Three verses in this context (John 15:1–17) set forth the doctrinal significance of abiding in Christ, namely, John 15:2. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” Having asserted that He is the True Vine and that His Father is the Husbandman and, later, that the saved ones are the branches, Christ declares that a branch in Him—which terminology connotes the most vital and immutable union that