Fruit Or No Fruit, That Is The Question

Are you bearing fruit?

Did you just say a prayer one time in your life to invite the Lord into your heart and then turn your back on Him again and go right back to the way you were living before you said the prayer? That is not repentance.

Is God working in your life to produce fruit on the branch or are you just a branch on the vine that needs to be pruned off and cast into the flame judgement?

Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:19-20

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. Matthew 12:33

You've heard it said to you, "say this prayer and you will be saved". Some of you have heard it said to you by your friends. Some have heard it said to them by their conscience. Some have even heard it said to them by their pastor that they are branches in the vine just by saying the sinner's prayer one time and then doing nothing. But if you have produced absolutely NO fruit/fruits of the Spirit what does that tell you? Am I saying that if you are now convicted over it because I brought it to your attention you are not saved? No. If your convicted, that's a good sign. It is a sign the Holy Spirit is working within you, convicting you. What I am saying is a true believer will produce some type of fruit. Some type of progress in sanctification in a journey towards holiness, towards Christ.

So what happens when the branch produces no fruit? What did the Scripture just tell you above in Matthew 3:10, 7:19-20 & 12:33?

God prunes/chastises/sends trials to those he loves because trials encourage perseverance and perseverance builds character. The kind of character Jesus wants in His Church.

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2

So how do we know we are really on the right path and saved? We will produce fruits in accordance with our relationship with Jesus.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. John 15:8

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16

Need more explanation? Here's more in Romans:

But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life. Romans 6:22

Paul is saying that, in your lifetime if you increase in grace and holiness (fruit), at your death you shall have everlasting life. Fruit of righteousness that can only come from God.

Saying a prayer in Bible School when you were 11 years old doesn't determine your eternal salvation. Your behavior and actions now in conjunction with a sinners prayer helps determine your salvation at any age that there is conscious awareness of Jesus.

Paul also tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling in Philippians 2:12...work out...κατεργάζομαι, to perform or accomplish. It is a Present Imperative Active verb in Greek. Which means the word(s) is/are used to issue a command, precisely in the same manner as the English imperative ("Do this or that"). In the active voice, it may indicate added emphasis that it is a command to do something in the future which involves continuous or repeated action.

If we continue "work out" our salvation over the remainder of our lives in a progressive act of sanctification in Christ(Romans 6) we should expect to see results similar to the results we would expect from working out with weights when we weight train (figuratively speaking). In weight training it would be increase strength, health, size, etc. Increases from working out our salvation? The Fruits of the Spirit (the amount, the intensity, frequency, etc).

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

Think about it folks. What is fruit? Its an overabundance of life. In the spiritual realm it is eternal life. A piece of the Kingdom here in the earthly realm.

Work out, working out, continue? That doesn't sound like just a single one time prayer back in your childhood does it? Work out, continue? To me it doesn't sound very stationary or static at all. What do you think?

You got any fruit?