John 15:6 (ASV)

Passage

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Nearby Context

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.

John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and [so] shall ye be my disciples.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "abide", "cast", "forth", "branch", "withered", "gather", and "fire". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "abide" and "cast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "I am the vine ye are the..." into verse 7's "If ye abide in me and my...", so "abide" and "cast" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "abide" and "cast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.