Jesus describes himself as a vine. John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” Jesus emphasizes that you must remain in Him as the vine and that God wants you to bear much fruit. In a similar analogy, Jesus talks about bearing fruit in the Parable of the Sower. Matthew 13:22-23 “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” In both analogies, it should be obvious that God wants us to bear fruit. What is the fruit that you should want to bear in your life?
Since the purpose of fruit on a tree or vine is to reproduce the plant, it would seem natural that one type of fruit that we produce would include sharing the gospel so that others would be saved. 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” Paul and Apollos were bearing fruit by helping people believe; God gave the increase.
But maybe you have never converted anyone. Does that mean that you are not bearing fruit? A careful study of the scriptures reveals other fruit that you are to bear. Hebrews 12:11 “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” The fruit of the world is unrighteousness and your fruit as a child of God is righteousness. This may be right actions and good works or it might be characteristics that we demonstrate to others. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” The result of the Holy Spirit living in you and doing his work in you is that you produce spiritual fruit described by these nine characteristics.
Sending aid to those in need is described as fruit. Philippians 4:16-17 “For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.” Praising and giving thanks to God is also described as fruit. Hebrews 13:15 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
You will know whether another person is a “good tree” or a “bad tree” by their fruit. Matthew 7:16-20 “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” In this passage, fruit appears to be the actions or deeds of an individual; they may be good or bad. By your fruit, everyone will know if you are a “good tree” or not.
Before we became Christians, our fruit was not good. Romans 6:20-22 “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” Before we were Christians, our fruit was unholy. It included selfish behavior and works of the flesh. But now as Christians, our fruit is righteousness and holiness. When others observe our fruit, they should see good fruit and see us as a “good tree”.
John the Baptist taught the necessity of bearing good fruit or being cut down. Matthew 3:10 “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” As a Christian, you should be interested in bearing good fruit and bearing much fruit. In describing the vine and the necessity of bearing fruit Jesus said in John 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” If we don’t bear fruit, we are taken away. If we bear fruit, the Father prunes us so that we bear more fruit. Pruning of a vine initially hurts the vine by cutting away parts of the branch. But the wise vinedresser knows that with appropriate pruning, the vine will produce more fruit. In the same way, the Father will prune you and me. Perhaps trials will come into your life as a way of “pruning” you. The Father allows these to come so that you will bear more fruit for Him.
We are admonished in Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” I encourage you to freely let God work in you to produce the fruit He desires in you.