings whereby Jesus declares himself to be the Good Shepherd and the Door. Here he promises protection and a way of salvation for his followers. Firstly by taking on the role of Shepherd Jesus reveals himself as the Christ and Shepherd King, who leads his people with compassion, protecting and caring for them while providing a sense of belonging to himself and God. As the shepherd goes before the sheep they in turn humbly follow Him, trusting and obeying His words and not the words of those who oppose Him. Secondly Jesus points out that there is only one door into the sheepfold, implies that He is the only door to Salvation. By proclaiming that He is the door for the sheep, Jesus is saying that He is the only way by which one can experience God and His love; the only one through whom heavenly secrets and divine life are imparted to those who obey Him, He is their protector and the means by which they obtain spiritual nourishment, He is the only way of communication between heaven and earth. In addition to this Jesus claims that thieves and robbers who came before Him can never enter the sheepfold to mislead the sheep (people). Here Jesus is referring to the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders, who exercise authority over the people of Israel by misinterpreting the Law to 4 their own advantage; and the leaders who attempt, to win the loyalty of the people before Christ came in the flesh. He says, Like thieves, they approach was secret and crafty, and like robbers they were engaged in violence and destruction (Ezek 34:1). They had not been sent by God either through Christ, but illegitimately claim leadership. Jesus states that the sheep shall no longer follow or listen to the voice of these false leaders, because they now know and hear the voice of the true shepherd. The Resurrection and Life In chapter eleven Jesus affirms He is the resurrection and life, and John quotes that raising Lazarus from the dead at Bethany is a prelude to Jesus own death and resurrection. He claims that the resurrection life is like a future experience and a present reality. Secondly John claims that Jesus is the only one who can raise the dead and give life. Therefore, the resurrection and life can only be experienced in Jesus. Consequently the word life is identical to eternal life, the divine gift given to those who believe in Jesus. Ultimately, those who receive His life are born of the Spirit. Christ does not only raise the dead by His voice giving life, but He is the resurrection and the life, having the power to resurrection fullness of life, also affirming that He works in oneness with God in raising the dead. According to Jesus, all human beings will be resurrected after death to receive Gods judgement, for it is appointed for them to die once, and after that to face judgement (Heb 9:27). The words will never die does not promise immortality, but those who believe in Jesus by faith will face physical death like every other human being, but death will have no control over them. By the power of Jesus they will rise up from the dead to experience heavenly life in all its fullness. Therefore the one who lives and keeps on believing will not perish eternally. The Way, the Truth, and the Life John sees this as Jesus pastoral speech delivered to His disciples before He leaves them to go to the Father. In spite of their close relationship with Jesus, 5 His disciples still did not understand His destination. From this misunderstanding Jesus makes His sixth I AM saying, and it is the only one to be followed by three predicates. He profess that he is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but through Him. Here the way is the one that is emphasised because it corresponds with Jesus statement in (14:4) Where I go you Know, and the way you know, and Thomas inquiry in (14:5), Lord we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way? The predicates truth and life are then added to explain the term way. In response to Thomass question Jesus answers him by saying, I am going to be with God, the Father of us all. So when He states, I am the way, He is saying that it is only in communion with Him that one can reach God. Here John stresses that Jesus is Gods only revelation and the only way of salvation. Jesus came from God and is going back to God by way of being crucified and then resurrected; He is Gods self-revelation and the one who is the only way to God. The two nouns truth and life, reveal that Jesus is the true and living way to God, because He is the truth of God and the life of God. Here Johns emphasis is on the person Jesus who is the way to the presence of God there one wil l experience eternal joy. Parallel to verse 6 is Psalm 16:11 which speak of those who follow the path of life will experience joy to the full in the presence of God. Jesus is the Word incarnate and teaches to His disciples that He is the true and life-giving way to the presence of God in peace and prosperity; Isaiah (30:23-26), also speaks of this prosperity to the people who obey the word. As the way, Jesus gives us access to the Father; He will also include with Himself all those