May 15, 2011
Fruit comes from life (Genesis 1:11). That is a God-ordained fact of creation. When my children were young, they loved to venture into the woods looking for a Christmas tree. The tree had to be a special. It had to meet certain specifications – tall, green, full, and shapely. Some years we settled for less. Much less! But we would make do. We would cut the tree, bring it home, set it up, put on our favorite Christmas music, and decorate the tree – together. It became a family tradition. The ornaments were special, having come from friends and family, and would bring up precious memories. We tried to water the tree sufficiently to keep it from shedding all over the house. Our greatest efforts failed because the tree was a dead tree! All the pretty ornaments giving the appearance of life were also dead.
Compare that tree with, say, an apple tree, a pear tree, or a peach tree. At a certain time of year they have ornaments hanging on them also – plump apples, succulent pears, and juicy peaches. There is a world of difference between these ornaments and those that hung from our dead Christmas tree. These trees produce living fruit because of God’s command that fruit comes from life.
The entire human race – cut down by Adam’s fall – is physically alive but spiritually dead (Romans 5:12). Every human being has the capacity to perform good works. These deeds give the appearance of life, much like the ornaments hanging on our Christmas tree. The Bible refers to these ornaments as “dead works” (Hebrews 6:1). They are dead works because they are works produced by death. These works are often acts of human good performed by the masses generation after generation. They include, among others, giving to the poor, feeding the hungry, taking care of the homeless, generosity in the wake of personal and national disaster – all benevolent acts of human kindness. As a result of the Fall, these good works – in the eyes of God – are not good works at all. God views these works as self-righteous acts that will fade like a leaf (Isaiah 64:6).
Are these works wrong? Not at all! In everyone’s eyes they alleviate much human suffering and pain. They are often used by the Holy Spirit to convict the lost of their sin and their need of a Savior. They provide a bridge for the gospel when the gospel is presented. But they are still in the category of human good. Compared to God’s divine good, human good is not good at all.
What does the Bible say about these works of righteousness? It says that human works cannot bring to life the spiritually dead. Paul said that we are not saved by works of righteousness that we have done but by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). God will judge all work, both good and bad (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Human good – far from saving anyone – will be the basis for judgment of unbelievers at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:12). All human good of every person will one day be measured against God’s absolute standard of righteousness. The entire human race falls far short of God’s requirement of perfection. God by grace gives to those who trust in His Son the righteousness necessary for life (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Compare human good with God’s divine good. Divine good produces living fruit that comes from the life within. Jesus said that we (Christians) are to glorify God – shed light upon Him – by producing this living fruit. He spoke of Himself as a living vine and believers as branches that grow from Him. Unless the branch abides in the vine, it cannot produce living fruit (John 15:1-5). The living fruit comes from the vine (the Lord Jesus Christ) through the branches (those who have been made alive by faith in Christ) to the world. This is spiritually speaking, of course.
Christians must remain in fellowship with Jesus Christ in order to produce God’s living fruit. Paul called living spiritual fruit the “fruit of the spirit.” He said that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law that prohibits that kind of fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). There is human love and divine love, human joy and divine joy, human peace and God’s peace, etc. We are to walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10). Works that come from believers in fellowship with Jesus Christ are in the living fruit category. Finally, Paul wrote, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11). What kind of fruit are you producing?