Fruit and More Fruit

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away; 

and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, 

that it may bring forth more fruit. 

John 15:2

It is God's desire that spiritual fruit be evident in our life. The word of God indicates how spiritual fruit is to develop. 

There are different levels of fruit-bearing evident in the lives of believers. John 15 identifies the various levels of fruit production:

                   

           No Fruit:        
                   
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: John 15:2a

             Fruit:  
                
and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  John 15:2b

        Much fruit: 
                
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  John 15:5

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples.  John 15:8

         Permanent Fruit:

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should
go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever
ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.  John 15:16

God's desire is that we bear much spiritual fruit and that it is permanent. He wants us to be productive in the outer fruit of evangelism and the inner fruit of Christ-likeness.

The Bible, as a whole, has a master key -- a special passage -- which unlocks the meaning to all the Word of God. This master key permits us to understand the intent and contents of the entire Bible. It enables us to see the world as God sees it.

Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day; And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  Luke 24:45-47 

Note the words "Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." This means Jesus was giving His disciples a "master key", or two basic facts, which would enable them understand all of God's Word. If you do not understand these two facts, you will not truly understand the Word of God.

The Bible contains important principles which we must identify in order to understand what God is saying to us through His Word. One of these principles is that of natural parallels of spiritual truths. The word "parallel" means to be similar to something or to "lay side by side". In a "natural parallel of a spiritual truth" God uses a natural example to explain or represent a spiritual truth.

The parables of Jesus were natural examples of spiritual truths. For example, in one parable He used the natural example of a woman searching intensely for a lost coin. He used this to illustrate the intense concern we should have for men and women who are lost in sin. This is just one of many examples of parables in which Jesus used natural examples to illustrate spiritual truths.

Apostle Paul explains the principle of natural and spiritual parallels like this:

. . . There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.  Howbeit that was not first which was spiritual but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.  1 Corinthians 15:44-46

In these verses Apostle Paul shared one of the greatest examples of a natural parallel of a spiritual truth. The first man created by God was the natural man, Adam. Jesus, who is called the last Adam, was a quickening spirit. Adam was a natural parallel of the spiritual truth God revealed through Jesus Christ: 

By the natural man came sin and death. 

By the spiritual man came salvation and life.

That which is natural is something we can observe with our senses; we can see, hear or touch it. That which is spiritual can only be observed with spiritual senses. Natural examples can be recognized with the physical senses. Their spiritual parallels can only be recognized through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Understanding this principle of natural parallels of spiritual truths results in new insights in the study of God's Word.

Jesus used a natural parallel to explain the way God sees the world and our active participation in it:

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35

We can further understand why the fruit of outer evangelism is so important:

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;  Matthew 9:37

Ask yourself this question:  

How much fruit are you producing; on the outside and the inside?

Biblical Studies


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