John 15:6 - cut off and burned

John 15:6 “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.” (ESV)

Note John’s usage yet again of his key term: menō, or abide.

Verse 5 spells out clearly the outcome of one who chooses to abide in Christ. Here in verse 6 the alternative path is likewise clearly set forth. This is a sobering verse, unequivocally setting forth the tragic end of all who do not follow Christ. Described in verse 2 as being cut off from the Vine by the Vinedresser, here in verse 6 their final destiny is revealed – thrown into the fire and burned.

As discussed in the study of verse 2, the branches described here were at one time attached to the Vine as being “in Me.” That would seem to conclusively exclude any individual who flat-out rejects Christ or denies having any association with Him. We don’t need verse 6 to explain their end, as their destination is never in question.

If it is possible for someone to initially be a part of the Vine at some point and then be cut off and thrown away, later to be burned, does that mean Christians risk losing their salvation if they fail to abide in Christ? Or does this indicate one may become a Christian at some point, but it is possible to later reject Christ and therefore, in essence, self-select to be cut off?

These burned branches cannot represent Christians who have lost their salvation, as that would be a contradiction to the many passages in the Bible regarding the security of those who truly believe in Him (cf. John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 10:26-29; Rom 6:22; 8:1, 38-39; I Cor 1:8-9; Phil 1:6; 1 Pet 1:3-5).

“But you do not believe, because you are not among My sheep. My sheep hear My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:26-29 (NAB)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NASB)

Many commentators hold that these branches symbolize true Christians, but who are lacking in fruit and are therefore cut off from experiencing the full blessings of an abiding relationship with Christ (perhaps even including excommunication from the Christian community). These unfulfilled Christians will have their works revealed and burned in the fire at the judgment (Gr: bēma) seat of Christ (Rom 14:12; 1 Cor 4:5; 2 Cor 5:10; Eph 6:8). Such Christians will lose their heavenly rewards, but not their salvation (1 Cor 3:12-15).

However, such an interpretation fails on several points. Verse 6 is referring to the judgment of the individual, while the bema seat of Christ is a judgment of their works. The branches here in verse 6 are unmistakably cut off, left to dry out, gathered and then thrown into the fire. It is disingenuous to read in the first few verses of this mashal that the branches represent individuals that are in the Vine, but then here in verse 6 interpret the branches now somehow represent the works of the individuals. This is all the more suspect considering the utter lack of any reference to works in the entire mashal.

It should be noted that works are not the same as fruit. We can do works on our own, but we cannot bear fruit on our own. So while our works can be burned and tried by fire, the fruit we bear is the result of the Vinedresser’s work – not ours. Clearly there is no fruit here, as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides, which these branches are not. If these branches had been bearing fruit, they would have been trimmed to bear more fruit, not cut off (vs. 2).

It is true that all Christians will have their works tried by fire at the bema seat, with some sadly having everything burned up, but they themselves will never be put into the fire. Their works will determine the extent of their heavenly reward, but that judgment will not affect their entrance into heaven. Our works can never merit our salvation, as that is so clearly a function of grace and faith – not of works (Eph 2:8-9). So while salvation is not the focus of the bema seat, one’s eternal destiny is the focus here in verse 6. Here the branches themselves are being burned, not their works. This being burned up in the fire is at the Great White Throne judgment, for those who do not have salvation (Rev 20:11-15).

Whether by the process of elimination or by interpretation, the best way to view these “burned branches” is that they represent individuals who may profess or claim to be Christians and who appear to be a part of His church, but they truly are not saved. In keeping with the replacement motif of Jesus as the New Covenant Vine that supersedes the Old Testament Vine - Israel, clearly many Jews in the Old Testament did not follow God. While these Jews were in Israel, or in the old Vine, they did not truly follow God. Similarly, in the church (the body of Christ) today, there are misguided or deluded individuals who claim to be Christians and may even seem to show forth spiritual growth, but their lack of abiding and resulting fruit attest to the fact that they are not genuinely saved.

This shines the spotlight on two unfortunate truths that inflict much damage on the Church: 1) the number of people who call themselves Christians, but who really are not; and 2) the number of people who truly are Christians, but who are not living out the life of faith.

Tragically, it's often difficult to tell the two apart. In fact, it's not uncommon for the non-Christian “Christians” to actually seem more “Christian” than the many Christians who are not living the fruit-bearing life consistent with one who is abiding in Christ. The sad reality is that if those of us who truly are Christians would live a life consistent with our claim to be a follower of Christ, there would be no mistaking or confusing a true Christian from one who is not a Christian.

It’s conservatively estimated that 25% of Americans claim to be Christians – a full quarter of the entire U.S. population. If we are to be the salt in this world (Matt 5:13), I wonder, how noticeable of an impact would a quarter pound of salt have on a one pound hamburger?

How many within our Western churches today claim to be a Christian, yet truly are not? They might be “religious” according to modern standards of religion, but they really are not Christians, according to Biblical definition. They might even “make a confession” or “say a prayer” and regularly attend church. But are they truly Christians? That is not an area of fuzziness in some parts of the world, where it can be very costly to be a Christian, where one's property and life can be at stake. Our culture in America is aptly summed up by Eugene Peterson:

“Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.” – A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus gave two examples of individuals whose lives showed initial growth, but who were later scorched or choked-off (Matt 13:3-23; Mark 4:2-20; Luke 8:4-15). In yet another parable (Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Matt 13:24-30, 36-43), Jesus indicates again that there will be those who appear to have some claim or association with Him, but they really have no part in Him and will be thrown into the fire:

Matt 13:40-42 “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. (ESV)

In this parable, the imagery is of a field vs. a vineyard, and He points out Satan as being the one who purposefully sows weeds in and among the wheat – spiritual infiltration. Note how it wasn’t until the wheat started bearing fruit that the tares became evident:

Matt 13:26 “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.” (NASB)

So whether the imagery is of fields of grain, a vineyard, wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7: 15) or goats who say “Lord, Lord” (Matt 25:31-46), throughout the entire New Testament there are numerous such references to individuals who at one point display some degree of connection with Jesus and/or His Church but who later either “fall away” and never manifest the fruit of a life truly transformed by an abiding relationship with Christ; or who are revealed by their lack of abiding and fruit to be not who they claim to be, and therefore truly have no part in Christ, His church and His kingdom. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul refers to such individuals as those who “have made shipwreck of their faith” (1 Tim 1:19).

