Jim Parker
Member
- Apr 17, 2015
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John 15: 1-6 (NKJV)
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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
The passage begins with a metaphor. Jesus chose to illustrate the necessity of bearing fruit by using an example from agriculture with which his audience would be familiar: the vineyard.
He began by using the example of the vine to represent Himself, (at verse 5) the example of the branches to represent the disciples to whom He was speaking and the example of the vinedresser to represent God the Father.
Those branches (believers) which do not bear fruit are “cut off “ (αἴρει;Thayer’s Lexicon: to rend or cut off) from the vine (Christ) by the vinedresser (God the Father). To be “cut off” from Christ (the vine) is to be separated from Him in whom is salvation (Act 4:12)and life. (John 1:4). To be cut off from the vine (Christ) is to be cut off from salvation and life.
Those branches which bear fruit, the Father prunes (καθαίρει; Thayer’s Lexicon: to cleanse, from filth, impurity, etc.; trees and vines [from useless shoots]). By removing the shoots which do not produce fruit, the rest of the branch becomes more productive. By analogy, by removing those things from the lives of believers, which do not bring glory to God but, rather, distract from their calling to do the good works for which they were created in Christ (Eph 2:10), they become more productive servants of the kingdom in a manner similar to the “good and faithful servants” of Mat 25:21,23.
From this part of the metaphor, we may gather that God will cut off from life and salvation those believers who do not produce fruit as Jesus also illustrated by the casting out of the unprofitable servant in the “parable of the talents” (Mat 25:30)
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
The word translated “abide” is “μείνατε” and is in the present imperative active form (as a command or instruction) referring to a continuous condition. The meaning of this sentence could best be understood as, “Abide in me and see that I abide in you” as per Leon Morris. (The Gospel According to John, Eerdmans, p.670) So we can understand the command/instruction of Jesus to be to remain “in Him” continuously.
To abide in Christ requires first that one actually be “in Christ”. The conditional situation (If anyone does not abide in me…) introduces the fact that, having been “in Christ”, it is possible to cease to be so and to be separated from Christ. Not remaining in Christ therefore requires that one, at some time, had to be “in” Christ but ceased to be so.
There is no indication in verse 6, as compared to verse 2 where the Father is identified as the person who does the cutting off, as to the agency by which the abiding might come to an end. It is not clear if the one who brings it to an end is the believer or Christ. My view is that Christ would never turn away anyone who was willing to remain and be faithful. What is stated is that, if the person does not remain in Christ he will be “cast out as a branch and is withered” and subsequently gathered up, cast in the fire and burned.
The words rendered “cast out” (as a branch) is ἐβλήθη (ebalethe) and “throw… into” (the fire) is “βάλλουσιν” (ballousin). They are both forms of the verb βάλλω, (ballo)“to throw.” A variation of that word is used at Matthew 25:30 where the king commands that the unprofitable servant be “cast out” (ἐκβάλλω; ekballo). Throughout the Gospels, the word “βάλλω” in its various forms is used to describe something being thrown out of or away from its good place and into another, undesirable, place.
In both verses 2 and 6, the one cast out is the recipient of the action, not the initiator. Therefore, in each case, we may conclude that the same agent does the “casting out” and the “cutting off”. That agent is identified in v.2 as God the Father.
As for the agent who determines that he will bear no fruit (perhaps from being entangled in the affairs of the world as described in the parable of the sower [Lk 8:14]) or that he will no longer abide/remain in Christ, that seems to me to be the believer. (ie: the branch which is “in” the vine but which is either cut off or removes himself.)
So I conclude that someone who is “in Christ” (in the vernacular: “saved”), if he does not remain (v.6) or does not produce the expected fruit of having been saved, (v.2) or if he is not faithful to be profitable to his master (Mat 25:23, 30) will be cast out by God the Father into “the fire” (v.6) or into the “outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mat 25:30)
This conclusion is, of course, totally incompatible with and contrary to the teaching referred to as “eternal security” or the “preservation of the saints” from which the notion of “once saved, always saved” derives. This passage describes the possibility of the Father cutting someone off from Jesus and the possibility of someone, presumably by his own volition, not remaining “in Christ.” (aka: “saved.”)
iakov the fool
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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
The passage begins with a metaphor. Jesus chose to illustrate the necessity of bearing fruit by using an example from agriculture with which his audience would be familiar: the vineyard.
