Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 15:2

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit." — John 15:2 (ASV)

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:

It is a necessary part of vine-dressing to remove superfluous shoots. Too much wood-making, which does not lead to fruit-bearing, is only a waste of strength.

So, in the Church, there are those who bear no fruit. For a while, they appear fresh and green, and the under-vine-dressers dare not remove them.

But the Father does it—sometimes by removing them by death, at other times by permitting them to openly expose their own character, until they are amenable to the discipline of the Church and are removed.

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit –

What of that? He purges it (prunes it) that it may bring forth more fruit.

"I cannot understand," said one to me the other day, "why I am so very sorely afflicted. I have been searching myself to discover what sin can have been the cause of it."

Now, beloved, if that is your question tonight, there may be a sin to be put away, and, if so, God forbid that I should prevent your searching. But remember, on the other hand, affliction is no evidence of sin, but oftentimes of the very contrary. It is the fruit-bearing branch that gets the pruning.

You are so good a branch that God would gladly have you better. You have such capacities for bearing fruit, that he wants to see those capacities developed. The lapidary does not work on the wheel the stone that is not precious, but the one that is. And so, real affliction is not a mark, therefore, of your lack of grace, but of your having it. Every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:

There are many such branches, in Christ's visible Church, which are not fruit-bearing branches, and consequently are not partakers of the sap of life and grace which flows into the branches that are vitally joined to the central stem. These fruitless branches are to be taken away.

And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:2).

There is some work, then, for the knife upon all the branches; cutting off for those that are fruitless, cutting for those that are bearing some fruit, that they may bring forth yet more.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:

This operation is always going on. God is continually taking away from the Church, in some way or other, non-fruit-bearers. We know that these do not truly belong to Christ, for fruit must come from vital union to him, but it is a trial to the Church to have non-fruit-bearing branches. These are taken away, sometimes by death, sometimes by judgment, sometimes by the open discovery of their secret sin, the culmination of their backslides in overt acts of transgression. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: but side by side with this action, another process is constantly going on:

And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Is this, then, dear friend, one reason why you are being chastened—because you are a fruit-bearing branch? If you bore no fruit, you would be left unpruned, because the knife would do its sterner work on you by taking you altogether away. If you really do bring forth fruit to God, you must expect to have trial, trouble, affliction, and that very often.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: (John 15:2).

It has no right to be there, for it is not there by a vital union; it will only harbor mischief if it is allowed to remain, therefore let it be taken away; and taken away it certainly will be by the Husbandman who makes no mistakes.

And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

So there is taking away for the fruitless branches, and pruning for the fruit-bearing branches. Are you suffering under the pruning knife just now? Accept it joyfully. How much better that the knife should cut off your superfluities than that it should cut you off! The mercy is that, although God will purge and prune his vine-branches, he will not destroy them.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:

In some sense, men and women may be in Christ by a mere outward profession; but if they have no evidence of a real union to Christ, if they produce no fruit, they will be taken away, some by death, and others by apostasy; but they will be taken away.

And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit!

From these words, it is clear that many of the afflictions which we have to endure are not brought upon us because we are unfruitful, but because we are bearing fruit.

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away:

The true description of a real saint is that he is in Christ, that he abides in Christ, and that he bears fruit to Christ. Where these three things are not present, there is no real sainthood, and so the man is taken away. Whatever he seems to be, and seems to have, he is taken away.

Oh, the sad loss of many professors in being taken away! What a terrible doom, to have had a name to live, and then to be taken away!

And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

The vine is very apt to become unclean and unhealthy; there are all sorts of creatures that love to suck its juices, so that even the most fruitful branch needs to be cleansed. Besides, the vine has a great tendency to run to wood, so the pruning-knife must be used very sharply. It will be used upon all who are really in Christ, and who are abiding in Christ.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:

If there are any, who are only nominally in Christ, and who therefore bear no fruit, their doom is to be taken away; for, in order to final perseverance and eternal safety, there must be fruit-bearing.

And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Pruning, then, is for fruit-bearers. If the branch were dead, what would be the good of pruning it? Do not say, dear friends, that your afflictions must be caused by your sins; no, rather they may come in consequence of your virtues. Because you do bear fruit, it is worthwhile for the Husbandman to use his knife upon you, that you may bring forth more fruit.