Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 147:585 (Jan 1990)
Article: Abiding Is Remaining in Fellowship: Another Look at John 15:1-6
Author: Joseph C. Dillow

BSac 147:585 (Jan 90) p. 44

Abiding Is Remaining in Fellowship: Another Look at John 15:1-6

Joseph C. Dillow

Director, European Center for Biblical Education by Extension
Vienna, Austria

The beautiful and profound analogy of the vine and the branches in John 15:1–6 has encouraged believers throughout the centuries. It has also become, unfortunately, a controversial passage regarding the eternal security of the saints.

Three approaches have been taken to the passage. Some say the person who “does not bear fruit” (John 15:2a) cannot be a Christian because all true Christians bear fruit. Others say the branches “in Me” that are taken away refer to Christians who lose their salvation. In this view when a believer stops producing fruit, he forfeits justification. Others say John 15:2a and 6 refer to Christians who do not produce fruit and who will therefore experience divine judgment in time and loss of reward at the judgment seat of Christ.

The Meaning of “Every Branch in Me”

Most evangelicals agree that the branches that “bear fruit” and are pruned to bear more fruit (15:2b) are true believers. But what about the branches “in Me” (i.e., in Christ) that do not bear fruit? Some say that those who do not bear fruit are not true Christians. They claim they are saved but are not. Smith argued that “in Me” refers to people being in the kingdom in only a general sense. He notes that the future millennium and the present form of the kingdom include a mixture of true and false believers.1 As Ryle put it, “It

BSac 147:585 (Jan 90) p. 45

cannot be shown that a branch in Me must mean a believer in Me. It means nothing more than a ‘professing member of my Church, a man joined to the company of my people, but not joined to me.’“2

Often justification for this interpretation is found by going to the analogy of the vine in Isaiah (Isa 5:1–7; cf. Jer 5:10a; Rom 11:16–24). Here there were branches who were not saved. However, this is irrelevant to John 15, for Isaiah wrote of a covenant people. All Jews (saved and unsaved) are in Israel, but not all professing Christians are in Christ! As will be demonstrated, it is unlikely that “in Me” can refer t...