There is much dense theology packed into the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John. The implicit comparison of Jesus as the true Israel ("true vine"), John's conception of "union with Christ," a metaphor for the spiritual productivity of believers, obedience as the sign of "loving" God, the command of love for fellow believers, the relationships of Jesus' followers to the world, and on and on. One statement that has created much exegetical discussion is John 15:2, where Jesus says that God (the farmer) "takes away" unproductive branches. Within the imagery of the analogy of the vine and the branches, it is clear that the branches represent those who are "connected" in some way to Jesus. This has created the question then of whether or not here John is challenging the theological concept of "eternal security," or if can a believer "lose their salvation." Some have suggested that the Evangelist intends here to indicate that the unproductive branches are "lifted up" so they will produce fruit rather than "cut off" or "taken away". There are three major issues with this interpretation. First, the majority of uses of the verb αιρω in John's Gospel indicating the removal of an object from its previous location (1:29, 2:16, 5:8-12, 8:59, 10:18, 10:24, 11:39, 11:41, 11:48, 16:22, 17:15, 19:15, 19:31, 19:38, 20:1, 20:2, and 20:15). Only in 11:41 when Jesus "lifts up his eyes to the heavens" is there an exception to this. Second, there is a play on words here which contrasts what happens to the unproductive branches and the productive branches. The unproductive branches are "cut off" (αἴρει) while the productive branches are "trimmed" or "cleaned up" (καθαίρει). Third, the fact that these branches are "thrown into the fire" does not seem to indicate, to put it mildly, that a rehabilitation of some sort is in mind.
καθαίρει then provides another play on words with "clean" (καθαροί) in 15:3. The "cleaned up" branches (i.e., the 11 disciples) are "clean" because of what Jesus has spoken to them. The link here with καθαροί and the indication of a past conversation ("I have already told you...") indicates the context in which these words are to be read. In the Evangelist's only other use of καθαρος in this Gospel in 13:10-11, Jesus tells the disciples after washing their feet that they are "clean" (καθαροί), but not all of them. This is a clear reference to Judas in 13:10-11, and it seems that this connection indicates that this is the context which the Evangelist has in mind as he writes 15:1ff. Judas, then, is the branch which has been cut off and will be burned up in the fire (15:6). Clearly more is intended here than only a reference to Judas (though not less than that), since the Evangelist generalizes the phrase (cf. ὁ μένων in 15:5) to now stand as a broader principle. The take away here for the 11 is, "don't be like Judas," since anyone who does not "remain" in Jesus and "obey" his teachings will suffer the same fate. To return to the question of "eternal security," it does not seem to me that a definitive conclusion can be drawn from this text. To what extent Judas was "remaining in Jesus" is not entirely clear. Based on the metaphor, he was at one point "in the vine." Does this mean he was "saved" or "in union" with Christ and then later "cut off" for unbelief? Maybe, maybe not (nothing in the Gospel necessarily requires either interpretation, though Judas is not well spoken of throughout). To what extent are the others who "are not remaining" believers who have fallen away or simply those who were never true believers. To speculate too much on that issue in this text is, I think, to miss the larger point of the passage. Jesus is urging his followers to remain obedient and faithful to him, instructing them that they are powerless apart from him, and warning them against the fate which would eventually befall Judas. Those who are followers of Christ would do well to "take care" that they are living in obedience to the teachings of Jesus, loving God and loving others, regardless of what their theological position on "eternal security" might be. I think that is, after all, the main point of Jesus' words in this passage.
1 Comment
1/30/2014 05:08:03 am
This is a great little write up about this exegetical issue. Thanks for the read! I think you're right that it would be inappropriate to make a case either for or against eternal security solely on this passage, given the range of interpretative options and the thrust of Jesus' point here (which does not address the doctrine directly).
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