(All scripture references are NASB and all references to “Law” are Torah (Mosaic law) unless otherwise noted. I usually capitalize “law”, only because I am using it as a proper noun, not as a special status.)
I'm still working on the article about what causes God pain to the point of grieving and I will also continue with investigating agape in scripture, but in the meantime there is something on my heart that I wanted to get out there. This has taken awhile, life gets crazy sometimes.
Are You a Good Tree or a Bad Tree?
One of the most important questions you may never have thought to ask yourself as a believer is: am I a good tree or a bad tree?
Tree and botanical analogies are frequent in scripture. Christ often uses them, and they come up in the epistles too. The gift of the indwelling Spirit of Christ and the manifestations of this union are expressed as 'fruit' in a well known analogy.
Thus, understanding your place within the 'tree' discussions in scripture is important. It will influence how you interpret many passages of scripture, and, whether you realize it or not, it will influence the strength of your faith.
Good, Bad, or Hybrid Trees?
When scripture speaks of trees, are they good, bad, or somewhere in between? How is the goodness or badness of a tree determined?
Is it only good when it acts good, and then bad when it acts bad? Thus it is sometime good, sometimes bad, or a hybrid?
And how do we determine if it is bad or good? What does fruit look like?
We will attempt to answer all of these type questions as we take a look at botany in scripture.
The Analogy is more than Just Trees
I should point out that the botanical analogies regarding fruit bearing are not exclusively trees. Sometimes a vine is used or other fruit bearing plants.
For my purposes, these will all be synonymous in the sense that they all represent types of people. Whether scripture is using a tree, vine, or another plant, the principle is the same.
The Reason this Topic is Important
There is a fascinating Greek word translated a few things, but a classic word is 'reckon'. Here is a link to information on this word:
This is a fascinating word because of the different places it is used. I could do an extensive study just on this word. One of the primary places it is used is Romans 6:11 where Paul indicates that in the exact same way Christ “died to sin once” we must “reckon” ourselves to be dead to sin.
The root of this word is “logos” which I am currently writing an upcoming article about.
This fits perfectly, since this word is truly the foundation for our understanding of God’s promises within the gospel. His promises are the Logos and represented by Christ, the living Word. Christ is the embodiment and fulfillment of God's promises.
You can read the link yourself, but my interpretation is that when this word is used, it is meant “to affirmatively conclude a truth based on the promises of God”. This is a logical faith based on the unshakeable promises of God.
God 'Reckons' that we are Righteous
All the different ways this is used in the NT is a fascinating study, but I will contrast the chapter where it is used most - Romans chapter 4 - with Paul's usage in Romans 6, and then 2 Corinthians 5.
First, Romans 4:4 - “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,” (NASB 1977)
The main thing to note here is that this is a God to human action. God believes and acts as if we are righteous. God sees this as an absolute truth about us once we come to Christ.
The main issue with only basing this idea on Romans 4 alone is that we can get the idea that God is faking Himself out - that our righteousness is only a book keeping endeavor. Yet, Galatians 3:21, among other passages, indicates that God has actually made us righteous at our core.
So, because of this new birth action that made us into a new creation, God has acted in such a way upon us that He has a fully legitimate basis for believing and acting as if we are righteous, because we are. He has made it so.
Reckon God's Promises are True
So, we must come to grips with how certain this reckoning by God Himself is. Because the next verse I am mentioning that uses this word calls upon us to 'reckon' towards ourselves in the same way God does.
“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:11 (NKJV)
Paul is calling upon us now to recognize, believe, trust, and act as if we are dead to sin. Again, much like the action from God, this is because we are. But Paul is calling upon us to truly think and live within this reality.
Calling ourselves righteous, even when this righteousness is not always reflected by the members of our physical body, is agreeing with God (confession). This is the start of reckoning it to be truth.
A Reckoning - The New Creation
“Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (ASV)
I am using multiple translations to maintain the use of the word 'reckon', but the ideas are the same.
So, the key phrase is “in Christ”. Paul could not be any more clear here. Anyone who is “in Christ” is a new creature or creation. This Greek word is literally “something from nothing”, the same word that describes when God created the earth.
God did a creative work to and in us that fundamentally changed who we are into something new. Notice that this is not 'future'. You are either in Christ now, while you are alive, or you will never be.
