Romans--Fruitbearing

The apostle Paul would contribute to the spiritual welfare of the Roman Christians, but he also expected to gather fruit from them. They were already regenerated by the Spirit of God and converted. Therefore, Paul was concerned about their spiritual growth.

The life of Christ produces fruit through His people. Every Christian produces some fruit. Professing believers are unfruitful, but there is no such thing as an unfruitful Christian. The contrast in John 15 is between bearing and nonbearing branches. Some Christians bear more fruit than others, but they all bear some fruit. Anyone who bears no fruit is not born again.

After Judas had gone out (John 13:21-30), the Lord addressed His eleven disciples. Judas was absent from the Lord’s dissertation on fruitbearing. The fruitless branch, Judas, had been removed. He was a fruitless branch, a mere professing Christian. Judas brought forth no fruit; therefore, he was removed from the children of God who were seeking to worship the Lord in spirit and truth. The Lord purged the eleven that they might bring forth more fruit. Every branch is the subject of either pruning or destruction.

The following truths are taught in John 15—(1) The union of life, (2) the union of love, and (3) the union of life and love result in disunion from the world. The Lord produces fruit through His own. The Holy Spirit within the Christian labors. Branches do not labor.

The Father is the Vinedresser or Husbandman. The Son cleanses. The believer abides. The Lord Jesus Christ is the vine. This applies to the Lord’s earthly sojourn. The Father was the Cultivator or Vinedresser of Christ while He was on earth, not while He is in heaven. The believer is the branch.

Jesus Christ came through the virgin’s womb and assumed an impeccable human nature; however, he had the appearance of a branch. As men looked upon Him, they assumed that He was a man; nevertheless, He was more than man. He was the God-Man, the true vine. The true vine gives life to the branches. He was the source of life to the branches.

John 15:2 says that Christians bearing “fruit” are pruned that they may bear more fruit. Verse 5 says the branch abiding in Christ bears “much” fruit. In verse 8, the abiding branch, bearing much fruit, glorifies the Father. In verse 16, the Lord has chosen His disciples and ordained them to go and bear fruit and that their fruit would remain.

The eleven remaining disciples were clean because of the word the Lord had spoken to them. Cleansing by the word is twofold—(1) by the word of command, and (2) by the word of the gospel. In this instance, the Lord spoke of cleansing by the word of the gospel which He proclaimed to the eleven. They had already been cleansed by the word of command.

The word of command is exemplified in Genesis 1:3—“Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” The Lord had created the heavens and the earth. They became formless and void. The Lord then spoke the word of command.

Another example is the infant portrayed in Ezekiel 16. The infant was still in its pollution, representing Israel’s spiritual condition before God. It was cast out into the world. The Lord uttered the word of command: “…I said to you while you were in your blood, Live!” (Ezek. 16:6). The word of the gospel was not proclaimed, but the word of command was given.

A New Testament example of the word of command is found in John 5:25—“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” Those who were dead in trespasses and sins would hear the voice of command. Regeneration is by the voice of command. Conversion is by the word of the gospel.

The Lord Jesus spoke to the disciples who had already heard the voice of command. Hence, they had been made alive in Jesus Christ. The principle of life had been imparted to them. The Lord was cleansing them through the word of truth—“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). The same truth is taught in John 17:17—“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” Children of God are cleansed daily by the word of truth.

Fruitful Christians are subjected to the pruning knife of God’s providence. They need daily pruning by the Father’s providence. They need daily cleansing by the Son of God. He cleanses through the word of truth, by the agency of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit within Christians enables them to abide. They persevere to bring forth fruit. The clean disciples were described in John 13:7-17; and Judas, the unclean disciple, was removed from their presence. The true disciples were pruned by the Vinedresser that they might produce more fruit.

The statement in John 15:2, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away…”, must be understood in the light of the statement in John 15:6—“If any one does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” Verse 6 does not refer to that relation by the Spirit with the risen Christ. That is a relation which cannot be broken. It does refer to a link formed on earth which can be either true or false. In this case, it referred to Judas. He was officially, but not spiritually, related to Jesus Christ. That principle still exists. Titus 1:16 says, many “profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him….”

The preposition “in” is used in verse 2 and is also found in John 14:20—“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” Three different relations appear in that verse: 1. The Lord Jesus Christ is “in” the Father—“…I am in my Father….” A most intimate relation exists between the eternal Father and the eternal Son. They possess the same nature as stated in John 10:30—“I and the Father are one.” Indwelling is not identity. Christ was in the Father; the Father was not Christ. There is an intimate relation between Christ as Mediator and the eternal Father. Two natures were united in Jesus Christ. He was the God-Man, walking among the sons of men. The Father sent the Son, and the Son came to accomplish the work of redemption. 2. The apostles were “in” the Lord Jesus Christ—“…you in me….” The apostles were officially related to Jesus Christ. Judas was an apostle; therefore, from the standpoint of office, he was related to Jesus Christ. He was not spiritually related. 3. Christ was “in” the true believers—“…I in you.” Christ is in His people. This has a meaning common to the eleven saved apostles and to all believers.

