{"id":18,"date":"2020-07-16T05:01:43","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T05:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/?p=18"},"modified":"2020-07-16T05:08:19","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T05:08:19","slug":"bearing-fruit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/2020\/07\/16\/bearing-fruit\/","title":{"rendered":"Bearing Fruit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes.jpg?resize=700%2C467&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"20\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/?attachment_id=20\" class=\"wp-image-20\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes-scaled.jpg?w=1400&amp;ssl=1 1400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eugenevonriesen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Several-Bunch-of-Grapes-scaled.jpg?w=2100&amp;ssl=1 2100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve been considering that well-known passage in Galatians regarding fruit of the spirit, and I think perhaps that we often have it wrong.&nbsp; We tend to think about this passage in terms of the Spirit giving us peace, the Spirit giving us joy, etc.&nbsp; After a careful examination of the text, however, it seems to me it\u2019s not about how we feel at all, or even about what we receive.&nbsp; It\u2019s about how we act and how we treat others.&nbsp; And that makes this a challenging, difficult lesson &#8211; especially for me.&nbsp; I look at myself in this mirror and find myself wanting.&nbsp; Still, if you are up for a challenge, read on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Galations 5<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <sup>19<\/sup>The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; <sup>20<\/sup>idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions <sup>21<\/sup>and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><sup>22<\/sup>But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, <sup>23<\/sup>gentleness and self\u2011control. Against such things there is no law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Christians and That Pesky Sinful Nature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the possible exception of impurity, all of the sinful nature items are actions.&nbsp; Most, like witchcraft, are things we Christians don\u2019t often do.&nbsp; What we should do , on a regular basis, is consider whether we are doing anything from the sinful nature list.&nbsp; Could we be jealous? Do we have fits of rage? The problem is we don\u2019t want to think about the possibility we&#8217;re doing such things.&nbsp; We&#8217;re the Christians!  We&#8217;re the good guys!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We don&#8217;t want to believe we might be doing bad things.&nbsp; We want to be the good guys in the story&#8211;and we want someone else to be the bad guy.&nbsp; That means we consider whether other people doing things from selfish ambition or are creating factions.&nbsp; However, to be the good guys, we have to do the hard thing and consider where we might be failing.&nbsp; If we don\u2019t, we\u2019re in danger of falling prey to the sinful nature and not noticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We know there is occasional sexual immorality in the church.&nbsp; Idolatry, as in worshiping Baal or some such, doesn\u2019t happen.&nbsp; In the United States, however, we do worship money and fame, even power.&nbsp; We can worship such idols without knowing it because everyone around us worships them too.&nbsp; Worshiping money leads to selfish ambition too&#8211;because that\u2019s how one gets ahead and gets more money.&nbsp; Few of us have escaped worshiping money in some form, even if just coveting or hoarding it.&nbsp; It\u2019s certainly true of me.&nbsp; I want more of what money can buy.&nbsp; Besides taking care of my family, I want to travel, drive a nice car, live in a nice house. (Not a mansion, just nice.) The problem is we don\u2019t want to admit that to ourselves; doing so means we aren\u2019t the good guys we\u2019d like to be.&nbsp; Plus, everyone else is doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hatred, discord, dissensions, and factions are more interesting, and even more difficult to hear.&nbsp; We should ask ourselves if we are in close enough in tune with God to hear the message here.&nbsp; It\u2019s like the first drop on a roller coaster.&nbsp; Are you ready?&nbsp; Here we go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What if our Christian politics creates divisions in our country?&nbsp; What if we alienate people from Christ?&nbsp; What if we quarrel and argue, split churches and form denominations?&nbsp; All of these things are the result of our sinful nature.&nbsp; We make excuses and justify our actions, saying if the other people only agreed with us (since we\u2019re right), then it would all be fine.&nbsp; The truth, however, is if we changed <em><strong>our<\/strong><\/em> actions there wouldn&#8217;t be a division either.&nbsp; We can justify any action, come up with reasons why we\u2019re right in doing what we\u2019re doing.&nbsp; And thus we create dissensions and factions, we drive people away from the Church and Jesus because of our sinful nature.&nbsp; And perhaps worst of all, we won\u2019t even admit to ourselves&#8211;let alone other people&#8211;that we\u2019re doing creating dissensions and factions.&nbsp; The problem is if we compare this sinful list with the Spirit\u2019s list, these actions are sinful.&nbsp; We don\u2019t want to hear this, but there it is in scripture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does it Mean to Bear Fruit?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, we come to the Fruit of the Spirit, a succinct list of actions performed by those who follow God.&nbsp; However, when we look at this second list, we too often we see love, joy, and peace, and pretty much stop listening.&nbsp; It\u2019s good to be loved.&nbsp; It\u2019s good to be joyful.&nbsp; And it\u2019s great to be at peace with ourselves and with God.&nbsp; All these things are true \u2013 we are loved, God does give us peace.&nbsp; There are many other passages that say so, like what Jesus says in John just before the crucifixion.&nbsp; But that isn\u2019t what God is telling us in <em><strong>this<\/strong><\/em> passage.&nbsp; That isn\u2019t the point.&nbsp; Consider the other words in the list and what they mean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Patience<\/strong> takes place in relationship to another person.&nbsp; It\u2019s something we do (or don\u2019t do)<\/li><li><strong>Kindness <\/strong>is something we do to or for other people<\/li><li><strong>Goodness<\/strong>, again, is in relationship to others<\/li><li><strong>Faithfulness<\/strong>: Notice this doesn&#8217;t say &#8220;have faith,&#8221; but faithfulness, or being faithful<\/li><li><strong>Gentleness<\/strong>, again, how we behave toward others<\/li><li><strong>Self\u2011control<\/strong> is how we behave<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The main point about this list is simple, but even more challenging  than the one about the sinful nature.&nbsp; Do you see the pattern?&nbsp; Every one of these things is a verb, describing an action not a state of being.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Peacemakers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If all the other items in the Fruit of the Spirit list are actions, what about peace?  I submit that peace, in this context, is not something we have but something we create when in tune with the Spirit.&nbsp; Consider the Beatitude; Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.&nbsp; (Truthfully, we don\u2019t often consider what that means either.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My pastor once told a story of a Jewish college professor from Harvard who went to Iraq.&nbsp; They loved him there.&nbsp; Everyone got along with him.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; According to him, Harvard has a tradition of debate without malice and disagreement without rancor.&nbsp; This man was a peacemaker.&nbsp; Where he went, there was peace.&nbsp; How many of us can make such a claim?&nbsp; I can\u2019t.&nbsp; I cause all kinds of discord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What of Love and Joy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That brings us to the remaining two words in the list, the first two; love and joy.&nbsp; While we want to be loved, are we not as Christians also called to love others?&nbsp; To love our neighbor as ourselves?&nbsp; To even love our enemies?&nbsp; Therefore again, with love, we\u2019ve found an action for us to do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then there is joy.&nbsp; Since all the others are actions, what about this one?&nbsp; As we make peace, perhaps we can also bring joy to others.&nbsp; I&#8217;ll say that again; let us bring joy to others. Thus, in this context, joy is something we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus often compared the faithful to a vineyard and vines that bore fruit (and He added a warning about vines that don\u2019t produce fruit. That, together with the Fruit of the Spirit, ought to scare us).&nbsp; Even more, something we rarely consider is that a tree or vine does not produce fruit for itself.&nbsp; The fruit is always for the next plant, or even the birds, caterpillars, and squirrels.&nbsp; More, in the Bible, it tends to be an agricultural metaphor.&nbsp; God owns the vineyard.&nbsp; We are the vines producing fruit for someone else to eat, because vines don\u2019t eat grapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thus, the fruit of the Spirit is not something produced for us, but something we produce for others when are in tune with God\u2019s will.&nbsp; When our relationship with God is good, we are gentle and kind.&nbsp; We are patient and bring joy to others.&nbsp; Perhaps to sum it all up, we are loving.&nbsp; As a pair of companion verses, consider the sermon on the mount: \u201cLove your enemies and do good to those who persecute you,\u201d and then look once more at&nbsp; I Corinthians 13.&nbsp; That one is the blueprint on how we should behave toward our enemies.&nbsp; Let me say that again; I Corinthians 13 is a blueprint for how we should behave toward those we wish would disappear.&nbsp; When we follow God, we produce this fruit, so the Fruit of the Spirit (and the sinful nature list) tells us how we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question to ask ourselves, therefore, is how often are we kind, gentle, good, and patient?&nbsp; It seems, since this passage is about letting the Spirit work through us, that the closer we are to God, the more faithful we are to others, and the more self-control we have.&nbsp; This is the opposite of the sinful list, because self-control would mean we don\u2019t have fits of rage. In other words, we would not be angry at the sinner (or sin) that bugs us the most.&nbsp; In fact, we would be patient, kind, and gentle with that sinner, as Jesus was with all sinners.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This gets uncomfortable because it doesn\u2019t describe me.&nbsp; Nor does it describe what I often see in churches.&nbsp; We don\u2019t want to be kind to sinners; we want to judge them, because then we look better by comparison.&nbsp; We\u2019re the righteous.&nbsp; I certainly don\u2019t want to hear this kind of message, but there it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not Against the Law<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is still one more line in this passage \u2013 an introspective, difficult line that is easily passed over.&nbsp; Paul ends with: \u201cagainst such things there is no law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can put that another way; if what are doing or want to do is against the law, it is almost certainly an action from the prior list, the sinful nature list.&nbsp; Even if someone <strong><em>wants<\/em><\/strong> to make a law against what we\u2019re doing, it probably belongs on the wrong list.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Russia, North Korea, or the worst times in Communist China, there was never a law against being kind, gentle, patient, and loving.&nbsp; Now, there are exceptions.&nbsp; In Nazi Germany if you were kind to Jews you might have gotten arrested.&nbsp; That, however, is a rather extreme case.&nbsp; We can complain all we want about being persecuted and put upon, how the nation is ignoring God\u2019s laws and what is right.&nbsp; Even then, however, there is no law against being kind, gentle, and patient, against bringing peace and joy to others.&nbsp; So, in order to judge our own actions and whether they are the Fruit of the Spirit, we can ask first if it is against the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bearing Fruit When We Don&#8217;t Want To<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The truth is still that we don\u2019t want to compare our actions to this list&#8211;either the good or the bad.&nbsp; We want to think we are right and justified even if there is a law against what we want to do.&nbsp; But consider this; our college professor was able accomplish things we would have thought impossible (like surviving, for one), by being a peacemaker.&nbsp; What could we accomplish&#8211;even where people aren\u2019t out to kill us&#8211;by being kind, gentle, and loving?&nbsp; Could it be that the places where we are most angry and passionate about our causes are the places we <strong><em>aren&#8217;t<\/em><\/strong> following God?&nbsp; That\u2019s not an easy thing to consider, but there it is in these two lists, because when we are angry and passionate, we sow discord and even hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rick Warren starts <em>The Purpose Driven Life <\/em>by saying, \u201cIt\u2019s not about you.\u201d&nbsp; The Fruit of the Spirit is the same.&nbsp; It\u2019s not about us. It\u2019s about how God works through us to help and heal others, to create an environment of peace, joy, and kindness.&nbsp; The two lists, then, give us a tool to see how well we\u2019re doing.&nbsp; I, for one, often don\u2019t want to know that, because I usually don\u2019t do so well.&nbsp; Still, for myself, I would rather know than think I\u2019m doing well when I\u2019m not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fortunately for all of us, even the ones who know what God wants and don\u2019t do it, there is forgiveness.&nbsp; We say we want to know the Truth.&nbsp; If so, let us look in this difficult mirror of the Fruit of the Spirit with diligence, honesty, and courage.&nbsp; And more, let us strive to be closer to God.&nbsp; Let us love Him, follow Him and become more like Him.&nbsp; Then, day by day, we can begin to bear more fruit, to the benefit of the neighbors and enemies we are asked to love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve been considering that well-known passage in Galatians regarding fruit of the spirit, and I think perhaps that we often have it wrong.&nbsp; We tend&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3,2],"class_list":["post-18","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianliving","tag-christian-living","tag-spiritual-life"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25,"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions\/25"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eugenevonriesen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}