This significance of abiding goes well beyond the imagery of John 15, as there is a consistent theme of abiding steadfastly until the end:

Matt 24:9-13 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (ESV)

The term “endures” is the Greek hypomenō, which means “remain firm or steadfast.” This is a compound word from hupo plus John’s favored term: menō.

John 8:31 “To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples’.” (NIV)

Once again we see menō, this time translated “hold.”

Col 1:22-23 “But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in His physical body. He did this so that you could come into God's presence without sin, fault, or blame. This is on the condition that you continue in faith without being moved from the solid foundation of the hope that the Good News contains.” (GW)

“continue” is the Greek epimenō

1 John 2:19 “They have gone from among us, but they never really belonged to us; if they had belonged to us, they would have stayed with us. But this was to prove that not one of them belonged to us.” (NJB)

“stayed” is menō

2 John 1:9 “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

These dead branches in verse 6 are people who profess to believe, but their lack of abiding and the resultant fruit indicates genuine salvation has never taken place and they have no life from the vine. It’s tragic, but some who appear to be members in good standing in the Christian community may eventually turn out never truly to have been part of it in the first place. Possibly in the immediate context Judas was in view, but the imagery extends from him to all those who make a profession of faith in Christ but do not actually possess salvation.

Abiding is evidence that salvation has taken place. The abiding believer is the only true believer. The bearing of fruit is the confirmation of abiding. Fruitfulness is normal for believers. An absolutely fruitless life is prima facie evidence that one is not a believer. Jesus left no place among His followers for fruitless disciples. The fruitfulness of one who is in lockstep with the Lord is actually a consistent theme throughout the entire Bible:

“They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.” Psa 92:13-14

“Ephraim shall say...’I have heard and observed Him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in me’.” Hos 14:8

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jer 17:7-8

“Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Phil 1:11

The aorist verbs translated “is thrown away” and “dries up” or “withers” refer to accomplished action in the past. The aorist views the action as having been already completed, emphasizing the immediacy and finality of action:

“Unless someone remains in Me, he was cast out as the branch and was dried up and they gather them and into the fire they throw and they are burned.”

The result is so certain that the future is expressed as if it had already come to pass. It’s as if John is treating unfruitfulness, whether present or future, as already a resolved matter: cut off from the Vine, cast out of the Vineyard or Kingdom, and thrown into the fires of hell.

The expression, “cast into the fire” contains the definite article, emphasizing that this is the fire of the eschatological punishment, again, taking place at the Great White Throne judgment.

Why do many translations specify that “people” or “they” or even “men” collect these branches, when so many other translations simply indicate that the branches are thrown into the fire, without any mention of who is doing the gathering and throwing? Likely this is an English attempt to translate the Semitic custom of using the third person plural for the passive. The Greek synagō, which means “to gather together,” is written in the third person plural, without any specification of who is undertaking the gathering action. Thus the most literal rendering would be along the lines of, “the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” This is the most frequent treatment by modern translations (ESV, NIV, MSG, NLT, among many others.)

While this is a common practice in Semitic writings, it is far more typical in English to specify the subject depicted as carrying out the action, hence the adoption of the “they” by several translations (NASB, NKJV and ASV perhaps being the most well-known of such translations). A couple translations insert “people” instead (NCV and NAB), and the KJV stands alone in taking the third person, non-specified gender, and adding “men” to the text.

For the translations that do specify, who are the “they” that does the gathering of the dried branches? While the immediate context doesn’t provide any clues, if we look again at the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, we can perhaps gain some insight into who “they” may be:

Matt 13:40-42 “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. (ESV)

Critics of Christianity hold verse 6 and similar sounding passages in the Bible to be a cold and cruel statement that could never be spoken by a truly good and loving God. Perhaps even some Christians may feel this is overly harsh. Clearly this was indeed spoken by the Lord, but is it really cold and cruel? Sobering yes, but in reality, this verse illustrates God’s mercy, grace and justice – not cold and cruel at all.

Let’s consider: He made us; He gave up His glory to take on human form to re-connect with us after we chose to go against Him; He voluntarily suffered torture and gruesome crucifixion to redeem us, rather than simply leave us to our fate; He gives us the opportunity to either turn to Him or to reject Him; and before we make that decision He reveals to us the ultimate ramifications and end result of each option, so that we can make an informed decision.

So then, if we knowingly choose to live a life that is self-centered, consumed by our own desires, guided by our own standards of what is good and acceptable, and rejecting the way of life and relationship He offers, is it justifiable for us to declare Him to be cold and cruel?

No. Because of His mercy and grace, He gives us the options and reveals the paths that each lead. Because He is just, He will judge. It’s our decision to abide in Him or to reject Him.

One day we’ll see firsthand who chose to abide, though we may at times struggle now to be able to determine that. (It’s been joked that there will be two surprises in heaven: seeing those you didn’t expect to see, and not seeing those you did expect to see.) However, if we are abiding in Him, we will be known by our fruit (Matt 7:20). May it be much fruit!