John 15:2

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.

Not only will the husbandman (God) reject the degenerate vine, he will also give the strictest attention to the true vine, extended here to mean not merely Christ but all the church "in him."

Every branch in me ... See under John 14:20 for elaboration of the significance of being "in Christ." One not in Christ has the same status as a severed branch. Note that the responsibility of Christians is retained, the fruitless members being taken away. Even those who bear fruit are pruned to make them more fruitful. That very evening had revealed Judas as a branch which the Father took away and Peter as a branch that would be pruned. Of course, the primary application to the analogy here is to the apostles; but there is a sense in which, by extension, the teachings apply to all who are in the Lord.

He cleanseth it ... The RSV has "prunes it" here which more exactly fits the metaphor. All Christians need pruning! As Henry said:

The best have something in them which is peccant, something which should be taken away; some notions, passions, or humours, that want to be purged away; which Christ has promised to do by his word, Spirit, and providence.[4]