Bear fruit
“For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.” Romans 7:5
Bear fruit – Florida is famous for citrus. But these days Florida is in trouble. A disease is spreading through the groves and the only way to stop it is to cut down all the trees. It’s like cancer. Unless you cut it out completely, it will destroy everything. Paul tells us the same thing. If your grove is polluted, the only remedy is destruction. You can’t save a single one of the diseased trees. You will have to burn them all so God can start with new seedlings. Want to know what on the diseased fruit list? Look at Galatians 5 (or read my article called The Works of the Flesh). You might be surprised.
In the spiritual world, even rotten trees bear fruit. The Greek infinitive karpophoresai comes from karpos (fruit) and phero (to bring). It is the verb of production and growth. Sometimes we think that lives that are disconnected from God are not productive, but that is not so. The life of the unbeliever still produces fruit. The difference is that every bit of it is lethal. Lives disconnected from Christ produce poisoned apples. This kind of fruit has only one result – death.
If we look at the parts of this word, we get a bigger picture. Karpos is the same word used to describe the production that comes from the living vine. It is used to describe the words (fruit of the lips) of believers and the results of righteousness. Jesus had a lot to say about trees that produced good fruit. So we find that this word covers more than tangible products. It involves what we say, what we do and what we produce.
Phero also has a wider meaning. It is used to describe carrying a burden, bearing up under trials, bringing forth a word and leading to a place. All of these are actions of personal responsibility.
There are many lists of poison fruit in the Bible. While the words differ, the ideas don’t. Poison fruit is always intended to Edge God Out (EGO). Poison fruit is all about having control of your own garden. The problem is that the garden belongs to God. Once we start to take over, everything gets polluted.
Without complete renewal, your life will end up being a waste no matter what you thought you were producing. Salvation is not about being a better person. It is about starting over from seedlings. The only good fruit is God’s fruit.
Today’s Action Item: I will do a fearless check of the fruit I am producing and if I find any poison apples, I will throw them out just for today. If I want them back, I’ll have to wait until tomorrow.
