In Galatians Paul is not speaking about topping off salvation with works...which, BTW, Jesus mentioned this a lot...
He's talking about the LAW of Moses...unrighteous works. Works people do to try and gain salvation.
No one here is saying that works save.
But they DO KEEP saved...Why?
Because Jesus said to do certain things...are we supposed to pay attention to what Jesus says or not?
As to the apple tree analogy...why use analogies? The bible clearly tells us what we should do to be saved.
John 15:1-6 Jesus said:
1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser.
2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
It's difficult for me to know how one could argue with what Jesus says.
HE said that if we don't bear fruit, we are taken away...
IF we abide in Him we will bear much fruit.
IF we do NOT abide in Him, we are thrown away, dry up, gathered, cast into the fire and burned.
What could be clearer?