A fruitful vine

 

Throughout the Bible there are many stories, promises, illustrations, prophecies and parables about fruit.  Fruit is mentioned in over 40 books of the Bible.  It is mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis and the last chapter in Revelation.  Indeed, it is hard not to get the impression when reading the Bible that God is a gardener at heart.  But the fact is God is not merely a gardener he is the Master Gardener and, more than that, he is the creator – the one who actually came up with the idea of fruit.

 

In its simplest form, fruit refers to that which something produces.  The fruit of a plant or tree is the substance produced by that plant or tree.  The fruit of an animal or person, also known as the “fruit of the womb” refers to the offspring that they produce.  In a figurative sense, fruit can also refer to anything that we produce through our efforts, as in the saying “the fruit of his labors,” or to the result of our actions.

 

The first two words God spoke to Adam and Eve were, “Be fruitful” (Genesis 1:29).  It isn’t too hard to see from this that God intended for mankind to bear fruit.  Because God added the phrase, “and multiply” to this command, we tend to think of this statement only in the sense of bearing children – the “fruit of the womb” (Psalm 127:3).  But I believe God had more in mind when he spoke this statement than just physical reproduction.

 

In the story of creation, we are told that God made “plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind.” (Genesis 1:12)  By the amazing design of God, living things reproduce “after their kind.”  It is through its seeds, which are in its fruit, that a tree reproduces itself, just as a man reproduces “after his kind” through his seed.  Genesis 5:3 tells us that Adam “became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image” just as God had created Adam “in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).  And because God is the creator of all things, man also is designed to create – and creating is the essence of bearing fruit.

 

There are many passages in the Bible where God referred to his people as trees, plants or vines.  Consider the following examples from the Old Testament:

 

Psalm 1:1-3

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither.”

 

Psalm 92:12-14

“The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green.”

 

Isaiah 5:2,7

“My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill… the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His delightful plant.”

 

Isaiah 27:2-3,6

“A vineyard of wine, sing of it! ‘I, the Lord, am its keeper; I water it every moment so that no one will damage it, I guard it night and day.’   Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, and they will fill the whole world with fruit.”

 

Isaiah 37:31

“The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.”

 

Isaiah 61:3

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

 

Jeremiah 11:16

“The Lord called your name, ‘A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form.’”

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

 

Ezekiel 17:23

“On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.”

 

Hosea 10:1

“Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself.”

 

It is obvious from all these verses that God has not only designed us to bear fruit, but expects us to bear fruit – that is, he expects us to produce something with that which he has given us.  While this is true of mankind in general, it is particularly true of us as Christians.  From the moment we receive the “seed” of God’s word in our hearts (Luke 8:11) God begins to expect fruit from us.  As a gardener, God expects the “trees” that are planted in his garden to bear the fruit that he designed them to bear. Jesus made this clear in Luke 13:6-9:

 

“A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.  And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’  And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”

 

The obvious point of this parable is that God expects fruit from the “trees” which are planted in his garden and “use up the ground.”  This is applicable to us personally as well as corporately, as in the case of a church.  Even though he is merciful and patient, God expects us to bear fruit.

 

Abiding in the vine

 

Psalm 128:2-3 says that one of the blessings upon the man who fears God is that his wife will be “like a fruitful vine.”  Although Proverbs 31 proves that there are many ways in which a wife can be a “fruitful vine,” this verse refers primarily to bearing children – which are also referred to as the “fruit of the womb.” (Psalm 127:3)  This principle applies also to the church, which is referred to in several New Testament passages as the “bride” of Christ.  As the bride of Christ, the church has the incredible honor of being called to “bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4).   

 

But the church is not just designed to bear fruit for God, as if it were something it had to do by its own power, it is designed to bear the fruit of God, as a direct result of being intimate with him.  In a natural marriage it is through physical intimacy with her husband that a woman bears the “fruit of the womb.”  In the same way, it is only through an intimate relationship with the Spirit of Jesus Christ that the Church can truly bear the fruit of God.

 

It was this process of being intimate with The Spirit of God that Jesus referred to in John 15:4 when he said, “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.”  1st John 3:23-24 tells us that we “abide” in Jesus by believing in him and keeping his commandments, and that as a result of our abiding in him, he in turn abides in us through the presence of His Spirit within us. 

 

In John 15 Jesus used the illustration of a vine and its branches to illustrate the relationship between he and his disciples.  Just as a branch “abides” in a vine, and the vine “abides” in the branch in the form of the sap of the vine flowing through the branch and bearing fruit, even so as we abide in Jesus His spirit abides in us and bears fruit through us.  In John 15:5 Jesus assured us that if we will abide in him, and allow his spirit to abide in us, we will “bear much fruit.” 

