Yesterday we took a brief look at John 15:1-11. We could spend a lifetime unpacking and applying the wonderful truths of this passage.

However, people often get sidetracked with verse 2: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

And lets be honest…on the surface, at least, it seems like this might be teaching that a believer can lose his or her salvation. After all, it does say “every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away.” So is this verse teaching we can lose our salvation?

The short answer is, “No.” For a lengthier explanation listen to this sermon.

Now for the longer answer…

Jesus Does Not Contradict Himself
Remember what he said back in John 6:37 – “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” And then we have these words from Jesus in John 10:28-29 – “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” If Jesus was teaching that genuine believers can now be “cut off” he would be contradicting himself. Jesus wouldn’t do that.

Additionally, other passages clearly tell us that all who belong to Christ – that is, every person who truly repents of their sins and trusts in the person and work of Jesus – are eternally secure (cf. Romans 8:28-29; 31-39; Philippians 1:6; Jude 24-25, etc.). We are not saved by works; we are not kept by works; we are not lost because of the lack of works. We are saved by the sovereign grace of God who loses none that he saves.

Believers But Not True Believers
It’s also helpful to point out that John (and the Bible as a whole) has a category for believers who are not true believer and disciples who are not true disciples. That is a person can say they believe and even act like a disciple for a while, but they do not endure and thus prove they were never true disciples.

This seems to be what Jesus is talking about in the parable of the soils (cf. Mark 4:1-20); and this seems to be what the author of Hebrews is talking about in the beginning of chapter 6 of that letter. So we conclude that if “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” (1 John 2:2)

Specifically from the Gospel of John we see this at least in two places. One place is found in chapter 8. In verses 30-31 we read this, “As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him…”

Then in verse 37, addressing the same people, Jesus says, “I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.” So in verse 31 they believe, but in verse 37 the words of Christ have no place in them. Here we have believers who are not true believers.

We see another instance of this in John 6:66, which reads, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” Here we have disciples who did not endure in following Christ. Disciples who are not truly disciples.

I believe this is what John 15:2 is teaching us. There are some tangentially connected to Jesus in some fashion, but they do not produce spiritual fruit, and therefore prove they are not truly abiding in Christ; and those not truly abiding in Christ will receive the judgment of God.

In using the metaphor of the vine, Jesus is saying what’s already been said throughout John – a loose connection to Jesus is not enough to save. Salvation and fruit bearing only come as we abide in Christ. And this only comes as the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and opens the eyes of our heart that we might repent and believe in the Son of God in whom we have the fullness of joy.