John Calvin 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 bears not fruit. As some men corrupt the grace of God, others suppress it maliciously, and others choke it by carelessness, Christ intends by these words to awaken anxious inquiry, by declaring that all the branches that will be unfruitful will be cut off from the vine.

But here a question arises: Can anyone who is engrafted into Christ be without fruit? I answer that many are supposed to be in the vine according to human opinion, who actually have no root in the vine. Thus, in the writings of the prophets, the Lord calls the people of Israel His vine because, by outward profession, they had the name of The Church.

And every branch that bears, fruit He prunes. By these words, He shows that believers need incessant cultivation so that they may be prevented from degenerating, and that they produce nothing good unless God continually applies His hand. For it will not be enough to have been once made partakers of adoption if God does not continue the work of His grace in us.

He speaks of pruning or cleansing because our flesh abounds in superfluities and destructive vices and is too fertile in producing them. These grow and multiply endlessly if we are not cleansed or pruned by the hand of God.

When He says that vines are pruned that they may yield more abundant fruit, He shows what the progress of believers in the course of true religion ought to be?