Bad Fruit - revisted

[B-A-C]

There are of course many tree that bear good fruit. ( Matt 7:17-18; Matt 13:23; Mark 4:20; Luke 6:43; etc... )

But of course none of us bear "good" fruit on our own. ( John 15:5; )
Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. A tree that has been pulled out of the ground, can longer get nourishment from the ground. So it can no longer bear fruit. Without Jesus, we can't bear good fruit either.

However there are trees that bear bad fruit. Where does this bad fruit come from?
If we can "do nothing" without Christ, and we can't produce any fruit at all, does that mean the bad fruit comes from Jesus?

Not at all. In fact Jesus may even water and fertilize a tree, and do everything within His power to make
a tree bad fruit, but in the end... it's still up to the branches of the tree. ( Luke 13:6-8; )

Jesus may give nourishment to the tree... but the tree can still refuse to bear good fruit, or even any fruit
at all for that matter.

Apparently some branches can be "broken off" of the vine (Jesus) and under some circumstances they
might be "grafted in" again to the vine. ( Rom 11:16-24; )

I notice that the fate of the tree that bears no fruit at all, is the same fate of the trees that bear "bad" fruit.
( Luke 13:9; Matt 7:19; )

Even the "tares" (weeds) in a crop of wheat require at least some moisture and some nourishment some the ground to grow. This may be why some tares are in the kingdom of God ( Matt 13:24-30; )

One other thing that comes to mind here is... the Bible talks about Spiritual gifts and the "fruit" of the Spirit.
What is the difference between a gift and fruit? One is given to you. The other is produced by you.
(You can't do this unless you are connected to the vine).

In Galatians 5 we see two kinds of fruit. Good fruit (of the Spirit) Gal 5:22-23;
..and bad fruit ( deeds of the flesh) Gal 5:19-21;

So does this bad fruit come from Jesus? Of course not. Then where does it come from?
In this case it comes from our flesh. Apparently we are capable of bearing bad fruit if we really want to.

 

[Born Again 2004]

In Galatians 5 we see two kinds of fruit. Good fruit (of the Spirit) Gal 5:22-23;
..and bad fruit ( deeds of the flesh) Gal 5:19-21;

So does this bad fruit come from Jesus? Of course not. Then where does it come from?
In this case it comes from our flesh. Apparently we are capable of bearing bad fruit if we really want to.

If you are a true Christian, with Jesus in you, thank God for the good fruit that he produces through you! By God's standards , an non-believer can produce no good fruit and remains un-forgiven. One of the greatest gifts to a true Christian, is that, though you yourself are still not capable of producing good fruit, Jesus produces good fruit through you and, forgives you when you're not capable!

 

[Lanolin]

Hmm food for thought.
Am going to a fruit tree pruning workshop tomorrow. May ask about this 'bad fruit'

 

[Born Again 2004]

Hmm food for thought.
Am going to a fruit tree pruning workshop tomorrow. May ask about this 'bad fruit'

If you're the Pruner, Cut'em off!

 

[Lanolin]

From what I know, you can graft different fruits onto the same rootstock..

 

[Curtis]

There is no such a thing as the "works of the fruit" that man does. There is the "works of the flesh" in which man does. The fruit of the Spirit comes from the tree, which came from the "seed" which is the "Word of God".The fruit of the Spirit is what God produces in man not what man produces.

Man is born again from the incorruptible "seed" of the Word of God!! (1 Peter 1:23)

There two ways in which man can walk, either by walking in the flesh, which produces the works of the flesh or by walking in the Spirit that causes the Spirit to produces it's fruit.

Eph 5:9 For the fruit (the effect, the product) of the Light or the Spirit [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life.

 

[Lanolin]

Hmm what I got from the fruit pruning workshop is you can help a tree produce more fruit but its a waste of time if its a bad fruit tree you need the right cultivar.
Some trees dont have good fruit but their roots are good. So you graft the good fruit bearers onto the rootstock. But dont let the rootstock grow cut their suckers off. They wont bear good fruit.