Thus, being a new creation is here and now for those who are in Christ. This is not only what will be coming, it is a reality of your identity, being, and spiritual makeup that is really real, now. There is a completion to it in the future, but it doesn't make the current new creation any less real or true.
This new creation activity, however, was only possible because the finished work of Christ enabled full, permanent, and forever reconciliation between us and God. And this was enabled because God did not 'reckon' our sin to be an issue any longer.
This is the opposite of Romans 4. God both reckons our sin gone and reckons us righteous. There is a double reckoning by God. This enables reconciliation and the new creation. These are all parts of our great salvation.
So, Will You Reckon what God Reckons?
My whole point of this brief word study is to help you realize that you need to be doing a lot of reckoning. Everything following this as I study botany needs to be reckoned. All promises and truth from God must be reckoned.
If you want a 'work' to do for God, reckoning is that work. This is the same as setting our mind, or walking by the Spirit.
If God says you are good, and a good tree at the core, then we must believe, trust, think, and act upon that. We must reckon it to be true, because it is. However, truth personally benefits us the most when we reckon it.
I do not want to discount the active work of the Holy Spirit. He will complete what He started. Our part is to cooperate. Reckoning is a major part of this cooperation. While scripture says that He will get it done one way or the other, we decide if it will be the easy way or the hard way!
Abstract truth that just sits out there and doesn't impact the way we think and live is next to useless. So, set your mind, and prepare to reckon. It's not an easy thing to do.
Reckoning is taking your faith bones and putting flesh on them. When James says that faith without works is dead, reckoning is the beginning of those works. You could call it a “living active faith”.
The promises of God are not beneficial to you in everyday life unless you have faith in them and thus reckon them to be true in a personal way. This takes them from merely words or concepts into a mindset where their reality impacts our existence.
Now let's check out some trees…and prepare to reckon…
John the Baptist and Trees
Matthew 3:10 has the first New Testament reference to a tree. In this passage we meet John the Baptist in the middle of his ministry of preparing the Jews for Christ. His words for the spiritual leaders of his day are fascinating.
I won't get into them all, but basically he is saying very bluntly that they are basing their entrance into the Kingdom of God on their lineage with Abraham as their father, yet that is not enough. And then he makes this confrontational statement:
“And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Born Separated from the Love of God (Under Wrath) - We must be Reconciled
One thing to point out is that the condition that results in the tree being cut down is already there. They are dead in sin already. As Christ says, the world is condemned already - He did not come to condemn, but to save.
Thus, the axe is already poised to cut down the “bad trees”. This is a perfect analogy for the “wrath of God”. We are under wrath by default because of our natural condition.
“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” - John 3:36
Notice the word ‘remains’. This indicates, as John the Baptist's tree analogy does, that this is the human default condition. If nothing changes this condition, then we remain in it.
Do not Paganize the God of Scripture
God did not put us there. I should repeat this, God did not put us there. Because scripture indicates ownership by God of this wrath, it seems we often get the wrong idea about it.
My concern is that it is easy to 'paganize' God and treat Him as if he is Thor or Zeus, some kind of humanized 'god' that reacts in anger out of self-interest.
As we are learning based on the God Who's very nature is agape love, this far from an appropriate idea.
Scripture calls this condition God's wrath to indicate that it is the opposite of God's love and mercy. It is the place you are by default because Adam chose it and the condition was passed along to all of His progeny.
When you refuse to accept God's love, mercy, and grace as a gift, you remain there. There are only two places you can be.
Wrath is the natural rejection of love to hate, of light to darkness, and of purity to rot. They simply cannot exist together at the same time. God's very nature of goodness cannot coexist with that which so not of Him. Thus, everything else is 'wrath'.
This is why it is so important to recognize whether you are a good tree or not.
Wrath is the opposite of love. You are either living in God's agape love, or by default, you are “in wrath”. This is how scripture puts it.
And believers are clearly not remaining in wrath - “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…” 1 Thessalonians 5:9
But, again, the only way you are no longer under wrath is if the impurity and badness of nature that put you under wrath has been changed. God cannot accept evil, it is impossible within His nature.
