(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.)
In part 1, we determined that fruit bearing is essential, that fruit comes from a good tree, and that the tree must be made good from the creative power of an outside source. The tree cannot make itself good.
Please go back and read that article if you have not yet.
In part two, we will continue to investigate gospel based botanical analogies within scripture and see how this theme of being a good tree is confirmed and the mechanism of the new covenant gospel is so vividly illustrated by botany.
The Vine and Branches
In the famous John 15 passage, Jesus changes the analogy just a bit. Instead of the person being the entire tree, they are now the branch on a grape vine. Yet, still, the analogy indicates that there is an outside source (God through Christ) that enables the fruit.
I won't review the entire passage as it is quite familiar, but I will cover some ways in which this passage gets twisted by those with a Law based works mindset.
While I have my own perspective in this article, as usual, Andrew Farley has covered this in-depth if you would like to listen instead of read:
Two Tricky Greek Words
There are two Greek words in John 15:2 that make translation and interpretation tricky. As usual, your mindset will probably determine how you view these.
I will get to both of these Greek words, and I will cover the easier one first, though it is later in the passage. But first, what does 'abide' mean?
Abide Means “To Live”
One of the more curious takes on this passage is when people turn 'abiding' into a daily work.
Of course, there is a daily work where we “set our mind” on the things that come with our salvation, so giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps this is what they mean.
When we set our mind on the fact that we live in Christ, it helps us enable the benefits of that abiding. But is doesn't make us abide more.
Setting the minds is not what Christ is referring to here. And frankly, this should not really be in question.
Trying to work to abide will distract you from the fact that you are already abiding which will weaken your faith. And again, the benefits of abiding will become dependent on your ability, and not on Christ's finished work.
Believers Are Not 'Burned'
One obvious clue is those who don't 'abide' are burned, clearly indicating a punishment that is consistently reserved for unbelievers throughout the New Testament.
If you think believers have the potential to be burned, then reading further is probably not profitable for you. But there are more clues.
The Father 'abided' in Christ
First, the usage of the Greek word translated 'abide'. Translations use multiple words, but it is most often translated 'live’. I will simply quote one other verse from the previous chapter that absolutely dissolves turning this into a work.
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” - John 14:10 (ESV)
No one in their right mind would turn the Father dwelling in Jesus Christ into a work.
Christ is simply stating a fact of His being and existence here. This is a metaphysical reality for Him. He doesn't have to do any works to abide in the Father or have the Father abide in Him. The union just exists.
And this union is what empowers even the works the incarnate Christ is doing.
The exact same word is used when Christ is talking about Him being the vine and us the branches. To abide in the vine is to dwell in the vine. Christ is the vine; thus we dwell in Him. This is the reality Christ is getting at.
Now, again, every moment we should set our mind on this reality, but just as Christ said of the Father, any 'works' flow from that reality.
Even for Christ while He was here on earth, willingly restricted by His humanity, God's works were flowing from the indwelling union of the Father and Son.
The Gospel offers Christ's Union to Us
And now, in these verses, among many others, He is offering the same way to live to us.
We dwell in Christ and He dwells in us because of what He did for and to us, not because we perform some ritualistic daily action of abiding. Our actions should flow from our dwelling in Him, they do not help us 'abide' better. We are either in - abiding - or we are not.
Hint: whether Christ abides in you and you in Him determines if you are a good tree or not.
Christ's extensive prayer in John 17, only two chapters later, expresses this union between Christ and us in beautifully clear language.
The epistles are full of the language of us being “in Christ”. Anytime you see this phrase, it is referring to this union. I will only quote one verse, though there are many.
“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,” - 1 Corinthians 1:30 (emphasis mine)
This is describing the vine and branches relationship we have with Christ. I would also note that Paul's audience is one of the most ill behaved churches in the scriptures. Yet, this is why he is reminding them of this truth. They have not done much reckoning!
This is “by His doing”. The abiding is all Christ's work. We simply have faith in that work so that the empowerment of that abiding impacts our daily life and walk.
One final note: sometimes this word is translated 'remain' which in English gives it a transitory context. Again, I would point to this same word describing the union of the Trinity. Is that union transitory? Of course not. Thus, neither is our union with Christ.
