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Spring 1996
By: Michael Tao
"I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. And abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine: no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 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." - John 15:1-6.
The passage above is commonly cited by those who reject "Eternal security of salvation". Their arguement is if the branches of the True Vine are thrown into the eternal fire, then certainly it teaches believers can lose their salvation. There are many good teachings to refute this improper doctrine, and I would like to give my opinion.
In this part of the Bible, Christ says that he is the true vine; and we, His believers, are the branches. Branches have to attach to, actually grow out from the tree. So these branches are nurtured through the vine itself. God the father is the husbandman, he does the purging, watering and nurturing. Vine is a kind of tree which requires tremendous amount of care. So, after our salvation, God will slowly, at his own will, and in his own way, prune the branches. Instead of bringing forth small, tasteless, and disorderly grown grapes, God wants to see a mature, useful, and godly life style from us. To be purged by God actually is the only sign of the children of God. Not too many believers can enjoy purging from God, only when he receives the blessed result; then he will give thanks for the purging. When we think of the example of the vine and its branches, we can see this pruning process in fact never ceases.
However, what makes the above verses one of the hard sayings of the Bible is because of verse 6, which says, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast off as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned". How can a branch, a believer, be cast off into the fire for burning. If this fire represents hell, then how can a believer be in hell? How can one lose his salvation, once saved?
We should take a closer look on verse 6, which reads "he is cast off as a branch". These people who abide not in Christ are never branches, so they are only "cast off as a branch". If we look up the Greek word of "as", it means "as if". "Cast off as a branch" describes the action of casting, but does not mean those are indeed branches. If the Bible says "cast off as a stone" then there should be no argument, but stones cannot be burnt.
The fire which consumes them typifies hell, or the lake of fire, the eternal damnation for the unsaved. This burning hell is the destiny of those who reject Christ.
All the examples given by Christ, are taken from the day to day life in Palestine. Branches and straw were the fuel they used, they did not burn big chunks of wood, and trees were precious in some of the areas. Women and children would pick up the branches, and put them into a pile before bringing them home.
This is my interpretation of the verse.
