John 15:2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
This operation is always going on. God is continually taking away from the Church, in some way or other, non-fruit-bearers. We know that these do not truly belong to Christ, for fruit must come from vital union to him but it is a trial to the Church to have non-fruit-bearing branches. These are taken away, sometimes by death, sometimes by judgment, sometimes by the open discovery of their secret sin, the culmination of their backslides in overt acts of transgression. "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:" but side by side with this action another process is constantly going on: -
John 15:2. And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Is this, then, dear friend, one reason why you are being chastened, -because you are a fruit-bearing branch? If you bore no fruit, you would be left unpruned, because the knife would do its sterner work upon you by taking you altogether away. If you really do bring forth fruit to God, you must expect to have trial, trouble, affliction, and that full often.
John 15:2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
This operation is always going on. God is continually taking away from the Church, in some way or other, non-fruit-bearers. We know that these do not truly belong to Christ, for fruit must come from vital union to him but it is a trial to the Church to have non-fruit-bearing branches. These are taken away, sometimes by death, sometimes by judgment, sometimes by the open discovery of their secret sin, the culmination of their backslides in overt acts of transgression. "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:" but side by side with this action another process is constantly going on: -
John 15:2. And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Is this, then, dear friend, one reason why you are being chastened, -because you are a fruit-bearing branch? If you bore no fruit, you would be left unpruned, because the knife would do its sterner work upon you by taking you altogether away. If you really do bring forth fruit to God, you must expect to have trial, trouble, affliction, and that full often.