Question 1

What does the Bible mean when it says my life is to produce “good fruit”?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 1:1-3They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.Isaiah 5:1-7“What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes? Now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will tear down its hedges and let it be destroyed.” . . . The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence.The Bible often uses metaphors of trees and vines to paint a picture of how people should be useful and productive. This means in part that just as the natural world is designed for productivity, so we have been designed by God to do certain things well. As God’s followers, we are to live lives that bear the healthy fruits of righteousness, justice, kindness, love, and truth—all important means of growing God’s Kingdom on earth.Luke 6:43-45“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. . . . A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”A piece of fruit can look good on the outside but be full of worms and rot on the inside. In the same way, we can look good on the outside but only pretend to love God and desire to serve him. Our “good deeds” can easily be motivated by desires for personal gain. The fruit God desires from us naturally rises from a heart that truly loves him. A good heart is essential for producing good deeds.

Question 2

How can I produce this good “fruit” in my life?

Accepted Answer

John 15:1-5“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”Our lives will bear good fruit only when we stay connected to the source of sustaining and creating power. Where else could we be so effectively watered and nurtured than from the nutrients God provides through his Word and his very self? But remember also that our heavenly Father is a gardener, who will prune and manage us as branches in order to help us produce the fruit he desires.Romans 7:4You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!Because of Jesus’ power over death and the indwelling of his Holy Spirit, your old nature is put to death, allowing your new nature to produce good fruit. Your old nature slowed you down in accomplishing tasks with eternal significance, but with your new nature, there is little to hold you back from great productivity.

Question 3

Should Christians care how productive they are at work or in business?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 12:11A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.The Bible consistently teaches that hard work increases the probability of blessings and success, and allows every opportunity for a fulfilling spiritual life. There are no guarantees of success in this life, but hard work and diligence are normally rewarded with enough for contentment. And when we are well provided for, we are in a good position to be a blessing to others.2 Thessalonians 3:6-10Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”Followers of Jesus are expected to be productive so they don’t become burdens to others and bad examples to the world.

Productivity