38. Bring forth Fruit
Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
The promise of bringing forth fruit unto God is more important than it might at first appear. Bearing fruit bears on the very purpose of the existence of the universe and the purpose of our lives. This promise gives life meaning. If we knew that our life had meaning we would never be tempted to commit suicide or even in any other way be tempted to shorten or mess up our lives, because it is important to somebody and especially to God. There is a reason for living. The mission of each person’s life is unique and differs from any other person. We may not be specifically aware of that unique purpose or of what kind of fruit we are created to bear; but it is enough to know that God has a purpose for each life; and, furthermore, He has even prepared beforehand what that fruit is that we should bear.
God will take care of the bearing fruit, the what, the when, the where, the how, and even the why. God knows all of that and he is working it out in our complicated lives (at least, it appears complicated to us, but not to Him). He works it out in us by faith in Christ: we are married to Him, who is resurrected. This “marriage” is itself a mystery, akin to the mystery of the union of two extremely disparate entities, a man and a woman, who become one flesh. We will never figure that out.
The marriage of Christ and His Bride is even more mysterious and way beyond our comprehension; but, explainable or not, we believe the assertion: we are married to Christ, I am one with Christ, I am in Christ, and Christ is in me. I believe it because God says so. The result of that marital union is that I will bring forth fruit unto God. One of the fruits of the committed sexual union of a male and female is children growing up in a stable family. I am not as clear regarding the fruit of the marital union of Christ and me, but it is real.
With Christ I will not have lived in vain. The purpose of my life on earth is being worked out according to His good will. I believe that purpose and that result: I am bearing fruit. I may not see the fruit, but God does. He designed the fruit beforehand, implemented it in history, and He is working it out in my life in the present. One Day I will look at that fruit and I will see how beautiful and delicious it is; but for now I believe His promise, abide in the Vine, and I trust Him to do His will on earth (in my life) as it is in heaven (decreed in God’s eternal mind). The promise: your life matters.