Based on John 17, we have been gifted with the same union. Thus, what applies to one union applies to both. Our union with the Trinity through Christ is as secure as Christ's own union. Remember the word 'reckon'? I just provided a truth we must reckon with.
Does God Prune Us?
Another Greek word in this passage causes what I believe to be another common misinterpretation that at a minimum can facilitate an improper mindset.
This is one of the words I mentioned above, but it is the easiest to clear up.
There is only one translation that I have found that gets this right. I will quote the ESV which follows the pattern of all the rest and the ASV which gets it right.
“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” - John 15:2 (ESV)
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.” - John 15:3 (ASV)
Note the difference: one says prune and one says cleans. The Greek word actually means 'clean' at it's root, yet because of the vine application, translators mean it in a way like “cleaning up old shoots” and thus pruning.
Yet, in the very next verse, the same root word is used. I will stick with the ESV since I just used it above. Note the word it uses this time.
“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” - John 15:3 (ESV)
Why would Christ use the exact same language pertaining to cleaning, yet it not apply to the statement He just made about the branches?
Of course, He isn't. This is simply a matter of the translators allowing their bias to show through. They are only human after all. My guess is somewhere along the line someone could not make this fit with their preconceived notions and voila: pruned.
Kudos to the ASV for going against the grain and translating this properly.
I will explain how this analogy works in a bit, but let's get to the most troublesome word.
If You are “In the Vine”, Does God Ever Cut You Off?
Ok, so let's get to the harder word. The Greek word 'airó’ means “to lift up, to raise”.
Now, in some contexts, you do lift something up and carry it away. When the translators say “cut off” or "takes away” this is what they mean. They have decided this is the context.
Yet, the word doesn't mean that unless the context shows it. Again, they have just decided that any other context doesn't fit their preconceived notions of what Christ is getting at.
In Matthew 9:6 for example, this word is used when Christ tells the paralytic He just healed to “take up” his mat and go back to his house.
In this context, clearly the item being lifted up went somewhere else. But there are extra descriptive words that indicate this context.
So, the question is which context is Christ using in John 15:2? Clearly all translators think that being taken away is the context as they all translate this word that way (even the ASV).
Let me paraphrase the verse and use the actual meaning of the word first.
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He lifts up, and every branch that does bear fruit He cleans, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2 - My translation.
As long as you stay consistent with the truth of the new creation, then perhaps the traditional interpretation can be defended, but there are issues.
I will cover the mainstream perspective first. I don't agree is the best, but I can see why some would believe this, as long as you don't take it too far.
Who is being “Cut Off”?
The mainstream perspective is that it is unbelievers who are “cut off”.
Yes, there are some who use this to apply to believers across the board - you can lose your salvation. That concept is definitively against other clear scripture so I will not address it further.
I will mention upfront that my main objection to translating this as “cut off” is because of the language immediately after.
These branches are listed as “in Christ”. Since that is the very definition of a believer, then those who use this to say we lose salvation do have a point. If you are “in Christ” and then cut off, this is the equivalent of losing your salvation. At least they are consistent.
However, again, this cannot be true, so I will have to use other reasoning to stick with the traditional view.
Defending the Traditional View
The first thing to note is that the branches that are cut off bear NO fruit. There is yet again a black and white picture here. Only branches that have fruit remains in the vine in this view.
Again, all earthly analogies are tricky in some ways, simply because they are earthly. The idea must be that every human (through Adam) was “in the vine” before the fall.
This cannot mean Christians who are in the vine and then don't produce enough fruit, get cut off.
Besides, as we have learned, you must be made good by Christ, and once you are made good, you will produce good fruit.
Fruit Measuring is Unprofitable
There is another botanical parable I will get to that proves this point, but we must take care that we don't set an unreasonable “fruit standard” by measuring ourselves amongst ourselves (or even historical figures).
The point is not how much fruit you bear, it is that you bear it at all. Even an occasional fruit bearing that is genuinely from the Holy Spirit in our hearts is enough to prove you are a good tree or branch.
The Traditional View Must tie those Being “Cut Off” to those Being Burned
If you go with the notion that the word used here means “cut off”, then the only logical conclusion is that these branches are the same ones that later Christ mentions are burned.
This only makes sense, and it does fit with the tree analogies, thus indicating that these branches are the equivalent of “bad trees” or unbelievers.
