The Christian Who Bears Fruit

The Christian Who Bears FruitA Look At John 15 In frustration, Sarah Packer exclaimed, “Organizing the Sunday school outing was like trying to steer cats through a field!” Whether she was referring to the children or her co-workers, I’m sure she did not mean that they were covered with hair and had tails! Her metaphor was useful because it vividly represented a reality in a memorable way. Yet great care is needed to correctly understand and not over-interpret the illustration. The Lord Jesus made good use of metaphors. In John 15 Jesus presents a metaphor of the vine and the branches: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful” (Jn. 15:1-2 niv). One thing is clear from this metaphor: the Father is looking for lots of fruit! But what is this fruit? How does the Father prune? What happens to the unfruitful person? Some have used this comparison to argue that a Christian can lose his salvation by not bearing fruit. Was Jesus teaching that? Before we yield to the temptation of imposing our own explanation of this metaphor, it is wise to see how Jesus himself interprets it. He says, “I am the true vine ... I am the vine” (Jn. 15:2,5). We are also told that the gardener is God the Father: “My Father is the gardener.” Further, we are told by implication that one of the tools used to clean the branches is the Word of God: “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (Jn. 15:3). Finally, we are told that the branches were those listening to Him: “You are the branches” (Jn. 15:5). Is the “you” only the disciples? Only true believers? Only those associated with Jesus? We are not told. And there are other details which are not explained: What does “cut off” mean? What do the “fruit” and the “fire” represent? Again, we are not told. The unknowns have to be derived through a study of the rest of Scripture, since it must be in harmony with it. What The Father Is Looking For
Fruit is what the Father is looking for. It represents, that which God expects me to produce. Broadly speaking, there are three things God desires from me: Christian character, worship and praise, and service or good works. The Lord desires to see Christ’s character formed in us, that we should be “conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). This means that the Father would like to see true humility and stability in us, and a genuine love and interest in others – as well as patience, tolerance, holiness in thought and actions, and self-control. What a challenge! Until we are making some progress in these areas, we simply cannot produce the following two types of fruit – worship and praise. Worship and praise are our ways of thanking God for who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do. Some call this the highest type of fruit we humans can produce: “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (Jn. 4:23). “Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess His name” (Heb. 13:15). And finally concerning service or good works, Paul urges us to “not become weary in doing good” but rather “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people” (Gal. 6:9-10). He prayed for the Colossians, and us, that we would be “bearing fruit in every good work” (Col. 1:10). He made an even stronger statement in Ephesians:“We are ... created in Christ Jesus to do good works"” (Eph. 2:10). A Gift From God
What could be the meaning of the following statements: “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,” and “If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is ... picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (Jn. 15:2,6)? Before going any further, we must be clear that Scripture teaches that a true believer cannot lose his salvation. Therefore, we are not free to interpret the unexplained elements in this metaphor to suggest that a true Christian may be thrown into the “lake of fire.” This would force Jesus’ vine and branches comparison to contradict other clear statements of His such as, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (Jn. 10:28). Jesus also said, “Whoever hears My word and believes ... has eternal life and will not be condemned (Jn. 5:24). These promises do not depend on our behavior. It is Christ who saves and Christ who keeps: “Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them” (Heb. 7:25). Christ will be interceding for us forever. Can anything make us safer? The work, the promises and the intercession of Christ settle the matter. Once saved, always saved. If you are a born-again Christian, for all eternity you shall be part of God’s family. Are you thanking God for such security? The Branches And The Fire
It is clear that if the branches represent true believers, the fire can’t represent eternal condemnation. Since the passage does not explicitly explain the meaning of “you” and the “fire” we must avoid being dogmatic. Two interpretations have been proposed; both have problems, yet both provide a challenging message that agrees with Scripture. The first is that the branches represent the Christian profession, or anyone associated with Christianity. Some day the Father will “cut off” those branches which behave like Christians but are not. Fake Christians, those who do not have a true relationship with Christ, cannot bear any fruit that is pleasing to God. These, therefore, are those who are “thrown into the fire and burned.” Or in Jude’s words, they are “those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire” (Jude 7). Are you a