 

A tree is known by its fruit

 

In Matthew 7:16-18 Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.”  And again in Matthew 12:33 and Luke 6:40, Jesus said, “each tree is known by its fruit.” 

 

The logic of these statements is as powerful as it is simple.  Jesus is saying that people are known and defined by the type of “fruit” they bear, just as a tree is known and defined by the type of fruit it bears.  In other words, you can usually know what something is by what it does.  This same principle applies to us individually as Christians, and to us corporately as the church.  A person will be known by the “fruit” they bear – that is, by the things they do, just as a church will be know by what it does.

 

It is interesting that in Matthew 7:16 Jesus was talking to the people specifically about how they could recognize false prophets.  His point was that they could tell whether a prophet was a true prophet or a false prophet by the type of “fruit” he bore, because certain types of fruit would be seen in someone’s life if he was a true prophet of God, and certain other types of fruit would be seen in his life if he were a false prophet.

 

This same thing is true of us as Christians.  If a person is truly a Christian, then there are certain types of “fruit” that will be seen in their life.  In John 13:35 Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  And in John 15:8 he told us that by bearing much fruit we both glorify the father and prove that we are truly his disciples.  A true disciple of Jesus (the word “disciple” was synonymous with “Christian” in the early church – Acts 11:26) can be “known” by the “fruit” of Love being evident in their lives – particularly in their relationship with other Christians. 

 

This same thing is true at a corporate level as well.  Regardless of whatever other “fruit” a church might bear, the primary evidence that it is Christian is the love of God among its members.  This principle is important to keep in mind in light of the many cults and religious organizations that claim to be “Christian,” even though not all of them are.  While many people try to judge such organizations by their beliefs or the doctrines they teach, ultimately it is  “by their fruits” that we will know whether they are truly disciples of Jesus or not.  

 

Fruit inspectors

 

The very idea that we can “know” a person or group by their fruits implies that we have to both observe and make a judgment about their fruits.  Therefore, it is clear from his statements about knowing people “by their fruits” that Jesus intended us to make such judgments. In a sense, Jesus was telling us to act as “fruit inspectors” so to speak, inspecting the fruit of those persons or groups claiming to be Christian, in order to determine if those claims are true.  While we cannot do this with everyone, we can and should do it with anyone whose claims have a direct influence upon us or those we love.

 

Many Christians are reluctant to do this because of Matthew 7:1-2:  “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged.”  But the next few verses prove that Jesus was not forbidding us to make any judgments, but rather he was admonishing us to examine our own lives before pointing out faults in others. Jesus makes this clear later in this passage, telling us that once we have taken the “plank” out of our own eye, we will “see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Verse 5) 

 

In other words, once we have removed the obstruction from our own eye, we will be better qualified to make judgments about others regarding that same type of obstruction.   Paul confirms this principle in 2nd Corinthians 10:6, where he says that it is only when our “obedience is complete” that “we are ready to punish every act of disobedience.”  The areas of our life where our obedience is “complete” are those areas where we have taken the “plank” out of our own eye, and can now see clearly to help someone else do the same thing in their life.  Before we can see clearly to inspect the fruit of another tree, we need to inspect our own fruit.

 

In 1st Samuel 16:7 God told Samuel, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  Most of the judgments made by men are based entirely upon the “outward appearance” of things.  Only God can look straight into the heart of man, seeing not only his actions but his motives as well, so ultimately only he can make completely accurate judgments about people.    But this does not mean that we are incapable of judging rightly.  Think about the old saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.”  Its true that you cannot make an accurate judgment about the actual plot of a book by its cover, but you certainly can, in many cases, guess the genre of a book by its cover.  In fact, that’s what the cover of a book is for – to give you an idea of what that book is about. 

 

Even though “fruit” is most often seen outwardly, in words and actions, it is actually an outward expression of an inward reality.  There is no question that Jesus expects us to make decisions, or judgments, about people and groups based on an inspection of their “fruit,” but John 7:24 tells us that he wants us to do it righteously: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”  The phrase  “to judge with righteous judgment” refers to judging the way God, the “righteous judge” does. 

 

Patience is one of the essential aspects of “righteous judgment.”  Many times we judge people or organizations based on one experience alone.  The obvious danger of this is that one experience can be, and often is, misleading.  If we will be patient enough to withhold our judgment initially, choosing instead to wait until we have more experiences, data, and evidence, we will almost always be more accurate in whatever conclusions we reach. 

