Fruit For Calling and Election
(week 35/06)
Olubi Johnson
In our article last week on grace, mercy and diligence we saw that we are responsible for making our calling to heaven and our election to destiny sure.
2 Peter 1:10 KJV: Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:
This week we will see how this relates to fruit bearing.
John 15:1-2, 6, 8, 16-17 KJV: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Here, the Lord reveals to us that the fruit of the spirit is love. This is confirmed in Gal. 5.22 since all the fruits of the spirit make up the characteristics of love revealed in 1 Cor. 13.4-8.
Now the Lord reveals to us 4 levels of fruit bearing:
1. No fruit or withered fruit.
2. Some fruit.
3. Much fruit
4. Permanent fruit.
These 4 levels of fruit bearing will lead to different destinies:
1. No fruit or withered fruit will make one lose their calling: cut off and gathered into the fire to be burned.
2. Some fruit: go to heaven but suffer loss of destiny (1Cor. 3.15): 30 fold fruit bearing (Mk. 4.20).
3. Much fruit: go to heaven fulfill some but not all of your destiny: 60 fold fruit bearing (Mk. 4.20).
4. Permanent fruit: go to heaven and fulfill all of your destiny: 100 fold fruit bearing (Mk. 4.20).
No fruit or withered fruit is what a christian produces when, after being born-again and walking with God for a while, a person decides to no longer continue in the Word or ‘backslides’ and goes back to living habitually in sin: the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things enter in and choke or wither the Word (Mk. 4.19).
Some fruit is what a Christian produces when he walks in some of God’s truth to a degree but does not accept and walk in the deeper truths of God’s Word and so does not develop the love of God beyond the baby to little child level (1 Jn. 2.13).
Much fruit is what a Christian produces when they walk more in God’s Word and so develop the love of God to the little child to young man level (1Jn.2.13-14).
Permanent fruit is what a Christian produces when they walk in all of God’s Word and so perfect the love of God in their conduct: so that they permanently respond to situations, in divine love, like God does, no matter the pressures. They develop the love of God to the father level (1 Jn. 2.13-14).
In order to make us bear more fruit and so fulfill more of our destiny God allows difficult situations to come into our lives to purge us. The difficult trials and tests reveal to us the infirmities, weaknesses and impurities that are still in us and we are to use the blood, the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to clean out these things and so overcome the trials bringing forth more fruit. In our article next week on the Shunamite woman we will see a practical example of this.
