He Prunes the Fruitful

God is the Vinedresser who inspects the branches for fruit. Real Christians bear fruit and are pruned to bear even more. Perpetually fruitless branches are not Christians, and are gathered for judgment. Let's consider what it means to be pruned: i.) the individuals who are pruned; ii.) the idea of pruning; iii.) the intent of pruning; iv.) the instruments for pruning.