Who Makes The Fruit Grow?
A Word From The Word: Fruit
There are two reasons to focus on specific words in this series, “A Word From The Word”. Often the reason is that something has been lost in translation from Greek or Hebrew to English that we need to recapture in order to fully understand what God is telling us. Sometimes however, the reason has to do with making sure we actually understand the significance of the word itself, whether in the Greek or English.
One of the most important words for disciples of Jesus is “fruit”. I understand the word is pretty simple and straightforward. And for the record, the Greek word for fruit, karpos, means…fruit. So why focus on this word?
For one thing, when God tells us what He is actually doing in our lives—in us—now, He often uses the word fruit. For example, He tells us that the Holy Spirit is working in us to produce a list of nine characteristics (all of which describe Jesus Himself) which He calls fruit. And when the Hebrew writer tells us that God’s discipline will be unpleasant to us (Hebrews 12:7) he goes on to reassure us that God has a purpose in allowing us to experience such unpleasantness. He is using these experiences to produce fruit in our lives—specifically righteousness and peace! God’s ultimate purpose in our lives is to make us like Jesus, and give us righteousness and peace!
There is something else about fruit that every farmer or successful gardener understands. Unfortunately, that doesn’t describe most of us. We need to understand the reality that we have been tasked by God to nurture the fruit until it is mature. That said, every farmer will tell you that no matter what you do to ensure the health of a crop, there are some things that are simply out of your control. Fruit trees need the farmer’s attention. They also need the right temperature, the right amount of sunlight and the right amount—and delivery system—of water. Farmers cannot control all of these. Only God can.
It is significant that, while the Holy Spirit is the farmer growing the fruit of the Spirit in each of us, it is also true that we are required to exert our own effort to successfully grow this fruit. In fact, there is at least one command in scripture (often more than one) where we are commanded to practice these traits (e.g. love one another, rejoice, be patient, etc.).
So, while we must rely on the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in us, it is also fair to ask what each of us is doing to grow this fruit in our lives. We can’t produce this fruit on our own, but God has commanded that we be part of the process. God’s design is that our growth results from a partnership between us and the Holy Spirit!
Know Jesus and Be Faithful!
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