“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away … If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned” (John 15:2, 6).
Federal Visionists love this passage because they think that Jesus is speaking about “taking away branches” and “burning branches” that were previously “in Me [Christ].” This would support their claim that someone could be “in Christ” covenantally and yet not attain final salvation (whatever that is). However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Some find this passage troublesome to the truly Reformed faith, but a little knowledge of horticulture is helpful in order to avoid the obvious implications of the text. In fact, there are a variety of eisegetical solutions that we, the elect, have resorted to in order to keep our system in tact.
1) When Jesus allegedly speaks of “taking away branches” and “burning branches,” he is simply speaking hypothetically. These are hypothetical warnings. Jesus is just trying to scare the disciples, kind of like parents who never carry out their threats.
2) When Jesus allegedly speaks of “taking away branches” and “burning branches,” he is speaking of branches that are legally but not organically connected to Christ. Creating these extra-biblical labels helps confusticate the plain meaning of the text.
3) When Jesus allegedly speaks of “taking away branches” and “burning branches,” he is not speaking of branches, but Frisbees that were accidentally thrown into the tree. They were never really branches. They simply looked like branches. Except that they were Frisbees.
4) When Jesus allegedly speaks of “taking away branches” and “burning branches,” he is simply speaking about believers losing theirs rewards in the bema seat judgment (1 Corinthians 3:15). The only down-side to this argument is that it puts us in bed with Zane Hodges and other no-lordship salvationists. Truthfully, there is very little difference between us and them.