As we will see, this is the theme of the botanical references in scripture. In order to no longer be under wrath, you have to be a good tree. And God has promised through the gospel to make you one when you call out and come to Him.
Thrown Into the Fire
John is the first to bring up the theme of being “thrown into the fire”. This will become a common theme of a 'bad' tree. This is a result of the default human condition. This is the culmination of wrath.
This should be the definitive proof that believers are good trees. Yet, it seems in spiritual communities there is some confusion over this, particularly in the book of Hebrews, so let's continue.
Fruit Bearing Frustrates Religion
Two things to point out here that would have greatly frustrated these extremely religious folks.
One, this come from repentance, which means “changing your mind”. These folks would have never considered that they needed a different mindset. It was everyone else who was evil and wrong. They were good, Law keeping folks.
The other point that is established here is that the mark of a 'good' tree is fruit. The mark of a 'bad' tree is hence not bearing anything or bearing something bad like thorns. We will see this more directly later.
The idea of 'fruit' would have frustrated these folks too. They were all about their great and mighty efforts to please God and keep the Law. They well understood the implications of the word 'fruit'. Bearing fruit implied all their efforts were in vain.
Anything that came from their own efforts was a wage, not fruit. From very early, John's analogy was a description of gospel dependence on Christ.
John was establishing a theme that later Christ would pick up and the Apostles would carry on. The sign of a good tree is fruit. And a tree bears fruit effortlessly when it is cultivated and given the proper environment.
It is the arborist or vintner (God) that does all the work to help the tree or branch produce fruit. The tree itself simply does what it is being cultivated to do, unless it is a bad tree by it's very genetic code.
And if it is a bad tree, then all of its fruit is bad by default, even if it appears to be good because it is keeping the Law or doing good works. No good fruit ever comes from a tree that is bad by nature.
Christ and Trees
Matthew 7 is quite the passage. Christ is continuing His confrontational language from the sermon on the mount and showing that He is the only narrow way to life.
In verses 7-11, Christ talks about how as earthly fathers we give good gifts to our children and how much more God the Father is generous in His gifts.
This may seem odd in a passage where many of His words are escoriating, yet this is important. The mark of a 'bad' tree is that they don’t accept God's good gift of life through Christ, and they continue to try and earn God's favor.
His escoriating words are for those who think they need to perform in order to obtain favor from God. We have His favor as a gift. Spurning the gift is the mark of a bad tree.
This also applies in context to the next passage where Christ mentions “false teachers”. It is interesting that this follows a passage about considering God's amazing gifts. This suggests the mark of a false teacher is someone who spurns God's gifts for their own efforts.
Clearly this was true of many in Christ's audience that consisted of Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and other religious rulers of the day.
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
The Greek words used for thorns and thistles will come up later, so I want to point them out now.
I want to also point out the statement “a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit”. Does Christ in any way indicate a mixture between these trees? No.
This is consistent in scripture. People are either good trees or bad trees. You cannot be a hybrid tree. We are talking about your spiritual DNA, not some outward conformity.
However, clearly again, when your spiritual DNA is good and has been “recreated in Christ”, then you cannot help but bear fruit.
Christ confirms what John the Baptist taught that the end result of a bad tree is to be tossed into the fire to be burned. Interesting, but let's continue.
Make a Tree Good or Bad?
Christ uses some fascinating phrasing in Matthew 12:33 - “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.” (ESV)
The word I am focused on is 'make'. Why would Christ say it that way? And yet again, Christ affirms that it is the tree itself that determines the fruit, there is no gray area. The tree is either good or bad.
But who 'makes' the tree good or bad? This implies an action by someone that changes the identity of the tree.
The same Greek word translated 'make' here is translated as 'bear' in Matthew 3. Thus the production of fruit is tied to the creative action of the 'making' of the tree. The Being who created the tree causes the fruit.
Creation, then New Creation
In Matthew 19:4 the same word is used when Christ is describing creation, particularly the first man and women. At the beginning God 'made' them male and female.
As the analogy of a tree obviously refers to people, then this absolutely implies the creation power of God. What did Genesis say after God was done with creation? He declared it was 'good'.
Yet, then sin entered the world and corrupted what was good. These spiritual leaders were corrupted and did not even realize it. They needed to be made into a 'good' tree in order to bear good fruit.
