CLAIM: John writes, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away…” (Jn. 15:2). Later he writes, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned” If we do not bear fruit, does this mean that we are sent to hell?

RESPONSE: Before we address this passage, we should point out that earlier in John, Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (Jn. 6:37). Therefore, Jesus promised never to “cast out” anyone who is a true believer in him. Moreover, in this context, Jesus says, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (v.3), which no doubt refers to justification (Jn. 13:10). Since Judas had already left, these disciples gathered were true believers (Jn. 13:31). For this reason, we should understand this passage in light of Jesus’ promise of eternal security mentioned earlier.

There are three types of branches here, all of which would be well known to first century readers, who were closely associated with viticulture.

Branch #1: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away…” (v.2a)

This branch is in Christ (“in Me”). Therefore, they must be believers; otherwise, they wouldn’t be in Christ. If believers can be baptized out of Christ, this would be the only mention of it in the NT.

The expression “He takes away” is the Greek word airō (pronounced EYE-ro). This is usually translated as “to raise up, elevate, lift up” (32 times in the NT), rather than “take away” (25 times in the NT). While it is also sometimes translated as “take away,” which translation fits best with the context? In first century viticulture, when a plant isn’t bearing fruit, the vinedresser would lift it up so it could get more sunlight (i.e. tomato plants). In this sense, believers who don’t bear fruit will get discipline from God. The author of Hebrews writes, “He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). Believers who don’t bear fruit will receive discipline like this. God will “lift up” these branches by allowing them to experience the dissatisfaction and emptiness of life apart from God (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28; Lk. 15), sending believers to challenge and admonish them (Rom. 15:14; Col. 1:28), and bringing personal conviction of their sin (Jas. 4:5; Eph. 4:30).

Branch #2: “Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit…” (v.2b)

Since these branches are also in Christ, they are surely believers. The pruning (kathairō) described here (a play on words with airō) also speaks of God’s active activity in helping us to bear fruit. Even dedicated Christians need God’s help in changing them, so that they can grow even more.

Branch #3: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned…” (v.6)

This third group does not refer to believers at all. Jesus says, “If anyone does not abide in Me…” (v.6). In viticulture, some branches were dead on the ground, and these dead branches were gathered and burned. In the same way, those outside of Christ are spiritually “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1), and they will face judgment (Eph. 2:3).

Some argue that this could refer to the bema seat judgment. Paul describes this judgment a man being saved “as through fire.” This picture fits the image of verse 6. By contrast, unbelievers face the Great White Throne judgment. Advocates of this view note that this passage is loaded with allegorical symbols (e.g. vine, branches, fruit), none of which are literal. Our hermeneutic, therefore, needs to allow for symbolism here for the fire. Everett Harrison writes, “Since the subject is the bearing of fruit and not eternal life, the burning is a judgment upon fruitlessness, not an abandonment to eternal destruction.”^[1] This passage is referring to our inability to produce fruit without abiding in faith (v.5). Charles Bing writes, “The fact that Christ also abides in the disciples (Jn. 15:4, 5, 7) shows that meno [abide] does not denote saving belief, but rather an intimate relationship presupposing faith. It is a word used to describe a fuller progression of faith in John; a faith not progress to salvation, but from it.”^[2]

However, this interpretation seems forced, considering the original audience (Jesus’ immediate disciples) wouldn’t have known of the bema judgment (1 Corinthians wasn’t written). Moreover, Jesus clearly states that these branches are not believers; he says that they are not “in Me” (v.6). He also states that the individual is thrown in the flame—not just their works. If the bema seat was in mind, he most likely would have stated that their works were burned—not the believer themselves.

For this reason, we hold that verse 6 refers to those outside of Christ. Christ is not bringing out the fear-threat motivation here (“You better pray and read the Bible… or else!”). Instead, he is speaking of those who were never Christians in the first place. We might depict these three branches in this way: