The Daily Word of Righteousness

Fruit Is Change, #4

We know we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know no murderer has eternal life in him. (I John 3:14,15—NIV)

Oh but I am saved because I believe in Jesus. The Scripture says you are not saved if you are not being changed into His image. You can trust in your traditions or in the Scripture. The choice is yours.

Consider this:

Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' ‘Sir,' the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'" (Luke 13:6-9—NIV)

How are we to interpret this parable? You know what! Our traditions have made such parables invalid as far as Christians are concerned. We say we are saved and on our way to Heaven. But Jesus informed us if we do not bear fruit we are liable to be cut down, to be removed from His Kingdom.

And notice what Paul stated:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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. (Galatians 5:19-21—NIV)

"Will not inherit the Kingdom of God"!

This ought to be preached more. Instead we are preaching false doctrine.

A few years ago we Americans have dropped bombs on Yugoslavia. People were being murdered. Women were being raped. We were trying to stop the murder and rape with more violence.

Why is this?

It is because neither we nor the Yugoslavians are abiding in Christ. The Yugoslavians have a Christian heritage. Why are they murdering Muslims? Because their Christian heritage does not include their bearing the fruit of righteousness. So it is void of eternal life, of the Kingdom of God.

Why did we seek to prevent the slaughter of the Albanians by bombing the Yugoslavians? Instead of going to God to find out what to do we trusted in our military power. So God did not help us even though it was a humanitarian endeavor. The revenge killings continued for a long time afterward. Neither we nor England nor any of the other Christian nations who are part of NATO are being influenced by Jesus Christ. We are not bearing the fruit we have been saved to bear.

Why is this? It is because our doctrine is incorrect. We are not teaching the Word of God but the traditions of man. The modern Protestant teaching of faith without works prevents the bearing of fruit. There is no need for fruit. Just believe and you will go to Heaven.

To be continued.