Yet, they thought they were already good because of their lineage and Law keeping.
Of course, we now understand this to be the “born again” experience where we are made into a “new creation”. So, if this is true, are you a good tree or not?
Did God birth you good or bad? Or half bad? This is a truth you must wrestle with and reckon it true or not. Will you agree with God or not?
Again, we must realize that in scripture there is no gray area. You are either good or bad. Clearly this identity is not based in behavior, though behavior is a reflection of this identity.
In order to be 'good', you must be made that way by God Himself through the finished work of Christ. You cannot make yourself good any more than you made yourself bad when you were physically born.
What Does Good Mean?
Since we are using this word 'good' a lot, I thought I would take a moment to investigate the Greek word. This is from the word studies in Strong's concordance:
“2570 kalós – attractively good; good that inspires (motivates) others to embrace what is lovely (beautiful, praiseworthy); i.e. well done so as to be winsome (appealing).”
The literal meaning of the word is 'beautiful'.
This is fascinating when you look at what the spirit of the age has wrought in society. We seem to be bent on trying to declare that which is ugly as beautiful. But that is a whole topic on it’s own.
When I read this description it is absolutely what I both know and imagine my Lord Jesus Christ to be like. He attracted and repelled with His goodness, as so aptly described in the gospels.
He attracted those who knew they were bad, but saw in Him a way to be good. He repelled those who thought they were good, but His genuine goodness proves their self identity to be false. His real goodness threatened their false goodness.
This type of goodness can only come from one source: God. And it must be accepted as a gift. When Christ is in you, this makes you good, though that goodness is a “treasure in an earthen” vessel that must be discovered and let out.
But let's continue…
The Fig Tree
In Matthew 21:18-21 (and Mark 11) there is a weird story about a fig tree. Christ was walking along and needed food. Coming up on a wild fig tree that looked quite healthy, and apparently should have had fruit on it, He found none.
He then cursed it and it withered away and died. Now, some use the two accounts of this story to say that scripture is inaccurate because Matthew tells the story all at once, and Mark separates it out.
However, though Matthew seems to imply that the disciples saw the tree actually wither at that exact moment, that is not directly indicated by the text. It just says they marveled that the tree withered so fast. This fits perfectly fine with the Mark passage.
As soon as they had moved on, the tree withered immediately, just as Matthew states. Then the next morning (Mark) the disciples marvel that it withered so fast as they passed by again.
Simply two perspectives of the same event and two different writing styles that expand or condense the story differently and include or leave out particular details.
But my point is the message that Christ was once again portraying. The tree looked good on the outside but it wasn't a good tree. It was not useful for it's created purpose, to provide figs for people to eat. It was a bad tree.
Sons of Light
Permit a sidetrack. While researching this, I ran across John 12:36 which I had not focused on before. In the first part of the verse, Christ says this: “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”
Contrast that with the following verses:
“For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5 (ESV)
“For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 4:6
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,” Ephesians 5:8 (BSB)
Just meditate in these truths. Is someone who is a child of Light a good or bad tree? Are you a child of the Light?
What is Fruit?
One other important topic we should address before I finish this part 1 is fruit. Again, like so many topics, this deserves a greater treatment than I have time to give it, but there are some basic things to point out.
The interesting thing with many of these analogies, especially in the books called the gospels, is fruit is not clearly defined.
This can be problematic as it is left up to our imagination as to what fruit looks like. Yet, scripture certainly clarifies later in the epistles.
Fruit is a Benefit
NASB translates the same Greek word for fruit in an interesting way in Romans 6:21.
“Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.” - Romans 6:21
Paul is using fruit in a negative sense. He is pointing these believers back to before they were saved and giving them the proper motivation for avoiding the stupidity of sin.
The word 'benefit' is the same Greek word as fruit. So, not only are we encouraged to avoid those stupid activities that we indulged in when we were unbelievers, this helps to start clarifying fruit. Paul continues…
“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.” - Romans 6:22
Ok, I will simply let you meditate on the truth in the first part of this. The translation of the tenses could be confusing, but the benefit or fruit of our salvation is sanctification and life.
Though the translation makes this seem progressive, it is not. Paul is indicating that these are the immediate fruit of being saved.
But this helps us to see that fruit is really the benefits that come from salvation. This is an important mindset to have. The enemy wants you to see fruit as an obligation to God, rather than a benefit from God.
Let me repeat that: the enemy wants you to see fruit as an obligation to God, rather than a benefit from God.
Too often in our spiritual communities a mindset of obligation leaves an unspoken idea that sin is fun and righteousness is a duty.
Yet, the idea of fruit as a benefit turns that on it's head. Fruit is truly a spectacular gift.
The Fruit of Light
I have already referenced Ephesians 5:8 where Paul declares we are children of Light. He follows on with verse 9:
“for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth” - Ephesians 5:9
Paul starts this passage by saying to “walk in love” and then he describe the fruit of darkness which is not love. This includes sexual immorality, etc. His point is now that you are Light, don't act like darkness. Don't act like someone you are not.
This only makes sense - truth is always sensible. Fruit come from Christ in us through the Holy Spirit. Goodness, righteousness, and truth are explicit descriptions of the character of Christ.
I am coming to the most well known and explicit fruit passage, yet there are a few more interesting ones to look at first.
Genuine Fruit results in Peace
There is a lot of admonition in the epistles for unity and peace in the body of Christ. James has similar concerns in James 3. He is showing that their contentiousness in the church is not a product of the true fruit of Christ.
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
While certainly there will be conflict in this world, and especially with those opposed God and His righteousness, the fruit of believers who are truly bearing fruit is peace. This is not just “inner peace”, it is the ability of the body to get along and resolve conflicts in a Christ like manner based in love.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Obviously the most well known fruit passage is Galatians 5. Let's just get right to it.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
It is 'Fruit' not 'Fruits'
The first thing to point out is that these are discussed as a package, not individual fruits (even in James and other passages). This is important because pluralizing the word gives a mindset of making a list and trying to work on bearing individual fruits.
Yet the truth is that this is a package deal we get when the Holy Spirit moves in and indwells us at salvation. Scripture calls it singular fruit. We have everything we need for life and godliness with this Spirit gift package of fruit.
Thus, our role is not the try harder to work on a list of things, but simply submit to the Spirit and bear it. We don't gain more fruit with this attitude, we simply use the fruit we already have. This is working out our salvation - we work out what God has already worked in (Phillipians 2:12-13).
Fruit is not Direct Actions
My second point is one that I think is often missed. The fruit of the Spirit is not actions, but all attitudes. Too often we turn the results of fruit into fruit itself, yet scripture does not indicate this. We should not confuse the end product of the fruit with fruit itself.
Certainly scripture gives us clues about the results. I do not deny the behavior passages in scripture and the epistles. This should be obvious. The results of agape love will never be stealing your neighbor's spouse. It is obnoxious to even consider.
Yet, the results are not the goal. There are many unbelievers who never cheat on their spouse, yet this is not the result of fruit of the Spirit obviously. By definition, they don't even have the Spirit. This is not fruit.
The point of the gospel and Paul's point in particular is that bearing the fruit of the Spirit will always have results that look like Christ. And this will be the result of walking in His love.
Yet our focus is not on the results. The results are benchmarks to show us if we are walking according to the Spirit, but they are not goals in and of themselves.
When we walk according to the Spirit, we bear fruit, and the results happen. If the results are not happening, then the wrong thing to do is try to make them happen.
If the results are not happening, then go back to the basics of walking in the love of Christ and learning who you are in the Spirit. Once you learn to walk according to the Spirit, the results take care of themselves.
Attitudes
Some of the manifestations of Spirit fruit are more easily defended as attitudes than others. Love, joy, and peace for example. Especially joy and peace. You simply cannot truly manufacture these from yourself. You either have them or you don't.
As humans, we often tend to fake it. So you may convince yourself you are joyful or peaceful, but we normally know the truth as to whether these are genuine if we are willing to admit it.
As we all know, even believers, though possessing these qualities within, do not always reflect them, and can still go to flesh power to fake them.
I recognize we have emotions, we have physical issues, there are mental things that go on which mask our inner joy. Yet, a Spirit based peace and joy is unmistakable.
