John Chapter 15, Verse 6
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6: εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται
6: If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is
withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire,
and they are burned.
6: If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch and
shall wither: and they shall gather him up and cast him into the fire:
and he burneth.
If a man abide not in me. See Jn 15:4. If a man is not truly united to him by faith, and does not live with a continual sense of his dependence on him. This doubtless refers to those who are professors of religion, but who have never known anything of true and real connection with him.
Is cast forth. See "Jn 15:2". See "Mt 8:12, Also See "Mt 22:13".
Is withered. Is dried up. A branch cut off withers. So of a soul unconnected with Christ, however fair it may have appeared, and however flourishing when a profession of religion was first made, yet when it is tried, and it is seen that there was no true grace, everything withers and dies. The zeal languishes, the professed love is gone, prayer is neglected, the sanctuary is forsaken, and the soul becomes like a withered branch reserved for the fire of the last great day. See a beautiful illustration of this in Ezek 15:1ff.
Men gather them. The word men is not in the original, and should not have been in the translation. The Greek is "they gather them," a form of expression denoting simply they are gathered, without specifying by whom it is done. From Mt 13:40ff, it seems that it will be done by the angels. The expression means, as the withered and useless branches of trees are gathered for fuel, so shall it be with all hypocrites and false professors of religion.
