Pruning The Branches

Pruning The Branches

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:2

Christ says his Father is the gardener, who tends and looks after his vine. God separates the wild branches from the others so that they won’t spread and spoil the true vine. God singles them out to protect the true vine. He determines which ones should be cut off and tossed into the fire.

But it all appears very different to us. We see these wild branches growing and spreading. They are much stronger and thicker than the others. They look like the only true ones that will produce fruit. In contrast, we appear small, puny, and unfruitful. Yes, people want to root us out and cut us off as useless and unfit. But the false vines appear as if they will remain forever, and the entire world respects them highly.

We need spiritual understanding and vision. No matter how many scoundrels rise up against Christians, God always cuts them off and preserves a remnant of believers. From the time of the apostles until now, many heresies have challenged the teachings of Christ, of baptism, of the Lord’s Supper, of justification by faith, and so on. These heresies are so pervasive that it appears they are correct teachings and the Christian church might pass away. But God has cut off all of these wild branches and preserved his true branches, so that we nevertheless hold on to right teaching, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper as the apostles gave them to us. Beginning with Abel, faith has pushed forward throughout the world and will prevail as long as there are believers. Not one of them will be cut off the vine. All will remain there. So we must not look at how large and strong these wild branches are. Instead, we should look for the true branches in Christ.