Again, these branches are burned. Anyone who has been in church longer than a minute knows what burning means, and it does not happen to true believers. This goes against everything 'salvation' means. If you are not saved from burning, then are you really saved?
So, in conclusion, this could be a valid interpretation, but you cannot use it to justify that God aborts His children. And you have to ignore or minimize the fact that being “in Christ” is part of the analogy.
What About Immature Believers?
There is a translation and interpretation that does not ignore the “in Christ” within the analogy and yet does not indicate that God aborts His children.
I believe that since Christ says that everyone He is referring to within the analogy are “in Him”, then they are all believers. This is anyone who is “in Christ”.
I have to ask the question of whether the thief on the cross had any 'fruit' in the sense most people use it (works). I say not. He simply did not have time.
Thus, if someone truly accepts Christ, and He makes them a new creation, yet they died one minute later, never having born fruit, were they really saved? Of course they were.
Thus, there could be branches that are truly “in Christ”, yet they are so immature that they fit perfectly into the analogy as not having fruit yet.
God Lifts up and Cleans the Branches
If you use the translation “lift up” and “clean” then this makes perfect sense. I simply do not see a context where in verse 2 the vines are lifted up and then taken away, especially since Christ emphasizes that the disciples who were His audience were already clean.
(Now, I believe this was prophetic; He knew those in the immediate audience would receive the Holy Spirit and thus the gospel of truth would make them clean. Thus, He considers them clean already.)
As I have already discussed, abiding and being 'in' are the same thing. It is only the branches that are not abiding or 'in' Christ that are thrown away and burned.
In Matthew 7:23, immediately after using the “bad tree” analogy, Christ makes an inflammatory statement. He describes those who would declare their righteousness because of all their works.
“And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me…” Notice the key word 'never'. These are not folks who knew Christ, were 'in' Him, and then He cut them off. They were never in Him or had a part of Him at all.
His depart language is the same as later in Matthew 25 when he talks about sheep and goats. In that analogy, it is the same, sheep are “good trees” and goats are “bad trees”. As Andrew Farley likes to say, there are no “geep and shoats”. You are either one or the other.
Further, in most of these analogies, it is not as if the “bad trees” produce no fruit at all, though that does occur in a few. Normally, they produce fruit, but it is bad fruit or thorns and thistles.
Not producing fruit doesn't mean the plant itself is bad, it could be immature. An analogy is only an analogy, yet many species of plants do not produce fruit in the first year or two.
So, the lack of fruit in a believer could simply be immaturity.
The Better Interpretation
Let me repeat my translation of John 15:2 -
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He lifts up, and every branch that does bear fruit He cleans, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2 - My translation.
My Experience Growing Grapes
So, the last few years I have attempted to grow some grape vines with some limited success. While certainly there is a place where pruning does help to eliminate dead branches that are never going to produce fruit, there is another phenomenon I have experienced.
Often after a big storm, I will go out to my vines and find that several branches have been knocked down from the fence they are growing on, and their leaves are on the ground covered in mud.
Clearly if I left them in that state, they would not bear fruit. They need to be lifted up and put back on their trellis and the dirt cleaned off of the leaves. If the dirt stays on the leaves, then they will not receive the benefits of the sunlight.
It would not make sense to prune these branches. They are fine branches, they are alive; they have just been blasted down into the dirt by circumstances. They need lifting and cleaning.
Within the analogy Christ gives, either interpretation could work. The old dead branches do need to be removed. But the branches that are alive need to be cleaned up and lifted so they can receive the benefit of the sun again.
Both Work; One Interpretation is Better
As I have illustrated, the traditional interpretation sort of works, but you do have to ignore some of the language.
In my mind this is enough to fully reject this interpretation. But I wanted to give grace to those who understand it this way. At best, it is an immature way to see it.
I think there are three different humans represented in Christ's analogy:
Believers who let worldly thinking get in the way of their fruit bearing. These need their mind renewed (cleaned) further to enable even more fruit bearing so they can be fully influenced by the indwelling ‘Son’ of God.
Believers who are new and/or immature, who really have not born fruit yet. They need to be lifted up closer to the ‘Son’ in order to get the nutrients they need to grow in grace and knowledge of Christ.
Unbelievers were once connected to the vine through Adam; but since the fall of man have been born spiritually dead. They need reconnection (reconciliation). If they do not accept life through being reconnected to Christ, they will be burned. They will remain without life forever.
These three different categories and those alternate translations of the Greek are the only interpretation that fits with both the gospel and the analogy.
Again, for both believer categories, reckoning the promises of God that are true for you is the key to growth and allowing the Holy Spirit to renew your mind. Of course, you must properly understand them first, but a mental understanding is not enough.
For example, you may understand that you are completely forgiven: past, present, and future. This is truly clear in scripture.
Yet reckoning that truth means thinking and acting as if it is true. This is more than a simple intellectual acknowledgement: this is faith in action.
My Final Botanical Study in Scripture
I could keep going and going, but I will end with the parable of the sower. I realize this is a commonly known parable, but I believe and hope that there are truths that you may not have considered, particularly combined with these other botanical references.
I will stick with Christ's post explanation of the parable rather than the parable itself since it is so familiar. And, since each gospel account presents it slightly differently, I will actually use an explanation from Matthew, Mark, and Luke for each soil.
First, I will briefly explain how I was taught this growing up: all of the soils were believers, but they were different categories of believers. Some believers were “on fire for the Lord” and some were “backslidden”.
(As Andrew Farley points out, this word backslidden implies they were somehow climbing a pole to God and then something caused them to slide back down. Is there anything more pagan than this idea? Think: Tower of Babel.)
Of course being on fire was based on your volume of ‘spiritual’ activity, and being backslidden was your lack of activity volume.
Other things, like being 'worldly' by watching TV or other fun activities would also ding your score. And certainly, there was a score. The matter of a score was quite clear.
You didn't want to be those other soils where the world choked you or you weren't on fire and courageous (sorry, obnoxious) for Christ.
As we will see, this very premise is clearly not scriptural and the results of this mindset are about as unhealthy as you can get.
Perhaps you were taught this too; hopefully not, but either way, the truth will always set you free.
Three 'Unsaved' Soils: One 'Saved' Soil
The Luke version is abundantly clear and blows away the idea that the first three soils are believers.
“Now this is the parable: the seed is the word of God. And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.” - Luke 8:11-12
Now, one thing this parable makes very clear is there are stages to a saving faith. This is important. Much of the epistles are evangelistic, because the apostles recognized this truth.
They fully recognized that there were seekers in the church who were on the path to salvation, but they were not there yet.
As we will see, you can hear the Word, even receive it in mental sense, yet it never implants itself in your heart and makes you a new creation. Much of the book of Hebrews is misinterpreted because it is so mightily concerned with this very issue.
The Jews were particularly susceptible to this mentality as they already felt the Law would save them.
But for now, let's focus on this verse. These folks hear the gospel, they are interested, yet the enemy tempts them away from faith. And the end result is they are not 'saved': they are unbelievers. The gospel doesn't have time to implant in their hearts and they never believe.
For these folks Christianity remains an interesting philosophy, no different from all the other worldly philosophies.
There is left no doubt that these people are unbelievers. Note that the Word is taken from their heart. Again, because we know from other clear scripture that you cannot lose your salvation, this demonstrates a salvation process of hearing with faith.
Apparently the Word can be in your heart, yet not have implanted yet. There are many in our churches today who are in the process of salvation, but are not there yet. They may appear outwardly to be religious, but their hearts haven't been changed.
The question remains will they realize this, or will their religiosity keep them in this unsaved state because they don't know they are there? This is a grave concern of much of the New Testament.
Persecution
“The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away.” - Matthew 13:20-21
Again, we see the idea of “receiving the Word”, even with joy. Yet, this does not result in salvation. This reminds me of several references in the book of Hebrews. I will get to thorns and thistles in a bit, but in Hebrew 6:7 the author uses an analogy of land.
The land that drinks in the rain AND produces fruit are believers. Earlier in the chapter the author uses the choice word of 'tasting' the gospel. These are the same people in this parable who receive the Word, but it never changes them.
We must account in scripture, and especially the epistles, for the people who are in church, and even religious, who hear and even at some mental level receive the gospel, yet they have not been born again.