who trust in Him when He returns to His Father. As the truth, Jesus reveals God as the Truth to the world in His love, mercy and deliverance. As the life, Jesus gives life and peace to all those who believe in Him. Only those who see Gods love and faithfulness in Jesus and draws towards Him, will know the way to reach God, this is wholly expressed in His statement no one comes to the Father except through me. 6 Since Jesus is the embodiment of divine truth and life, the only way to enter the heavenly realm is through Him. The Vine In the final I AM sayings Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and the branches. He reveals Himself as the true vine, and compares Himself with the people of Israel who he metaphorically described as branches who had failed to bear fruit, therefore failing to glorify God. Fortunately, what is known as failure and impossible with man, can be turned into success and become possible through Christ. Knowing He is from heaven and the life He possesses is divine, He can also supply life to the branches. Here John presents Jesus not as one who bears fruit, but as the source of power allowing those who stay in union with Him to bear fruit and fulfil the plan of God. Hebrews 9:24 quotes that the tabernacle in heaven is called the true tent and the earthly sanctuary is known as a copy of the true one that is in heaven. Jesus reveals Himself to be the true vine. This vine is of heavenly origin, and therefore has the ability to reveal heavenly reality and give life to the branches which are united with it. Jesus refers to God as the vinedresser this shows us that God is the owner and planter of the vine and the branches. The function of the branches is to bear fruit, in other words one need to do good deeds after repentance (Luke 6:35, Matt 3:10). God expects good works from human beings, and failure to perform them will lead to Gods judgement, resulting in one being separated from Him and to destruction. Those who bear fruit reproduce Jesus life by which the Fathers glory will be revealed to the world. Jesus continues the metaphor by referring to all His disciples saying, every branch of mine. Meaning those who are united with Jesus will be recognized by the world as His disciples. The Father, the vinedresser, takes away any branches that does not bear fruit, and prunes those that do. Clearly what is seen here is that God is the one who controls the whole process of fruit-bearing. 7 He purifies the vine to protect the fruit-bearing branches by removing branches that do not bear fruit meaning followers of Christ who becomes unfaithful. He takes them away from His people and consigning them to eternal punishment. God also purifies the fruitful branches by pruning them so that they will bear more fruit. Gods pruning of believers takes place through the saving mission of Christ words and deeds. Jesus tells His disciples that they are already clean by the word He has spoken, which is the Fathers word. Here word stands for the whole message of salvation preached and performed by Jesus who also declares God and His love to mankind. Those who receive Jesus and His word by faith will see Gods Glory and are passed from death to life. The disciples, who have received Jesus word, are already clean; however, cleaning is a process; as long as they remain in Christ God the Father will continue to clean them so that they will bear more fruit. Jesus emphasises this point so that they realise the Father is already pruning them and they are already cleansed making them fit for union with Christ. They need not attempt to wipe out evil from their minds or partake in any form of meditation in order to achieve union with God; for union with Christ, and in Him with God, is a gift that has already been given and need to be received by faith. Jesus exhortation, abide in me and I in you, is the key statement in chapter fifteen. Here Jesus issues a command, in terms of the metaphor of a vine and it branches. This metaphor highlights the communal life of which the person who does the abiding is part of. Life for the church flows from Jesus, and one cannot absorb life from Him unless they are united with Him. All one need to do is to remain in union with Him. When we abide in Christ, and make His word our theme of meditation in our everyday life in love and obedience, we can apply His word to changes in our every day situation. Believers can be nurtured by Jesus life through meditating on and absorbing His words. Conclusion Jesus came into the world from heaven to bring salvation to mankind, by giving up His own life as a sacrifice on the cross. Gods name I AM and glory are given to Him revealing them to those who believe in Him as the anointed Messiah sent by God into the world. He has divine authority and delegated power to give heavenly life to everyone who comes to Him. There is no other person one can look for divine life except in the one whom God has authorized. So to follow and abide in Jesus is the only way to salvation, as we observe from His I AM sayings. Salvation is no longer confined to the nation of Israel but is extended to all nations of the world.