John 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Really, burned? If I don’t abide in Christ, I’ll be burned with fire? Are we talking literal fire here? A quick check of Bible commentaries reveals that John 15:6 is one of those verses that commentators struggle to explain, and opinions on its meaning vary widely. So, let’s examine the Biblical uses of the concept of fire and consider which usage best fits the context of John 15.

Hell Fire in Eternal Condemnation

Matthew 25:41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

When the topic of fire appears in the Bible, everyone immediately thinks of hell. Hell fire isn’t mere imagery. It is real, literal fire. And it’s hot, producing “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42). God prepared the lake of fire as judgment on the devil and his angels. However, those who refuse to accept God’s loving grace end up there too.

But not every reference to fire in the Bible is hell fire. In context, the John 15 passage focuses on believers. Only believers are “in Christ” with a life-giving connection to the vine. Jesus commands those already in Him to continually abide and bear fruit. Because a believer in Christ cannot be condemned, whatever the fire is in John 15:6, it cannot be hell fire (Romans 8:1; John 3:36).[1]

Blazing Flame of God’s Presence

Daniel 7:9 “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;

The Bible describes God the Father (Daniel 7:9), the glorified Son (Revelation 1:14), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3) with the imagery of a blazing fire. Hebrews 12:29 calls God “a consuming fire.” His glory and His jealousy for His glory burn with fearful brightness (Deuteronomy 4:24; Psalm 79:5). God’s holiness fills the throne room with smoke (Isaiah 6:4). His Word causes hearts to burn within them (Jeremiah 20:9; 23:29). Yet, His fire protects His people (2 Kings 6:17; Zechariah 2:5). And His brightness illuminates the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:22–23).

Could the fire and burning in John 15:6 refer to a believer standing in God’s presence? That would seem unlikely. The passage speaks of being cast out for the burning, not being drawn into the throne room of God. Furthermore, God does not burn His own with fire. But He does use fiery trials to purify them. Could this be the meaning in John 15:6?

Fiery Trials for Believers

1 Peter 1:7 That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

God allows His children to face “fiery trials” (1 Peter 4:12; Psalm 66:12; Isaiah 43:2). These times of difficulty test them, purifying their deeds and motivations so that they become more like Christ. We see a similar idea in John 15:2 which speaks of pruning to produce more fruit.

However, John 15:2 speaks of two categories—those who bear fruit and those who bear no fruit.[2] Only fruit-bearers get pruned, the parallel idea to purifying fire. The fruitless “He takes away” which would seem more consistent with John 15:6’s withering, casting out, and subsequent burning. So, if the fire is not a purifying fire, what other options are there?

Fire Burning Away Rewards

1 Corinthians 3:15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

At the Judgment Seat of Christ, believers will receive rewards for their service on earth. However, work done in the flesh or with wrong motivation will burn like chaff. The believer will lose rewards but not his salvation. First Corinthians 3 employs the imagery of fire to describe the testing of a believer’s works to prove what kind they are. While the fire of John 15:6 could fit this description, we still have more to consider.

Fire as the Consequence of Sin

Proverbs 6:27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

The Bible frequently refers to evil as a destructive fire. God warns of sins like immorality (Proverbs 6:27), lust (1 Corinthians 7:9), and evil speech (James 3:5–6) which harm those who practice such behavior, burning them like fire.

Could John 15:6 be a warning about the consequences of sin? If a believer fails to produce fruit because of sin patterns in his life, could God let him go down his wayward path and experience the consequences of his own sinful behavior? Maybe so, but I think we must consider one final possibility that fits the context even better.

Fire as the Result of Uselessness

Ezekiel 15:2–8 “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?  Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on?  Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work?. . . Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord GOD.”

The prophet Ezekiel employs the same picture of a vineyard that Jesus used in John 15. In the prophet’s scenario, the fruitless vine represents Israel or more specifically the people of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 15:6). Through Ezekiel, God warns His people that if the vine does not produce fruit, it is worthless. You can’t make anything with grape wood! If the vine does not bear fruit, the only use is as fuel to the fire. So, God warned that generation to bear fruit or risk being cleared out.

In John 15, Jesus appears to borrow this imagery from Ezekiel 15. In Jesus’ picture, He is the vine and the branches are believers (John 15:5). But the warning is the same. Jesus chose His people to bear fruit (John 15:16). If they bear fruit, they glorify God (John 15:8). If they do not bear fruit, they are useless and could be removed so others can bear fruit in their place.