If we do not, then many passages will be confusing and applied to true believers out of context, which can be quite harmful
Not everyone in church is a believer, and the apostles were concerned with this and addressed it in every one of their letters.
Hebrews Is Mostly Evangelistic
I have an out of the mainstream view that nearly all of the book of Hebrews is evangelistic towards Jews in the church who fall into the category of interested and seeking in the new covenant gospel, yet their faith is not complete.
I also believe that at different levels, other books like James that are written to Jews have similar themes.
I will fully exegete this idea eventually, however this parable holds the key to another passage in Hebrews 10:32.
I was discussing this with a pastor friend of mine, and his main argument against this passage being evangelistic is that only believers would be willing to be persecuted.
At first glance, the parable of the sower would confirm this, however the author of Hebrews is advocating that his audience does NOT fall away due to the hardships. He says plainly in verse 39 that believers don't do this.
“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” - Hebrews 10:39 (ESV)
Thus, his warning is again for those who, like in Hebrews 6:4 have been 'enlightened' by the gospel, yet it has not implanted yet. Even though they have endured some persecution by their Jewish brothers due to even looking into Christianity or attending church, the author is warning them to not give in to it.
Much like the botanical references - destruction is in focus here and preservation of your soul. The people the author references before verse 39 are the ones who are being tempted to shrink back, be destroyed, and lose their souls. Does this sound like believers to you?
The language used in the book of Hebrews can be very confusing, but a firm gospel foundational understanding from other epistles can help to see through the confusion. The botanical analogies help too.
Reading it through a lens of people on the pathway to new covenant gospel faith, but not quite there yet, clarifies much.
I certainly believe there were some in the author's audience who fit into this second group in the parable of the sower. They were being tempted to turn from the path of true salvation and back to the Jewish temple because of the physical and emotional persecution by their Jewish peers.
The author was trying to catch them in advance of this choice and warning them to not become like the example Christ gives in the parable.
The Worldly Obstacle to Salvation
“And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.” - Luke 8:14
All of the different gospels present this 'soil' in much the same way. And this was the primary soil that was used as a battering ram for believers when I was growing up. Again, every possible scenario that could be considered pleasure was brought up to fit into this analogy.
Yet again, Christ is not concerned about worry, riches, or pleasure here unless they 'choke' off the Word and prevent it from implanting and allowing the Holy Spirit to enable the new birth.
The Greek word translated choke has a completion aspect to it. It literally means to drown. This means choking out completely to the point of death; whatever is being choked is choked out completely.
This is a level of attachment to worldly things that prevents salvation. This is not a person who is saved already who gets too caught up in golf, TV, or sports. Those may have their own sets of harm, and we should be careful of addiction or idols as believers, but that is not the focus of this parable.
Again, a good tree will bear fruit. Whatever may cause the Word to not be fruitful, if it is not eventually fruitful, then that person is not a good tree.
This is an “extinction level” event for the Word. This person is not saved.
Those With a Good Heart
Are we born with a good or bad heart? Anyone who has been around church for longer than a second knows all about Jeremiah 17:9:
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (BSB)
I like the BSB use of “beyond cure”. Jeremiah is accurately portraying the situation of every human heart without Christ to change them.
Of course, another prophet Ezekiel also accurately predicted the coming of the new covenant, brought by the finished work of Christ.
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” - Ezekiel 36:26
The answer to the incurable heart is Christ giving us a new one. Truly our old heart was incurable, hence the requirement for a new one. And, if we are a good tree, if we are a believer, this spiritual heart surgery has occurred.
This is important to understand as we study this last soil in the parable.
Everyone is Not Gifted the Same
The Mark and Matthew versions of this soil are quite similar, so I will quote Mark. Only Luke is a bit different.
“And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.” - Mark 4:20
The first thing I want to point out is the word 'good'. As this is an analogy for people, Christ is calling these people 'good'. Interesting. I thought only God was 'good'?
The second thing is the different levels of fruit. I guess the question is whether the different levels represent a measurement, meaning lower levels are bad and higher levels are good.
The parable doesn't indicate this, and based on the parable of the talents, where the one who expanded to 5 talents got the exact same reward as the one with 10 talents, my inclination is to say a measurement is not a part of the equation.
I think the idea is a that some people have been gifted certain things by God and are only capable of a certain amount of fruit. This is why Paul warns of comparing ourselves among ourselves. Some are just gifted with more. We should not let the enemy condemn us by pointing out the success of others.
However, we do have a role in allowing the Holy Spirit to grow us and produce fruit. My writing all of this would be pointless if this were not true.
Thus, my conclusion is that, as a believer, you are either a 30, 60, or 100 fold (or 10, 40, or 80 fold) person based on your gifting from God.
If you are a 30 fold, you should not compare yourself with a 100 fold and feel condemned. This is a common flaming dart of the enemy.
But, we do play a role. You may be gifted at 30, yet only achieve 20 because you allowed poor mindsets or other things to get in the way of the Spirit’s work. This is not meant to condemn, simply to encourage better mindsets and cooperation with the Spirit in the future.
Christ wants you to reach your full potential and is within you, available every step of the way to enable this by His power within us.
All of this is dynamic and individual as we each walk according to the Spirit every day.
We can trust Him with our growth and fruit bearing. We must trust, as we cannot bear anything from ourselves.
A Good Heart Produces Good Fruit
Luke changes things up a bit with the last soil. As with most of the gospel stories, it is a combination study that provides the most clarity of truth.
“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” - Luke 8:15 (ESV)
A good tree is a person with a good heart; but it is that good heart that makes them good.
As I emphasize throughout my writing, and as I covered just above, this good heart can only come from Christ as a gift.
This is important - many would view this as us having to work and try hard to make our own heart good in order to bear fruit. That is simply not the case as I have demonstrated.
Even though this goodness originated and comes from God, we cannot discount or minimize that it has occurred, and occurred to us. It it God's goodness, gifted to us, thus we cannot brag that we somehow achieved it.
Yet to ignore our own goodness is to despise the gift. To wrongfully claim that our hearts are still wicked and dirty now that Christ has made them new is to put Christ to shame.
Sadly, this happens nearly ubiquitously within teaching at churches all over.
I hope at a bare minimum within this study that you will see that a good heart is a gift, it is black and white, you either have a good heart or you don't. You are not making your heart better and better as you do good works.
Fruit comes from the good heart; we don't try to bear fruit in order to obtain a good heart.
Any fruit that comes from trying to be good in order to make your own heart good is not really fruit, it is fake.
Parable of the Sower Conclusion
The overwhelming emphasis of the new covenant gospel throughout the New Testament is not how much fruit you bear, it is whether you are bearing any at all.
Thus, the overwhelming concern is not how well you behave but whether you have Christ or not. If you have Christ, if you are born again, if you are a good tree, then you will bear fruit.
While genuine fruit always equals good behavior, good behavior is not always genuine fruit. Anyone can fake it, at least for while, and sometimes a very long while, even putting up with persecution and hardship.
Belonging to a group as an identity has a strong pull and its own rewards. Many such groups have been persecuted, even to death, with or without an association to God.
Yet, being a part of a group, even of believers, does not make you a new creation, as we should well know. The parable of the sower illustrates this.
Even being a part of a group that has heard and received the gospel doesn't make you a new creation. The analogies are clear. Only once you have become a new creation, indwelled by Christ, are you a good tree.
Becoming a good tree, by grace through faith, is the main thing. Everything else flows from this.
Once again, as with all of the botanical analogies, the idea of an identity as a child of God shines through. You are what you are.
Either Christ has made you a good tree, with a good heart, or you are not.
If you are, then you will bear fruit, you can't help it. How much is both determined by your gifting from God (His problem), and your cooperation with Him through proper mindsets and growing in grace and knowledge of Christ.
But, the idea that a believer bears fruit is not negotiable. It will happen. That is a direct promise of God, and He always keeps His Word.
One Final Botanical Analogy
There is one more verse in Hebrews 6 that I want to touch on. I understand that it may be a tough sell to claim that 90 percent of Hebrews chapters 1-12 are evangelistic. I still believe it is true, and have good reasons.
However, there are definitely some passages within those chapters that clearly portray unbelievers. To interpret them any other way is truly anti-gospel. There are some verses in the early part of Hebrews 6 that fall in this category.
Again, I'm not investigating Hebrews at this time, but I do want to bring up the botanical analogy that proves my point.
“For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and produces vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.” - Hebrews 6:7-8
Do you see any overlaps here with what we have been discussing?
