"The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,
and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways."
All of us sinners know about this already, don't we? It's the simple, steadfast rule of the universe, put in place
by God, that conformity to His character brings life, and the lack thereof, death. This echoes my Prov. 21:21
post, but I want to concentrate further on this concept here.
Randy Alcorn, in his book, The Purity Principle (which I highly recommend), Says this:
"A holy God made the universe in such a way that actions true to
His character, and the laws derived from His character, are always rewarded.
Actions that violate His character, however, are always punished.
He rewards every act of justice; He punishes every act of injustice.
That doesn't mean God always intervenes directly. This moral law is like the
law of gravity. God has set it in place. When a careless driver speeds on an icy
mountain pass, loses control, and plunges his car off a cliff,
God doesn't suddenly invent gravity to punish the driver's carelessness.
Gravity is already in place."
In this morning's sermon, Pastor Philip taught from Ephesians 2, which talks about the fact we, unregenerate,
are dead in our sins. He then went on to point out that this "death" is not physical, but spiritual. He went to the
account of the fall in Genesis 3, adding that the death that came from Adam and Eve's disobedience was, in
essence, the severing of their relationship with God.
In picking this verse, I particularly noticed the use of the words "fruit" and "will" in each sentence. Fruit
implying something that comes out of another, that is inseparable from that thing. The fruit of a tree is part of
that tree, and a healthy tree will bear its fruit in season. This flows into the next word, "will". It is a promise,
that whenever actions, good or bad, are performed, the fruit comes, whether we like it or not. Of course, in
reference to this, a certain portion of scripture may come to mind...
are dead in our sins. He then went on to point out that this "death" is not physical, but spiritual. He went to the
account of the fall in Genesis 3, adding that the death that came from Adam and Eve's disobedience was, in
essence, the severing of their relationship with God.
In picking this verse, I particularly noticed the use of the words "fruit" and "will" in each sentence. Fruit
implying something that comes out of another, that is inseparable from that thing. The fruit of a tree is part of
that tree, and a healthy tree will bear its fruit in season. This flows into the next word, "will". It is a promise,
that whenever actions, good or bad, are performed, the fruit comes, whether we like it or not. Of course, in
reference to this, a certain portion of scripture may come to mind...
"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully
grown brings forth death." - James 1:14-15
In addition to all this, though, we remember that, in spite of the residual effects of our sin, we have the ultimate
victory and assurance of forgiveness through Jesus Christ, who "redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us (Gal 3:13)".