fake Christian? Perhaps you go to church, and know a lot of Bible. But if you are not born again, the day will come when the Father will cut you off: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:14). I urge you to turn now to Christ while there is still time. A second way of looking at the metaphor is to see the branches as being only true Christians. Some who support this view reject the first by asking, “How can an unbeliever ever be part of the true vine? How can an unbeliever ever be attached to and nourished by Christ?” They also point out that fire symbolizes a number of things in Scripture, not just Hell. The Father is looking for fruit in the life of every Christian. There are, however, true Christians who do not live to please God, who make no attempt to bear fruit for Him. Some true Christians reach such a low level that there is no visible difference between them and non-Christians, and at times their behavior may be even worse! They are the branches which are bearing no fruit. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to “put out of your fellowship” such a person, and “hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.” He tells them “not to associate” with such person (1 Cor. 5:2,5,9). These are extreme cases. We also read that in some cases the Lord is so displeased with the behavior of true Christians that it is in their best interest to be cut off from this life before they can do more damage (1 Cor. 11:30). Our life style matters. Who are you living to please? What are you building as the weeks turn into years? “Each one should be careful how he builds ... his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If it is burned up ... he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor. 3:10-15). The Fruit Bearer Glorifies The Father
“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me” (Jn. 15:4). Our Lord’s point is very clear: we cannot produce true Christian character by our own efforts. We need to draw continually from the strength Christ Himself provides. “If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). In my teens I disliked this verse. I saw it as gross exaggeration. I agreed that I could not lead a friend to Christ without God’s help, but I would say, “I can move my hand without God's help!” The teaching here is that apart from Christ we cannot produce anything pleasing to the Father. If I am not living in communion with Christ, my worship is empty and my praise hypocritical. If I am not walking with Christ, my work in the church, my evangelism, my financial gifts, my sacrifices are just acts of the flesh. The Father finds no fruit in my efforts. I may be an honest Christian, I may have a doctorate in counseling, I may be an experienced evangelist, I may be a good Bible teacher, but “apart from Me you can do nothing.” More Fruit, Much Fruit And Fruit That Lasts
What does the Father do with the Christian who bears fruit? “Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (Jn. 15:2). Sometimes we are tempted to feel satisfied with the fruit we think we are producing. We compare ourselves with those around us and feel comfortable: “I work harder for God than James.” “I am more patient than Sharon.” “My prayers are more honest than Mike’s.” The Father sees things differently. He not only sees the fruit we are producing but also the fruit we could produce. As a good gardener, He is committed to work on us to produce “more fruit,” “much fruit,” and a type of “fruit that will last” (Jn. 15:2,5,16). The Father is not interested in quick fixes. How does the Father prune and clean the Christian? Usually through His Word which reveals: His will for us, how we should live, what a Christian character looks like, what resources are available, how we should worship God, what we can praise Him for, how to serve Him, and much more. The Christian who does not expose himself regularly to the Word is a Christian who will bear little fruit. Are you letting God’s Word clean you regularly? The Father does have other ways of pruning and cleaning the branches. He may use a difficult Christian or relative to teach us to be tolerant and patient. He may use an illness to keep in check the tendency to be proud or to draw us closer to Himself. He may use a financial crisis to teach us not to rely on our own strength or resources. One thing we do know is “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Rom. 8:28). Are you letting the Father prune and clean you? Are you submitting to His will as revealed in Scripture? Are you responding positively to the difficult situations He allows in your path? Remember, He only allows what He can use. Whether it’s “more,” “much” and “lasting” fruit, however, depends on our response. What Type Of Branch Are You?
Fake Christians cannot bear any fruit that pleases God. Unless they repent and turn to Christ for salvation, their end will be eternal separation from God. True Christians who live to please themselves are bearing little or no fruit. They will never lose their salvation, since it rests secure on Christ’s work, His promises, and His eternal intercession and not on human behavior. They will enter heaven empty handed “as one escaping through flames.” Our calling and the Father’s desire is that, as true Christians, we should live, worship and serve Him while in daily communion with Christ. This is the Christian who will hear the Master’s voice say, “Well done, my good servant” (Lk. 19:17). To which of these three categories do you belong? By Philip Nunn