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Meaning of bearing fruit
When we talk about fruitfulness in Christianity, we mean showing positive and productive behaviors in our lives in agreement with the Scriptures. From time immemorial, it is required that all those who know and believe in the one true God undergo a transformation from bad to good and exhibit good behavior. The Christian concept of bearing fruit or fruitfulness is inspired by Scriptures such as John 15 and Galatians 5:22-23 which speaks about the fruits of the Spirit, including love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is God’s expectation for every believer or anyone who believes in Jesus and calls on His name to bear fruit. These are the reasons why God wants us to bear fruit:
1. Fruitfulness fulfills God’s plan
No Christian came to Christ by chance; God led us to His Son Jesus so that we would be saved. In God’s plan, our faith in Jesus should lead to positive behavior in our lives that reflects the values and teachings of Jesus Christ. Bearing fruit is a situation where we act on God’s word to behave well, showing discipline, love, forgiveness, modesty, and the like. Remember how Zacchaeus a rich tax collector changed for the better upon his encounter with Christ Jesus. He had cheated others to add to his gains, but upon encountering Jesus he promised to repay them.
Your relationship with God is not complete until your faith in Jesus has transformed you to become a better person than you were earlier. Aside from salvation (John 3:16), God has called us to His son Jesus so that we would bear fruit (John 15:16). The purpose of bearing fruit is not merely to fulfill a duty, but to actively participate in God’s plan for our lives. Just as a tree produces fruit to nourish and benefit others, our actions and attitudes should bring positivity and nourishment to those around us.
2. Fruitfulness reflects God’s character
What do the scriptures say about God? Apostle Paul, Moses, Isaiah, and many other prophets wrote a lot about God’s character that He is merciful, patient, loving, just, holy, etc. God, in His word, commands us believers to mimic His character with no exceptions. We should shape our thoughts, words, and deeds positively to show the impact of God’s presence in our lives.
The world has not seen God or know God or acknowledge Him. God becomes real, the existence of God begins to make sense, and God’s nature is made known to the world of unbelievers when they see the good behavior of Christians. Hence, by bearing fruit, we reflect the character of God and His love for humanity. Our actions become a testimony to the transformative power of faith, showing the influence of God’s presence in our lives. It is through our fruit-bearing that we make God’s love visible to others.
3. Fruitfulness is a Christian requirement
In the parable of the barren fig tree, a fig tree in a garden was not bearing fruit. This dissatisfied the owner 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. We were planted in God the day we believed and got saved. Salvation was given to us freely; it was neither sold to us nor did we buy it. Our many sins could not deny us salvation for it is a gift from God and it does not come by our righteousness.
However, those Christians who value salvation and love the God of salvation, inevitably, live in obedience to His word as a demonstration of their gratitude and love. Such Christians are the ones who are bearing fruit and will inherit the kingdom of heaven. It is rather funny to think that as a believer, you can live in defiance of the word of God and still remain at His side. In Jesus’ teachings, He made it clear to all that unholy believers shall be denied eternal life (Mt 7:21-23).
4. Fruitfulness brings positive impacts on others
God wants us to bear fruit because it has a positive impact on others. When we bear fruit, we become agents of positive change in the world, influencing others through our examples and actions. A man called Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector who made his money by shady means. When he encountered Jesus, he repented and believed in him. Right away he started bearing fruit; he would give half of his possessions to the poor and he would pay four times what he extorted from others (Luke 19:1-10).
So Zacchaeus, someone who was cheating others to prosperity became a donor to better the lives of others thanks to his new-found faith in Christ Jesus. This sort of positive change is what God expects from believers. Moreover, our fruitfulness inspires others to be better, gives hope to others, and encourages unbelievers to embrace the Christian faith to become better persons.
5. Fruitfulness is beneficial to our lives
God is a good loving father and gave us His word so that we will follow to make the right decisions in life. And when we do, He becomes very pleased because we have fulfilled His desire. Now, it is time we understood that the first and main beneficiary of bearing fruit is ourselves. Unfruitful Christians are living a life that is perpetually sinful before God. And a life of sin itself is plagued with a lot of troubles.
If we fear God and in obedience to His word we bear fruit by abstaining from stealing, corruption, defrauding, pilfering, lying, etc. we save ourselves from adverse consequences such as imprisonment, disgrace, sacking, and a lot more. Moreover, fruitful Christians abstain from sexual immorality, alcoholism, and drug abuse and save themselves from a ton of problems such as addiction, poverty, diseases, shame, and many more. God wants us to be fruitful because it is beneficial to us.
Conclusion
As we can see, bearing fruit means living out and showing the good qualities and beliefs of being a Christian. It’s about changing in a way that improves our lives and affects those we meet positively. We should always remember that God requires us to be fruitful. When we understand why it’s important to bear fruit or do good things, we take the chance to make the world a better place, showing everyone how faith in Christ can change lives.