Judas was officially but not spiritually related to Christ. Consequently, he was a fruitless branch. The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 emphasizes that fruit is proof of salvation. The same kind of seed was sown in four different kinds of soil—(1) beside the road, which is impenetrable; (2) the rocky places, which represents superficial believers; (3) among the thorns, which represents preoccupation; and (4) good soil, which is soil prepared by the Lord. The message was indiscriminately sown, but it was discriminately fruitful. In the soil beside the road, the seed was on but not in. In the rocky places, the seed was on and in but not down. In the soil among the thorns, the seed was on, in, and down but not up. In the good and prepared soil, the seed was on, in, down, and up.

The Lord interpreted the parable in Matthew 13, beginning with verse 18. He explained that the seed is the word of the kingdom. In each instance, the word was sown in the heart, not merely in the mind. Man not only intellectually refuses the truth but his whole being rejects God’s truth. In the parable, the issue seemed to depend on the soil. In the explanation, it seemed to depend on the seed. Nothing was wrong with the message. The fault lay in the first three unprepared soils. The word that falls into impenetrable ground has no root. The word that falls into rocky places may cause a person to immediately receive it, but persecution soon causes him to fall away. The word that falls among the thorns is received for a time, but the cares of this world soon choke it out. The seed that falls in good soil brings forth fruit. These are those to whom the word of command has come. The word of command enables them to hear the gospel, and they bring forth fruit. Wherever there is grace there is fruit. Verse 23 tells us that the amount of fruit varies, but all Christians produce fruit.

Fruit is proof of grace. Those who attach themselves to Jesus Christ by profession—if they have life—will be cleansed. Hearing the word may cause their flesh to smart, but they rejoice because they recognize the need for pruning.

Those who attach themselves to Jesus Christ by profession, apart from grace, will be taken away. God in His providence will remove them. One instance of such removal is recorded in John 6. Many of the followers of the Lord could not receive the truth of His sovereignty. They began to strive among themselves, walked away, and ceased to follow Him. The apostle John described them in I John 2:19—“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.” Providence removes unfruitful branches.

Man’s responsibility is emphasized in John 15. Man separate from grace is unable to meet that responsibility. The question is not whether a real believer can be separated from God. Arminians use this portion of Scripture to erroneously teach that a believer can fall from grace. However, our Lord was not discussing whether a real believer can be separated from God, but He proved that a real believer will bear fruit.

Fruit is a Christian’s life, not his deeds. He, like a fruit tree, does not struggle to bear fruit. It is borne by the indwelling Holy Spirit. No branch ever put itself into the vine. They are what they are by the grace of God, and the grace of God labors within them. Two verses of Scripture illustrate this. The first is Galatians 2:20—“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” The second verse is I Corinthians 15:10—“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” Paul acclaimed the grace of God in salvation and service. The labor of the Spirit of God within a person brings forth fruit through that one. Christ’s life “within” produces fruit “through” an individual. Living in Christ involves loving one another. Separation to Christ means separation from the world.

Fruitbearing and works must be distinguished— 1. Fruit is borne silently. Works are accompanied with much noise. People talk much about their religious activities but say little about worship. 2. Fruit is without noticeable activity. Works require a great amount of activity. 3. Fruit is for the owner, the Lord. Works are usually done for others. 4. Fruit is produced only by a good tree. Works can be performed by corrupt men. Even religious works can be performed by corrupt and wicked men. 5. Fruit speaks of what we are. Works speak of what we do. A fruitbearing tree does not have to say, “Look at my peaches.” The fruit can be seen by those who come in contact with that tree. 6. Fruit represents character. Works represent conduct. 7. Fruit partakes of the nature of the tree bearing it. Works may have no relation to the nature of the man performing them.

In this passage of Scripture in John, the path of the disciples is discussed, not the salvation of sinners. Christ was speaking to the eleven disciples who had already heard the word of command. He was cleansing them with the word of truth, enabling them to abide and bear fruit. Believers were instructed that they might enjoy the love of Christ by keeping their hearts unclouded in the place where joy is found. Obedience, the fruit of regeneration, is a means of abiding in Christ’s love.

The fruits of salvation and service are taught in John 15:16—“You did not choose me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” The disciples were chosen to salvation before they were chosen to service. The person who expects to grow weary and cease serving Jesus Christ has never learned anything about the grace of God. He who has received Jesus Christ does not look back. “…No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). A Christian may take a side glance, like Peter, but he will not look back (John 21:20-22).

The Lord is the Alpha and Omega of the Christian life. He enables Christians to follow Him and bring forth fruit that remains. The fruit of Abel, Noah, Abraham, the prophets, etc., remains. The fruit of the eleven apostles, Paul, Timothy, etc., remains. Fruit of all godly men remains, some 30 fold, some 60, and some 100. Fruitful branches are pruned by God’s providence that they may be more fruitful.

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The NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE—UPDATED EDITION is the source of all Scripture quotations in this message, unless otherwise noted.