So… Here are the big points from the previous two posts.
God, our Father, is the Gardner.
Christ is the True Vine.
We are branches grafted into the True Vine.
We who grow and mature in Christianity go through times of bearing fruit and times of pruning, which leads to bearing even more fruit in the future. Our growth and maturity are entirely dependent on how much we eat and drink from the True Vine. It is interesting that Christ never said what kind of fruit His followers would produce… only that they would produce fruit in abundance when they remain in Him.
What kind of fruit should be hanging from our limbs?
First… Play my silly game here. First check out 1 Corinthians 13*4 – 8
“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails ….”
Now, this is where we get a little silly… go through the passage again. This time, substitute in the word “Christ” for the word “Love” and its references as follows:
4 Christ is patient,
Christ is kind.
Christ does not envy,
Christ does not boast,
Christ is not proud.
5 Christ is not rude,
Christ is not self-seeking,
Christ is not easily angered,
Christ keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Christ does not delight in evil but
rejoices with the truth.
7 Christ always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
8 Christ never fails.
In this game, does every statement made about love equally hold true about Christ?
This silly little game answers the question, “What kind of fruit should be hanging from our limbs?” Galatians 5 confirms the answer.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Take a gander at the different components of the fruit we are to produce in abundance. The chart shows the English word, the actual Greek word used in Paul’s letter, and a very quick summary of the Greek word’s meaning:
English Greek Summary, not all-inclusive
| Love | Agape | This could be considered the rind that’s wrapped around all the other attributes… again, check out 1 Corinthians 13 |
| Joy | Chara | A delight or joy |
| Peace | Eirene | The object of God’s promise and is brought about by His mercy, granting deliverance and freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as a result of sin |
| Patience | Makrothumia | Able to keep our temper under control when interacting with people. It is associated with mercy |
| Kindness | Chrestotes | It is the grace, tenderness, and compassion in action which infuses the whole nature, mellowing all which would have been harsh |
| Goodness | Agathosyne | The qualities of good, as defined and judged by God |
| Faithfulness | Pistis | Firm persuasion, conviction, belief in the truth, reality, or faithfulness of something |
| Gentleness | Prautes | A condition of mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness but in power. It is the difference between meekness and weakness |
| Self-control | Enkrateia | The ability to keep oneself in check is in direct proportion to one’s ability to yield to God’s will. |
Most of this fruit has the same characteristics of love described in 1 Corinthians 13, and those can easily be found in Christ Jesus, the True Vine we are grafted into. The fruit of the light (goodness, righteousness, and truth) mentioned in Ephesians 5*9 describes more characteristics of Christ; again with the English and Greek words, and the Greek word’s meaning:
English Greek Summary
| Goodness | Agathosyne | The qualities of good, as defined and judged by God |
| Righteousness | Dikaiosune | Conformity to the claims of a higher authority and stands as an opposite to lawlessness. |
| Truth | Aletheia | God’s version and understanding of the absolute, indisputable truths underlying all things… |
My friend…
who we are and the way we do things IS the fruit that comes from True Vine,
regardless of what we do (both for the believers; and as a vocation, profession, or career) and where we live.
This is the fruit we grafted branches must bear so that all will see that our fruit always proves the truth of the True Vine!
Is there something about Christianity that baffles you? Leave a comment, or DM me through Facebook or Instagram
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Here is to us spending time in God’s Word each day. It is the best ground we can sink our roots into each and every day. Life gets interesting when we view the world through the filter of God’s Word.
Tootles!