Abide or Burn?

John 15 focuses on bearing fruit (John 15:2, 4, 5, 8, 16). How can a believer bear fruit? He must abide in Christ. What happens if he stops producing fruit? He may be removed (John 15:2, 6). In the imagery of the vineyard, the removed branches are burned because there is nothing else that can be done with them.

I believe John 15:6 is a warning for believers of the consequences of fruitlessness. God wants to work in us and through us. He desires to use us in His great work in this world. If we refuse to abide in Him and bear fruit, then He will set us aside to use others and maybe even take us out of this world so we do not obstruct His work.[3]

The references to fire and burning shock us, demanding our attention. A Christian ceasing to bear fruit is a serious disorder. As Jesus led his disciples to Gethsemane, they likely passed through vineyards and smelled the smoke of fruitless branches smoldering beside their path. The contrast between the healthy vines laden with grapes and the charred remains of useless scraps of grapevine provided a memorable picture of one of the final truths Jesus taught before His crucifixion.

Abide and Bear Fruit!

We must abide in Christ.[4] Only as we rely on Him will He produce fruit in us and through us. If we lead an abiding, fruit-bearing life, we won’t have to worry if we are wrong about our interpretation of the fire in John 15:6.

[1] Some commentators feel that the branches taken away in John 15:2 and burned in John 15:6 refer to Judas Iscariot and those who pretend to be believers. Because John 15:3 speaks of the other disciples being “already clean” when John 13:10–11 refers to Judas as not being clean, these scholars see a possible parallel and read Judas into John 15:2. However, when Jesus spoke the words of John 15, Judas had already left the gathering to betray Jesus and did not hear this warning. More compelling is the context which speaks of “every branch in Me.” If the branches that are taken away (15:2) and burned (15:6) are “in Christ,” they are believers and in no danger of hell fire (John 10:28–29).

One scholar, Edwin Blum, tries to answer this objection, but I do not find his explanation convincing in the context of John 15. Blum writes, “The phrase ‘in Me’ does not mean the same thing as Paul’s words ‘in Christ.’ Here it is part of the metaphor of the Vine and seems to mean, ‘every person who professes to be My disciple (a ‘branch’) is not necessarily a true follower.’ A branch that bears no fruit is obviously dead. Therefore, like Judas, it is cut off.” (Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 325.) Blum appears to start with his conclusion and then works back to make the textual evidence line up. Notice also that Blum cautiously says it “seems to mean” as he attempts to explain this difficult passage.

In contrast, Joseph Dillow notes, “The phrase “in Me” is used 16 times in John’s Gospel (6:56; 10:38; 14:10 [twice], 11, 20, 30; 15:2, 4 [twice], 5–7; 16:33; 17:21, 23). In each case it refers to fellowship with Christ. It is inconsistent then to say the phrase in 15:2 refers to a person who merely professes to be saved but is not. A person “in Me” is always a true Christian.” (Dillow, “Abiding Is Remaining in Fellowship: Another Look at John 15:1–6,” Bibliotheca Sacra 147 (1990): 45.)

[2] Many scholars rightly observe that a true believer bears fruit. If a professing believer never produces fruit, then he is not a true believer. However, John 15 is not necessarily speaking of a professing believer who has never produced fruit in his life. The word “bears” (φέρον) in John 15:2 is in the Greek present tense which refers to ongoing, continual fruit-bearing. It is possible for a believer who bore fruit in the past to fall into sin and stop his former healthy pattern of fruitfulness. In such a case, the warnings of this passage come to bear.

[3] The New Testament mentions the possibility of God removing wayward believers from the world because of their sin. James 5:19–20 states, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” In context, James speaks of believers (those among you and considered brethren who wandered from the truth). He exhorts his readers to save these wayward believers from physical death by turning them from the error of their way. This would also return them to a life of fruitfulness. In addition, 1 John 5:16 speaks of a “sin unto death” that a believer could experience. 1 Corinthians 11:30 also warns of death as a possible result of a Christian not respecting the Lord’s Supper.

[4] Read how the truth of abiding in Christ revolutionized Hudson Taylor’s spiritual life on Day 23 of my missions devotional, Daring Devotion: A 31-Day Journey with those who Lived God’s Promises.

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