This analogy follows a dialogue where the author is bringing up very specific Jewish religious ordinances and saying that moving past these is the first grade in accepting the new covenant gospel (elementary).
Now this is simple, either the author is way out in left field compared to Christ and other botanical analogies, or this ground that bears thorns and thistles and is ultimately burned is an unbeliever.
The same exact Greek words are used as in Matthew 7:16 - “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?”
Thorns and thistles in scripture are always used to represent bad trees. The author of Hebrews is continuing this theme. Thus, in the context of the first eight verses of chapter 6, the author is talking about bad trees.
If the thorns and thistles are not enough to convince, then the threat of burning should.
This is always the ultimate end of those who are enemies of Christ, whether direct enemies, or passive enemies by never becoming part of God's family.
Whatever the burning represents, and hell is a broad and controversial topic, it is never used to describe believers, or good trees.
The author is writing to an entire church, so he is well aware that both the good and the bad trees will be reading this. So he is concerned that the good trees will hear this and try to apply it to themselves. Thus, he addresses them in verse 9.
“But, beloved, we are convinced of better things regarding you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we are speaking in this way.” - Hebrews 6:9
(Note: I am not ever saying that every word in Hebrews is only for unbelievers. Obviously there is a context. But anyone who claims they are only for believers is faulty.)
Thus, the things he was speaking of do not accompany salvation. He makes this clear. This is yet another indication he is referencing unbelievers.
Yet, he must warn the bad trees, especially when they think they are good, that they are not. This leaves his writing prone to misinterpretation, but it was an urgent and necessary warning for them.
Why Does This Matter?
In conclusion, you may have made it this far and could be wondering why this matters. I believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convince you of your righteousness, that you are a good tree.
Thus, the enemy will do the opposite.
He does try to convince unbelievers they are intrinsically good, and Christ is not necessary. He often uses their religious furvor to do this.
But for believers, who are now made good through Christ, he will try to convince you that you are intrinsically bad, and only through trying harder and doing more can you become good enough.
As he did with Christ, he loves to use scripture, especially any passages that may be more difficult to understand, to accomplish his work. Many passages in Hebrews, including chapter 6, are used to convince good trees that they are bad unless they get their act together.
And if they don't, then God is waiting to smite them. Thus, your goodness or badness is again a weight on your shoulders, based in your unstable human ability to perform.
And if you are not willingly using your flesh to perform, then the threat is there to try and force you into it. Thus, in your mind, the enemy has flipped the gospel paradigm.
No longer are you operating from a place of faith in the goodness you have been gifted, you are suddenly trying to be good in order to appease this false god the enemy has used scripture to present.
This is the opposite of the truth. Only by recognizing your goodness gifted by Christ can you truly serve the Kingdom of God. Trying to become good is a distraction and a waste of time.
The only way to combat the enemy lies is with the truth. And the truth is that if you are in Christ, and Christ is in you, thus you are a genuine believer, then you are a good tree.
None of the thorns, thistles, bad tree, and burning passages apply to you. They are still profitable, even if only to make you even more grateful for the gift of goodness, but they don't apply.
So, Are You a Good Tree?
I hope and pray I have made a compelling case and convinced you that if you are a child of God, then you are a good tree. Not through any intrinsic goodness from yourself, but because the God Who is goodness has made you good.
This is so important because we often act like who we think we are. When temptations come at your mind (and that is always where they start) then if you know your goodness, then you will recognize that those are not from or for you.
If you think you are a pig, and you pass a mud hole, then you will think you want to leap into the mudhole. But, if you realize you have been clothed in the pristine white garment of Christ, then the mud hole is avoided at all cost.
Look, even as believers, in this world corrupted by sin, we stumble. No question.
But that is not our nature any longer. When this happens, it is an abberation for a believer. We are slaves of righteousness. We are good trees.
In order to walk well, we must recognize, believe, put faith in, think, and act like the good saints that we truly are. We must reckon these promises true.
No matter the source, if the enemy is using someone to twist scripture and try and convince you that your new birth did not accomplish what scripture says it did, then we must reject those lies and stick with the truth.
You are a good tree. This is the promise of God through the gospel. This is truly good news. Full stop. Period. Now, reckon it.
Happy reckoning out there this week!