This is why Paul calls it a “peace that passes understanding”. These are attitudes that well up within us in a supernatural way. We do not gin them up. They act upon us and we submit to them. As believers, they are our natural reaction. It is the outside influences that pull us away from expressing them.
Self Control
In my thinking, self-control is one manifestation that might be prone to being thought of as self powered. After all, it has self in the name. It would seem like there would naturally be an element of self power in self-control.
But…we must always remember this fruit is from the Spirit. Again, anyone, Spirit or not, can exhibit a form of self-control.
The Greek word translated self-control literally means “mastered from within”. Now, the inner man means something significantly different for a believer and an unbeliever.
For an unbeliever, their spirit is still dead in sin, controlled by sin at all times. They are slaves to sin. Thus, even when they are controlling themselves from within, there is an underlying flesh based motivation that is not from God. This is simply their default mode.
As believers, we can operate in the same flesh mode, but because we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, then we can have Spirit based self control. While the results of these two modes could look very similar (i.e. both could result in a spouse not cheating) the attitude and power behind them is very different.
What Difference does the Spirit Make?
I will write an entire article about this, but Spirit power is supernatural. Thus, when using it, you can accomplish things that you are not able to normally.
Really the best way to know the difference is to focus on a lifelong struggle, especially something you struggled with before you came to know Christ or from your teenage or young adult years.
This cannot be something that is not really a struggle since you may be handling it quite well using flesh power. Only you can know what this is. One clue is if it was not a struggle before you had the indwelling Spirit, then it is something you can do in your own power.
Even with the ongoing struggles, you may have found fleshly ways to cope, certain disciplines that perhaps make it go away for awhile, yet you continue to stumble after random time periods. The hallmark of fleshly self control is it doesn't last.
Note: I'm not saying that as we learn to live from Spirit power that we do it perfectly. We will still stumble as we grow in grace and knowledge of Christ. But, as we learn to live this way, there should be noticeable progress.
Fruit and Results are not Always Equal
If there is one lesson to learn from botany in scripture, it is that we cannot solely base our self judgment on results. The gospel and walking according to the Spirit is as much or more about the process than the results.
Of course, a truly Spirit powered walk will not result in sinning. This should be obvious. All obvious sin is always flesh powered. But it is the less obvious results that can easily get us into a fleshly mindset to achieve them.
Truly Spirit powered self control will be natural and effortless. By effortless I don't mean easy. The actual self control itself will be easy, shockingly easy. When it is truly Spirit powered, you will be surprised by how easy it is. Things you have struggled with for years just melt away and you begin to wonder if you just imagined the struggle.
This is a sign it is Spirit powered not self powered. Self power requires a lot of effort and in the end, all the effort is wasted as we continue to stumble and live in a cycle of failure.
Yet, the mindset of submission to the Spirit versus trying to achieve and conquer the struggle is hard. All fleshly battles are hard. We fight our ingrained mentalities that push us into self dependency.
Yet, while it is a struggle (I suggest our primary struggle) to learn how to rely on Spirit power, and once learned, to consistently do it; when we do, then the actual overcoming is easy and light. Just as Christ promised.
Again, I cannot tell you how to do this, and even scripture has no formula. This is the dynamic walk of relationship with Christ through His Spirit. So often we get into trouble by seeking a formula.
Yet, as you grow, you will begin to see when mindsets are working or they are not. It is truly a trial and error type of activity. I am trying to use scripture and my own experience to place guideposts that can help you recognize Spirit vs. self power, but they are only pointers.
We live in an atmosphere of God's perfect love, mercy, and grace because we need it as we grow and learn to read the unique guideposts in our own lives. The Spirit is living and active, He will guide you.
It is the Dance Partner, not the Dance Itself, that Really Matters
Our part is to listen to the music and begin to dance in step with Him. Flesh power can often enable us to learn the dance and mimic the moves without actually dancing with our Spirit partner or truly listen to the music.
Yet true growth in Christ means that we are in sync with the Spirit. He is making the moves, and we simply follow in step with Him. The point is not the dance itself, it is the Partner.
Forgive the switch in analogies, but I really want to try and explain a difficult concept.
The flesh wants to perform. While walking according to the flesh certainly includes heinous looking sins, it also includes performative moralism. This is where we care only about the results, not the path to get there. This can happen for many reasons.
