The disciple realizes that man by nature stands in direct contrast to the demands of a spiritual life. Spiritual life must be implanted into man. God is the Implanter. "The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul".1 God's system and timing of bearing fruit are not given to season or impulse of man, but according to His will. When Truth is presented-Truth is confirmed.
When the Father bears fruit it is like Him. "Now you are light in the Lord, walk as children of Light, for the fruit of Light is found in all that is good and right and true".2 The fruit of the Father is:
1. Good, or goodness: "no one is good but God alone".3
2. Right, or righteousness: "Jesus is the Righteous One".4
3. True, or Truth: "I am the Truth".5
Disciples are those who see the fruit of God produced by Him and for Him are assuming the Light and Life that surrounds Him. We bask in the Light, not our own. Light and Life are in our Blessed Lord Jesus.6 Note that this can be practically applied to the believers life by seeing the progression of this principle applied in bearing fruit by following the sequence of verses in Colossians 1:3-12.
Our method of sharing the Light is second only in importance to the message of the Light. "If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts; do not boast and be false to the Truth". "But wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, open to reason, full of mercy, and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace".7 The Father will certainly honor the sowing of His children when we follow the wisdom of "meekness and a righteous life". This sowing He will, and can, honor. Less than this is out of His character, plan, and will in Christ Jesus, the Pure and perfect One.
The words bear fruit (Greek: gennao; to beget, to be born; anagennao, or ana-gennao; again; or more precisely; born again from above) help us to understand something of the preciousness of New Life. When someone is 'born again' or 'born from above' it is a "virgin birth." As the Lord Jesus was born of Mary and by the Holy Spirit, we too can claim an imparting from God to give us a 'miraculous birth from above.' New fruit has a new heart, new mind, new Spirit and will eventually have a new body for a new world.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him".8
What a glorious miracle is birth! What a mighty deed to bear fruit! Only One can give life! A disciple's life is given over to Him so He might use it to bear fruit and give life to another as He did with His only Begotten Son.
Additional Scripture References:
Matthew 7:16
Mark 10:18
Luke 8:14
John 1:13, John 3:3-8, John 5:7, John 15:2-8
Acts 7:52
Romans 6:22
Philippians 1:11
Hebrews 12:11
James 3:18
1 John 2:29, 1 John 3:3-8, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 5:14
1. Psalm 19:7
2. Ephesians 5:8-9
3. Mark 10:18
4. Acts 7:52
5. John 14:6
6. John 8:12, John 14:6
7. James 3:14-18
8. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
