I’m not sure where I got this notion. I know that a lot of the thoughts God brings to me are unique to me. In fact, many of them are. But I also know that much of them are a sort of amalgamation of the wisdom I have gained from the cloud of witnesses that have gone before me. In other words, they are bits and pieces of truth that registered in my spirit from my favorite writers from long ago: Oswald Chambers being one, and I could list so, so many more.
Here’s one of them this morning. In God’s word, He has always been, from the beginning in Genesis, very serious about fruit bearing after its kind. God’s truth is true, and it touches every aspect of life. The principles of God do.
This is one of them and it’s a very important one. We see that fruit from trees are mentioned as always being fruit after their kind. An apple tree will bear apples not oranges. Perhaps the most important fruit is the fruit that believers bear for the kingdom of God. I’m sorry, not perhaps but absolutely.
It struck me this morning, as I was pondering the things of God. And I am just remembering that I did read about bearing fruit after it’s kind in a devotional. So We do see in the Bible that in order to bear fruit for the kingdom, we have to be a believer who abides in Christ. Without great explanation, the whole word teaches that this is referring to a mature believer. Also known as a single minded believer. Also known as a fully sanctified believer.
A believer who does abide in Christ cannot, not abide in Christ. They always abide in Christ. If they aren’t always abiding in Christ, then they are not yet single minded. Now back to fruit bearing. Look at your life as a believer. Look around you. What kind of fruit do you bear on a consistent and regular basis? I can tell you what kind of fruit you bear. I have never met you but I can tell what kind of fruit you bear. You bear fruit after your kind. Paul said it is a good thing as long as we are in this body, sanctified, not yet sanctified, but it is always a good thing to examine yourself to see what manner of spirit you are in. Part of that is looking around to see what kind of fruit you’re bearing. Is it good fruit, then it will be Kingdom fruit. Is it bad fruit, then it’s not even worth trampling on.
Are you leading other people to single minded abiding in Christ, then you are bearing good fruit. You’re bearing good fruit after your kind. Are you leading other people to have your bad habits? Are you leading people you are regularly in contact with to stumble in righteousness, to compromise in righteousness? If you are, then you are bearing bad fruit after your kind.
The reason this is a very important thing to examine, and to know for sure, is this: if you are bearing fruit after your kind, and it’s bad fruit, the issue isn’t with the people around you, the issue is with you. John 15 tells us that if we do not abide in Christ, we cannot bear fruit. We know elsewhere in the word that it is inferred here, that Jesus meant good fruit for the kingdom. He assumes the reader understands that. Elsewhere in the Bible we are told bad fruit can be produced. We are also told that each thing bears fruit after its kind. So if you want to examine yourself like Paul said regularly to see what manner of spirit you are in, examine not only your fruit but the fruit that is produced as a result of being in contact with you. God will show you.
When Paul told us to do this, we know that he said it with a heart that always desired that every believer would store up treasures in heaven as a result. Treasures are not stored up in heaven for the believer who bears bad fruit.
The beautiful thing, and the sobering thing is that it is all our responsibility. It is totally up to us what kind of fruit we will bear. Make it good fruit today. And this is another notion I am borrowing from someone along the way who has taught me and I do not know who first said it. Fruit that a believer bears, just happens, there is no effort in it. Good deeds are not necessarily good fruit, if they are not done as a byproduct of abiding in Christ. An apple tree doesn’t strain and plot to bear apples. It just bears apples because of what it is. It’s an apple tree.
A believer will bear fruit after their kind, by becoming that kind. Glorious truth from a glorious God.