John 15:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

NIV: If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

NASB: If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

CSB: If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

NLT: Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.

KJV: If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

NKJV: 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.

Earlier in this passage, Jesus distinguished between branches "in" a vine and branches which "abide in" the vine. Merely being close to the source of life is not enough; neither is being intertwined with other branches. Only branches truly connected to the source of life—the vine—will bear fruit. A good vinedresser cuts out those dead, fruitless branches and destroys them. The analogy Jesus presents here is not about loss of salvation, which is impossible. Rather, His message is about those who "put on" an appearance of faith, but are disconnected from the True Vine that gives eternal life.

For the purposes of this statement, that is what Jesus means by those who "abide in [Him]." Bearing true spiritual fruit is only possible through the power of Christ (John 15:4–5). That fruit, like any other good works or holiness, is always presented as evidence of salvation, never as a requirement for it.

The pruning and destruction Jesus refers to here echoes a statement made in Matthew 7:21–23. There, Jesus likewise pointed out that putting on an appearance of faith is not the same as being born again.

John 15:1–11 contains one of Jesus' most well-known metaphors: the vine and the branches. This features the seventh of seven "I Am" statements as recorded by John. Jesus lays out several nuanced ideas, touching on Christian perseverance, faith, false conversion, and spiritual effectiveness. This ends with another reference to loving obedience, which sets up the next passage of Jesus' teaching.

This passage begins with a celebrated analogy from Christ: the vine and the branches. This includes the seventh and final "I Am" statement of the gospel of John. Jesus uses this metaphor to explain how our spiritual life, as born-again believers, is drawn from His life. God's intent for our lives is to progress from barrenness to fruitfulness, to spiritual abundance. Jesus also repeats His command for believers to love each other. In this context, He goes so far as to refer to those who follow His teachings as His "friends."

Jesus is in the middle of a long discourse given to the disciples, which began during the last supper. He presents the analogy of a vine and branches, then repeats His command for believers to love each other. Jesus also warns about how the unbelieving world will hate and persecute Christians. This leads into the teachings of chapter 16, which focus on perseverance in the face of trials.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.