What does it mean to bear fruit?
In what way do we bear fruit? What does it really mean? These are the questions presented to me for an answer recently. At first, I thought it was simple to answer them but, after looking more deeply I now understand that they are not easily answered at all. These questions beg to know what God is calling fruit not what man calls fruit.
Perhaps one could look at bearing fruit as ‘being productive”. Our lives are often measured by such things as bearing fruit of certain kinds. Many measure their “productivity” in terms of money, power, influence, position or possessions. We have a tendency to make the yardstick longer and longer in these areas; seemingly, we never really satisfy the metric. These are not the fruits that are the subject of the question.
God calls the fig tree to bear fruit by searching for the fruit (Mark 11:12-13). God finds no fruit on this tree and it is cursed. The tree is found withered later in the text (Mark 11:20). God goes on to tell Peter to have faith and with it he can move mountains. Is this what God is asking of us in bearing fruit – to have faith that will move mountains?
Paul tells us in his letter to the church in Galatia:
“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.” Gal 5:13-25.
Luther tells us in the Large Catechism:
“Behold, thus we might train our youth, in a childlike way and playfully in the fear and honor of God,
so that the First and Second Commandments might be well observed and in constant practise, Then some good might take root, spring up and bear fruit, and men grow up whom 76] an entire land might relish and enjoy. Moreover, this would be the true way to bring up children well as long as they can become trained with kindness and delight. For what must be enforced with rods and blows only will not develop into a good breed, and at best they will remain godly under such treatment no longer than while the rod is upon their back.
77] But this [manner of training] so spreads its roots in the heart that they fear God more than rods and clubs. This I say with such simplicity for the sake of the young, that it may penetrate their minds. For since we are preaching to children, we must also prattle with them. Thus we have prevented the abuse and have taught the right use of the divine name, which should consist not only in words, but also in
practise and life, so that we may know that God is well pleased with this, and will as richly reward it as
He will terribly punish the abuse.” Second Commandment
The reference here to bear fruit is the only use of this term in the entire Large Catechism. And so, it would seem, we must not take the Lord’s name in vain in order that the proper orientation to allow good things to be planted in us and thus bear fruit through us can occur. In this point we find a fundamental orientation – humility before God. In so finding this orientation we have found the point of departure for bearing fruit.
How do we arrive at humility before God?
Some of us will say, in response to this question that it is implicit to be humble before the creator of the universe and actually it is an impertinent question. Some will say they are always humble before God simply because he is God and creator of the universe. Others will say that God the Almighty is not in need of our humility.
God says “May he show the humble what is right! May he teach the humble his way! ” Psalm 25:9
God says “(Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any man on the face of the earth.)” Num 12:3
God says “Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.”Matt 18:4
It is very obvious that God is very interested in our humility. Giving that some thought, one could arrive at the following set of ideas among many:
- God speaks through His Most Holy Word. In this Word we hear what has happened to us.
- Our hearts hear His Word and we are convicted by His Law in the sins of our lives and our rebellion against God and against any entity or force that would withhold the fruits of our evil deeds which satisfy all manner of our lust, greed, covetousness and other acts coming from the imprisonment of the flesh to sin.
- We humble ourselves and confess our sins recognizing what we have become and how very different we are from God. God is forgiving of them and we receive the Holy Spirit who bears with us in all things, teaches us all things and sanctifies us. We hear the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ through His work on the cross.
- We repent of our sins and that which has been done in us through the Holy Spirit begins God’s work using us. We are cleansed of our unrighteousness in the blood of Christ.
- Because God is working in us through His Holy Spirit, we bear fruit according to the faith we have received and the sanctification we are experiencing. God’s word has not come back empty. The good work He has begun in us will achieve its produce. We literally cannot help ourselves as we joyfully fulfill the purpose for which we have been created --- to glorify God.
- The fruit of this indwelling of the Holy Spirit is that which was mentioned earlier from Galatians -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Through these attributes growing in us, being exercised through His strength in us, we come to know Him so much more intimately and receive life fully as was meant to happen in our creation.
In the second letter of Peter it is also said:
“For this reason make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately”. 2Pet 1:3-8
This is not to say that the above set of circumstances is the best or the only way to express what has happened to us. It is simply my way of trying to explain some part of what it means to bear fruit.
We are overflowing with the Holy Spirit which fills us each day and enables us to move our ego out of the way so that God’s light can shine through us to everyone with whom we come in contact. We are bearing the fruit of righteousness through Christ for He tells us:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.” John 15:5
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