Passage
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
John 15:2 (DRB)
Nearby Context
John 15:1 I am the true vine: and my Father is the husbandman.
John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
John 15:3 Now you are clean, by reason of the word which I have spoken to you.
John 15:4 Abide in me: and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "branch", "beareth", "fruit", "take", "away", and "purge". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "branch" and "beareth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "I am the true vine and my..." into verse 3's "Now you are clean by reason of...", so "branch" and "beareth" 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 "branch" and "beareth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.