 

Another essential component of “righteous judgment’ is the confirmation of others.  The clear biblical principle for this is found in the statement: “out of  the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established.”  Often times when we are willing to seek out the thoughts and discernment of others about a person or situation, our judgment about that situation will be more accurate.  It is for this reason that Paul admonished Timothy, “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.” (1 Timothy 5:19)

 

Yet another essential component of “righteous judgment” is mercy.  There are dozens of verses in the Bible tell us that, even though God is a righteous judge, his “mercy endures forever.”    And in James 2:13 tells us that, “judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; but mercy triumphs over judgment.”  In other words, God’s mercy is even more powerful than his judgment!  And we will be far more likely to judge with “righteous judgment” if this same thing is true of us. 

 

The fruit of God in us

 

We have established that God expects us to bear fruit, and that he intends for us to “inspect” the fruit of others.  But what exactly is the “fruit” that we are to bear as the bride of Christ – his “fruitful vine” – and how can we recognize this fruit in our own lives and in the lives of others?  In essence, it is everything that is accomplished by the presence of God’s word and Spirit within us.  From the moment God’s Word takes root in our heart, and His Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our lives, He begins to bear fruit in us. 

 

There are several passages that refer to this fruit of God’s presence in our lives.  In Isaiah 61:3 God refers to his people as “Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.”  Just as an apple tree produces apples and a cherry tree produces cherries, a “tree of righteousness” is one that produces righteousness.  The fruit of righteousness will be evident in the life of anyone who is born of God’s Spirit, for it is only “When the Spirit is poured out upon us from on High” that “righteousness will dwell.”  (Isaiah 32:15-16) 

 

Being a “tree of righteousness” is not to be confused with trying to do the right thing.  This passage is not talking about the result of human effort, but rather the fruit that is born in us by the one referred to in 1st John 2:1 as “Jesus Christ the righteous.”  Philippians 1:11 says that we have been, “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”  As a result of the indwelling presence of the righteous one himself we have become “slaves of righteousness,” (Romans 6:18) because “a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.”  (Matthew 7:18)

 

In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul refers to the fruit of God’s presence in us as “The fruit of the spirit.” According to this passage, this “fruit” includes: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Each of these qualities and characteristics will be evident and increasing in the life of anyone who is truly born of God, because they are all aspects of God’s own “divine nature” which all Christians have “become partakers of.”  (2 Peter 1:4)  As we continue to “abide in him,” the life of God’s Holy Spirit continues to abide in us, bringing for the fruit of His holy nature in our thoughts, desires, words and actions.

 

In Ephesians 5:9 Paul referred to the fruit of God’s presence in us as “The fruit of light.”  According to 1st John 1:4, God is Light, so in essence the phrase “the fruit of light” is really just another way of saying “the fruit of God.”  Paul goes on to define this “fruit” broadly by saying that it consists of all “goodness, righteousness and truth.”  Goodness, righteousness and truth will all be evident in the life of anyone who is truly born of God.  This only makes sense, since God is light, and we are now “sons of light.” (Luke 12:36, 1 Thessalonians 5:5)

 

The clear message of all these passages is that God desires to bear His fruit in our lives through the presence of His Word and Spirit within us.  This type of fruit is primarily internal in the form of the changes that take place within us as God replaces the “old man” we once were with the “new man” we now are in Christ.  (Colossians 3:10)  Through the power of His word and spirit within us, God transforms us into the image and likeness of Jesus, thereby causing his kingdom to come and his will to be done within us. 

 

But God desires not only to see his kingdom come and his will done in us, but also through us in the lives of others.  At some point, the fruit that is born in us needs to become fruit that is born through us.  For example, at some point the fruit of love will be expressed, through our words or actions, to someone else.  This same thing is true of patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and righteousness.  Ultimately, the fruit that is born inside of us must come out, and throughout the New Testament there are a number of ways this is pictured as happening. 

 

The fruit of the kingdom

 

In Matthew 21:43, Jesus said that the Kingdom of God would be taken away from the Jews “given to a people who will produce its fruit.”  As the people of God, the Israelites had the privilege and the responsibility of bringing forth the fruit of God’s kingdom in the earth.  (See Isaiah 27:6)  But they were not fulfilling this responsibility, so Jesus said the kingdom would be given to someone who would – namely, the church.  It is now the privilege and the responsibility of the church to produce the “fruit” of the kingdom, which ultimately consists of anything that helps to establish God’s kingdom in people’s lives.       

