Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 15:6

"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." — John 15:6 (ASV)

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered;

As I have already reminded you, it is only an abiding faith that is a real faith, the faith that remains fixed in Christ, the vital union with Christ maintained day by day.

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.

That is all that can be done with fruitless vine branches. You cannot make anything of them.

Other trees yield timber and are useful for various purposes; but, with the vine, it is as the prophet Ezekiel says, Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?

It is useless if it is fruitless; and so it is with us, if we do not bear fruit to God, we are of no service to him whatsoever.

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.

And oh! how many come to this end! They seemed to be all that the fruit-bearing branches are, but they were never saved souls, for saved souls always bring forth fruits of righteousness. Their salvation is proved by their fruitfulness. But these appeared to be all that the others were, and after a while they were discovered, and cast into the fire and burned.

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.

There is a sad future in store for tares, according to another parable; but, somehow, there is a much sadder lot reserved for those who were, in some sense, branches of the vine—those who made a profession of faith in Christ, though they were never vitally united to him; those who for a while ran well, yet were hindered. What was it that hindered them that they should not obey the truth? Oh, it is sad indeed that any should have had any sort of connection with that divine stem, and yet should be cast into the fire!