He began by using the example of the vine to represent Himself, (at verse 5) the example of the branches to represent the disciples to whom He was speaking and the example of the vinedresser to represent God the Father.
Those branches (believers) which do not bear fruit are “cut off “ (αἴρει;Thayer’s Lexicon: to rend or cut off) from the vine (Christ) by the vinedresser (God the Father). To be “cut off” from Christ (the vine) is to be separated from Him in whom is salvation (Act 4:12)and life. (John 1:4). To be cut off from the vine (Christ) is to be cut off from salvation and life.
Those branches which bear fruit, the Father prunes (καθαίρει; Thayer’s Lexicon: to cleanse, from filth, impurity, etc.; trees and vines [from useless shoots]). By removing the shoots which do not produce fruit, the rest of the branch becomes more productive. By analogy, by removing those things from the lives of believers, which do not bring glory to God but, rather, distract from their calling to do the good works for which they were created in Christ (Eph 2:10), they become more productive servants of the kingdom in a manner similar to the “good and faithful servants” of Mat 25:21,23.
From this part of the metaphor, we may gather that God will cut off from life and salvation those believers who do not produce fruit as Jesus also illustrated by the casting out of the unprofitable servant in the “parable of the talents” (Mat 25:30)
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
The word translated “abide” is “μείνατε” and is in the present imperative active form (as a command or instruction) referring to a continuous condition. The meaning of this sentence could best be understood as, “Abide in me and see that I abide in you” as per Leon Morris. (The Gospel According to John, Eerdmans, p.670) So we can understand the command/instruction of Jesus to be to remain “in Him” continuously.
To abide in Christ requires first that one actually be “in Christ”. The conditional situation (If anyone does not abide in me…) introduces the fact that, having been “in Christ”, it is possible to cease to be so and to be separated from Christ. Not remaining in Christ therefore requires that one, at some time, had to be “in” Christ but ceased to be so.
There is no indication in verse 6, as compared to verse 2 where the Father is identified as the person who does the cutting off, as to the agency by which the abiding might come to an end. It is not clear if the one who brings it to an end is the believer or Christ. My view is that Christ would never turn away anyone who was willing to remain and be faithful. What is stated is that, if the person does not remain in Christ he will be “cast out as a branch and is withered” and subsequently gathered up, cast in the fire and burned.
The words rendered “cast out” (as a branch) is ἐβλήθη (ebalethe) and “throw… into” (the fire) is “βάλλουσιν” (ballousin). They are both forms of the verb βάλλω, (ballo)“to throw.” A variation of that word is used at Matthew 25:30 where the king commands that the unprofitable servant be “cast out” (ἐκβάλλω; ekballo). Throughout the Gospels, the word “βάλλω” in its various forms is used to describe something being thrown out of or away from its good place and into another, undesirable, place.
In both verses 2 and 6, the one cast out is the recipient of the action, not the initiator. Therefore, in each case, we may conclude that the same agent does the “casting out” and the “cutting off”. That agent is identified in v.2 as God the Father.
As for the agent who determines that he will bear no fruit (perhaps from being entangled in the affairs of the world as described in the parable of the sower [Lk 8:14]) or that he will no longer abide/remain in Christ, that seems to me to be the believer. (ie: the branch which is “in” the vine but which is either cut off or removes himself.)
So I conclude that someone who is “in Christ” (in the vernacular: “saved”), if he does not remain (v.6) or does not produce the expected fruit of having been saved, (v.2) or if he is not faithful to be profitable to his master (Mat 25:23, 30) will be cast out by God the Father into “the fire” (v.6) or into the “outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mat 25:30)
This conclusion is, of course, totally incompatible with and contrary to the teaching referred to as “eternal security” or the “preservation of the saints” from which the notion of “once saved, always saved” derives. This passage describes the possibility of the Father cutting someone off from Jesus and the possibility of someone, presumably by his own volition, not remaining “in Christ.” (aka: “saved.”)
iakov the fool