 

The most powerful and obvious fruit of the kingdom is produced whenever the lost come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  This was the fruit Jesus referred to in John 4:35-36, when He told his disciples, “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.  He who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal.”  And it was this same fruit Jesus referred to in John 15:16, when he told his disciples, “I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain.”

 

It is important that we understand that winning the lost to Jesus is seldom as easy as simply picking a piece of fruit.  The fact is winning a lost person to Jesus is quite often the work of many people over many years.  One person may continually plant the seed of God’ word in a friend’s heart for many years without seeing any growth.  Then, years later sometimes, another Christian may come along and nurture this seed in some way or another, helping to give it ideal growing conditions, and cause it to “sprout” into a new life.

 

Jesus referred to this in John 4:38 when he told his disciples, “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”  Paul also expressed this concept in 1 Corinthians 3:6, when he said, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”  Even though we may not be the one to actually lead someone in the prayer of salvation, we are still producing the “fruit of the kingdom” every time we plant, water, or otherwise nurture the seed of God’s word in people’s hearts.

 

While winning the lost to Jesus is without question the foremost external fruit we can produce, it is by no means the only way we can produce the “fruit of the kingdom.”  Ultimately, we produce the fruit of the kingdom of God whenever we speak His word, share His life, minister His spirit, and express His love to others.  Certainly the best example of producing the fruit of the kingdom in its many forms is the ministry of Jesus.  Everywhere he went Jesus proclaimed the good news of God’s kingdom in word and deed – healing the sick, blind, deaf and lame, raising people from the dead, setting the captives free, and standing up for the rights of the oppressed. 

 

In John 10:32 Jesus referred to the many miracles that he performed as “good works.”  And in John 14:12 Jesus said that every Christian would produce this same “fruit” of good works that he produced, and even “greater works.”  In spite of what some people think, the church not only has the ability to do these things, but the responsibility to do them.  We are now the ones who have been entrusted with the gospel of the kingdom, and the primary way that God expects the church to produce the “fruit” of the kingdom is by following Jesus’ example of going around “doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil.”  (Acts 10:38) 

 

I mentioned earlier that Jesus said that the way people would know that we are his disciples is by the way we love one another. (John 13:35)  He also said that it was by “bearing much fruit” that we would show ourselves to be his disciples. (John 15:8)   Love, by its very nature, is always seeking a way to express itself in “fruit” to others.  John 3:16 begins with these words: “God so loved the world, that he gave.”  The fact is love is always giving something to others.    Whether it is ministering the life of God’s word and spirit, sharing an encouraging word, lending a helping hand, delivering a timely rebuke, serving in some ministry capacity, or blessing someone with a financial gift, there are an infinite variety of ways we can produce the fruit of “doing good.”  There are a number of verses in the New Testament that tell us that doing good works is to be a central focus of the church.  Consider these examples:

 

Matthew 5:16

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 10:8

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

Ephesians 2:10

“We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Colossians 1:10

“Live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work.” 

Titus 2:14

“Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Hebrews 13:16

“Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

 

Conclusion

 

The New Testament makes it clear that the will of God for His Church is that we would produce the “fruit of the kingdom.”  The Church is made up of many different ministries (1st Corinthians 12:5), including individual ministries, local congregations and a variety of “para-church” ministries.  While each of these various ministries within the church has its own unique strengths, characteristics, goals and areas of influence, the one goal that is common to all of them is to produce the fruit of the Kingdom of God. 

 

In 1st Corinthians 12:12 Paul referred to the church as the “body” of Christ, which, like the natural body, is comprised of many individual “members.”  And the only way for the corporate church to become the “fruitful vine” God has designed her to be is for each of the individual members of the church to be doing its part.  Paul said it like this in Ephesians 4:16:  “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

 

There is a common misconception in the church that there are only a select few people who are called to be “ministers” of the gospel, and that these few people bear the complete responsibility of producing the “fruit” of the kingdom.  But this simply is not true.  The clear teaching of the New Testament is that every Christian is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and that as his disciples, each one of us has a part in producing the fruit of the kingdom.  (John 14:12, Matthew 28:19-20, Ephesians 4:16)  And as I said earlier, it is only as each member of the Body of Christ “does its work” that the corporate church will become the “fruitful vine” it is designed to be.

 

It should be obvious then, that as individual members of the body and bride of Christ, we need to find our place of ministry in the body.  Each one of us should make it our ambition to seek the Lord earnestly regarding this.  And once we find our place of ministry, we should make it our focus throughout each day to look for opportunities to produce the fruit of the kingdom.  And as we continue to abide in Him, and he in us, the vinedresser will see to it that we bear much fruit, to the glory of the father!