Fruitfulness in Christianity means showing positive and productive behaviors in our lives in agreement with the Scriptures. From time immemorial, all who know and believe in the one true God are expected to undergo a transformation from bad to good and exhibit good behavior – that is what we call bearing fruit. In name, fruit-bearing appeared in the teachings of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and Paul. However, the concept of bearing fruit appeared in the teachings or sayings of all the holy men of old who taught the people to do right. Often, people find it difficult to do something when they do not know the reason. These are some good reasons to bear fruit as a Christian:
Bearing fruit is required of all Christians
The need to bear fruit cannot be overemphasized in our lives. One thing God would like us to know is that He saved us to become Christians so that we will bear fruit – ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last .. (John 15:16)’ The concept of fruitfulness as a requirement for all Christians is everywhere in Jesus’ teachings.
According to the parable of the barren fig tree, a fig tree in a garden did not bear fruit. This dissatisfied the master and he wanted to cut it down so that it would not occupy space for nothing (Lu 13:6-9). This is a reminder that bearing fruit is a requirement for our stay in the kingdom of God. God will not tolerate unfruitful Christians in His kingdom forever – He will certainly remove them when He gets fed up with them.
Bearing fruit is beneficial to our lives
A Christian friend of mine went to a drinking bar to get tipsy. Then he drove away only to crash his car into another car. As you would expect, he got into many serious troubles with the law. The Bible says, “Do not get drunk on wine …. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).” If he had kept this word, he would have saved himself a lot of troubles.
Now it is time we understood that bearing fruit is as beneficial to our lives as it is pleasing to God. If we fear God and obey His word we bear fruit including abstaining from stealing, alcoholism, corruption, defrauding, pilfering, and lying, and we save ourselves from adverse consequences such as imprisonment, disgrace, STDs, road accidents, and many more.
For those of us who look to God for help and expect answers to our prayers, you wouldn’t want to dismiss bearing fruit from your life, because, in Jesus’ sermons, He put it clearly that for the Father to answer your prayers, you would have to be a fruit-bearing Christian (John 15:16).
Bearing fruit is your God-approved ID card
When I was creating a bank account, they required my ID card as part of the verification process. In Jesus’ sermons, He prescribed a universal ID card for all Christians. He said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:8). Bearing fruit is the only ID card approved by God for all Christians, clergy or laity, to identify themselves as followers of Christ. Though Christians are of different tribes, nationalities, families, and races, we will still look alike and be united in purpose when we all identify ourselves with the same ID card that is bearing fruit.
Bearing fruit glorifies God
Whatever we do as Christians can shape the unbeliever’s view about God positively or negatively. Fruit-bearing is all about good works that result from obedience to God’s word. The existence of God begins to make sense to an atheist when he realizes that Christians are living a higher moral standard than him. A Buddhist will acknowledge that the Christian God is superior to his when he sees the good deeds of Christians. A Muslim would understand why Jesus is a Savior when he sees how His followers are transformed into better persons.
Be motivated as a Christian to bear fruit, knowing that it makes your God happy and brings Him honor in the sight of men. Both Christians and unbelievers glorify God because of your good fruit. Accordingly, Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (John 15:8).” Elsewhere in Matthew 5:16, Jesus also said, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
Bearing fruit leads to soul-winning
Some people will never believe the gospel we preach. However, our obedience to God which leads us to good deeds can break their hardened hearts and win them over for Christ. For example, while Jesus and the two criminals were on the cross, one of the criminals confidently said that Jesus had done nothing wrong and His crucifixion was unfair. Then he believed in Jesus saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:42).” and he got saved.
Though Jesus was a preacher, had He also been a liar, a fornicator, or immoral, how would the criminal testify and believe in Him even on the cross? Bearing fruit is just as important as proclaiming the gospel. Because, seeing a righteous Christian, the unbeliever is reminded that he is a sinner and needs the Savior – salvation begins to make sense to him.
A righteous life, coupled with good deeds done to the sick, prisoners, orphans, and the poor in the community, makes the unbeliever experience the love of God. As a result, his hardened heart softens and he becomes more willing to accept Jesus. Where our message fails to win souls, bearing fruit will win them for Christ.
Bearing fruit makes the world a better place
The news is clustered with many crime stories. Cyber fraud, murder, armed robbery, and child trafficking among others are part of the plague of sin that is destroying human lives, making millions miserable. All these evil deeds aren’t committed directly by Satan and his legion of demons, but by ordinary human beings, like us, from all walks of life – some are Christians and some are non-Christians.
Should Christians decide to bear fruit, we will spare the world the pain and suffering we inflict and make the world better than before. The unbeliever may never stop hurting others because, sometimes, he does it for his own gain or satisfaction, and sometimes, he does it as a result of following the evil teachings of his religion. But for Christians, we serve a God who prescribes a high standard of morality for us; we are to bless when we are cursed, forgive when we are offended, and help the very person who hurt us when they are in need. If we keep our God’s command, we make a difference and make the world a better place. Moreover, our good deeds inspire others to be better.
Bearing fruit is your spiritual security
According to John 15:1-2, Jesus is the vine and we Christians are His branches and God will cut off every unfruitful branch from the vine. What about the branches that are bearing fruit? What will happen to them? They have secured their place in the vine and will not be removed. So have all fruitful Christians secured their place in Christ and will not fall away.
Do not be deceived, no matter how passionate you are about your faith in Jesus, your deeds matter and will be subject to judgment. It is God’s will for all Christians to bear fruit that is why He feels glorified when we do so. And all Christians who do God will by bearing fruit secure themselves for heaven (Matthew 7:21).
Conclusion
The reasons for bearing fruit are many. Many of us Christians are passionate about our relationship with Jesus and our faith. That is good. However, God wants all that to translate to obedience to His word and a righteous life – that is bearing fruit. Bearing fruit does not happen automatically, it is a conscious effort to rid ourselves of ungodliness, walk in obedience to God’s word, and live a life worthy of a follower of Jesus.