Often, we think the results are what pleases God and the results are taught as the main goal.
Yet, many places in scripture indicate that it is the faith process that really matters, not simply the results.
Obviously God is pleased when good results come from faith. Yet, as humans we have perfected the art of getting results from our own process. And if it is our own process, even from scripture, then it is not of faith.
This is the problem with the Law and why it can never be of faith (as Paul declares).
This is where we learn all the right dance moves from a book, but whether the dance partner is involved is immaterial. Paul calls this a “form of godliness, but denying the power”. This is an easy mode to get into.
This is so important, I pray I am explaining it well. Scripture is full of descriptions of what the results of this Spirit dance, known as walking by the Spirit, looks like. And what the results do not look like.
Often the results looking like “keeping the Law”. After all, when you “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” - Galatians 5:16
Yet, simply mimicking the results, or learning the dance on our own by following the instructions is not the point. The point is the dance with the Spirit and learning how to dance the dance of life in step with Him.
This is called the “obedience of faith”. This is vastly different from the 'obedience' of the Law indicated in the Old Testament. When we mix old and new covenant ideas of obedience it is harmful to our walk.
When you learn this well, then the dance just happens, and you get the results: the fruit of the Spirit. And when these attitudes naturally permeate your thinking and life, then you are naturally honest, which prevents lying, and you naturally are giving from the heart, much less stealing from others.
A natural welling up of agape love causes you to not want to hurt others, especially those close to you like your spouse. So, when the temptation to be discontent with them and seek something else comes along (whatever form that takes), you recognize the harm to them and you.
Every choice, every circumstance, is now filtered through these attitudes. The Spirit leads and you are in step with Him, not simply following rules in some attempt to mimic the dance from the instruction manual.
Walking By the Spirit Always Works Well
This dance as I have called it (I'm not the first to use that analogy) is really the only way to live because it always works well in every circumstance. The Spirit is dynamic and can adjust our attitudes to fit our unique life.
As this fallen world comes our way, and life hits hard, and circumstances change constantly, then the Spirit may change up the dance moves for us. And this doesn't always match the dance move of others, or the dance moves we think are part of the routine.
If we are trying to follow the dance moves on our own, then often we just keep trying to stick to the script so to speak and suddenly the same moves are no longer loving, joyful, or peaceful because the dance floor has changed.
It's like those dancing arcade games. We have learned a dance in one particular way, but the bubbles on the floor have changed.
Yet, if we have learned to follow our life Partner, then we are free to change the dance up as He leads, even if it doesn't quite match what we think the dance should be.
Now of course, again, the Spirit will never lead to sin. But often we have come up with our own sins that are not truly sin but have become sin for us.
Permit me perhaps an example that may not be relevant to many, yet it does apply to some. I was taught growing up that missing the weekly church services, unless you were basically deathly ill, was a sin.
Now, of course, being with other believers on a regular basis in order to be encouraged and celebrate Christ together is healthy. What that looks like however is not absolutely spelled out in scripture, though historical examples are given.
My point is that the exact customs that were being presented as sinful to miss out on are simply human opinion at best. Certainly, it might be sin to miss, but missing is not in and of itself a sin. It is based in motivation and Spirit leading.
Even whatever form of gathering you choose to participate in, there are circumstances where loving others (and yes, sometimes yourself), means you do something else on a particular day or even sometimes for a time period.
This may very well be the most healthy thing for you to do at that time and for others in your life. And the Spirit will lead you into the most healthy thing.
Yet, if you think that the dance moves require you to be in church every service, then you will miss out on the Spirit's moves because you are dancing your own form of the dance.
I am full aware in this example that there are times the Spirit is moving us to gather and we just don't feel like it. Again, the point is to be in step with Him wherever He may lead.
Part 2 is Coming
I hope this has been an enjoyable and edifying look at these botanical references and the follow on topics of fruit and the dance with the Spirit that results in this fruit.
There are a couple more analogies I would like to get to, but for the sake of your reading time, I am going to divide this into two parts. I will conclude with a couple of the more well known botanical references.
Until then, keep meditating on whether you are a good tree or not. Reckon it to be true.
Are You a Good Tree - Part 2 now available.