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Post by civic on Aug 9, 2022 6:23:04 GMT -8
The Abundant life one that is a fruitful life. We can learn many truths from Gods creation and the way He designed things to work.
God created plants to fruit and propagate themselves. Jesus cursed the fig tree. Why? It was green but did not bear fruit so He cursed the tree. A good tree brings forth good fruit. You will know them by their fruits. God is life and created man and plants to bring forth life. I came that you might have life and life abundantly. A fruitful life is Gods design for us. The Fruit of the Spirit in us is our evidence we have life (the Spiritual life, born of the Spirit) which God created us for His good works that He prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We are Gods workmanship created for that purpose.
The parable of the sower in which the good soil produces much fruit. God did not create man, animals and plants to look good but to multiply, bear fruit, procreate. They(we) are agents of life to bring forth fruit, life. We are created in Gods image to bring forth life, to be fruitful and multiply.
It’s the nature of God to send, distribute, equip, empower and to set free. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to accomplish this in our life. Jesus had to leave to give us the Holy Spirit. Jesus greatest thing He did as a leader of men was to leave. He removed Himself to give us His Spirit. And the result was to Be fruitful!
Sin brought forth death, unfruitfulness, thorns, thistles, labor etc….
Gods truth like water is designed to bring forth life/fruit. Truth is not an end to itself but the foundation for life. Fruit brings glory to God. Salvation is not the end game either but fruit in your life, good works. Faith without works/fruit is dead. James 2:17
Philippians 1:9-11And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Titus 3:14And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet the pressing needs of others, so that they will not be unfruitful.
James 3:18Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.
John 15:8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Psalm 1:2-3But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its seasonAnd its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Ezekiel 47:12Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for healing.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Truth is from God and lies are from satan. This is the cosmic battle but the ultimate reality of the battle is that one leads to Life and the other leads to death.
The Parable of the Talents Matthew 25
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
hope this helps !!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2022 11:21:34 GMT -8
Is there any reason to think Genesis 1:11-12, 21, and 25 do NOT apply to humans?
"Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.... God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.... God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good."
Humans produce fruit according to their kind, and they do so foundationally based on the way God made humanity. Humans reproduce humans. Good humans reproduce good humans and bad humans reproduce bad humans. The problem is after Genesis 3:6 there are no more good humans apart from Christ incarnate. We should not be surprised at this because we all understand the equally foundation reality of two imperfect creatures never being able to produce perfect progeny.
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Post by civic on Aug 10, 2022 11:26:16 GMT -8
Is there any reason to think Genesis 1:11-12, 21, and 25 do NOT apply to humans? [indent] "Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.... God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.... God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good."[/indent] Humans produce fruit according to their kind, and they do so foundationally based on the way God made humanity. Humans reproduce humans. Good humans reproduce good humans and bad humans reproduce bad humans. The problem is after Genesis 3:6 there are no more good humans apart from Christ incarnate. We should not be surprised at this because we all understand the equally foundation reality of two imperfect creatures never being able to produce perfect progeny. How would you relate that to the NT and Jesus and the Apostles teaching to bear much fruit and prove to be His disciples ? Thanks ! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2022 14:10:47 GMT -8
Is there any reason to think Genesis 1:11-12, 21, and 25 do NOT apply to humans? [indent] "Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.... God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.... God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good."[/indent] Humans produce fruit according to their kind, and they do so foundationally based on the way God made humanity. Humans reproduce humans. Good humans reproduce good humans and bad humans reproduce bad humans. The problem is after Genesis 3:6 there are no more good humans apart from Christ incarnate. We should not be surprised at this because we all understand the equally foundation reality of two imperfect creatures never being able to produce perfect progeny. How would you relate that to the NT and Jesus and the Apostles teaching to bear much fruit and prove to be His disciples ? Thanks ! I recently posted at length about this in CARM (hope it's okay to mention competitors' forums  ) in a thread on John 15. The synergist reading of John 15 is understandable only if the text is read in a summary manner. Problems arise once we take a whole-scripture approach, though, because the undeniable implication is Jesus produces bad branches. That is a bad Christology. This is visible by noting the passage has several conditional clauses or statements in it. The use of " if" indicates the conditional nature of Jesus' words and even though the word " if" does not explicitly occur in verse 15:1 his opening statement is conditional. Matthew 7's people claiming to know Jesus and perform works consistent with that knowledge is another way we understand the conditional nature of fruit-bearing. Jesus kicks them out because they are not known, not because they do not know. See also Galatians 4:8-9. We must know AND be known, AND we must be known salvifically. Nothing else is salvation in Christ. There are several ways of understanding salvific fruit-bearing but I'll mention only two others. The first is teleological, or the purpose of our salvation. Ephesians 2:5-10 is the proof-text passage for understanding the basics of salvation from sin and God's wrath. That text tells us the " by," the " through," and the " for" of salvation. We are saved by grace, through faith (not by faith, not by works), and we are saved, created in Christ for good works that God planned in advance for us to perform! Works are the purpose of our salvation. A salvation without purpose is no salvation. God is not a purposeless God. The second important feature of bearing fruit is that it must be born of the Spirit and not the flesh. The unregenerate person has no Spirt; s/he has only the flesh and God neither wants nor needs anything from the sinful creature's flesh. The regenerate person has BOTH flesh and Spirit and although the flesh has been washed and restored it remains corruptible. It possesses nothing soteriological meritorious. The confusing part is that many of the works of the Spirit can also be produced in mock and mocking form by our flesh. But fundamentally my main point would be that producing fruit is inescapably and inextricably tied to our design and the purpose for which we are created both in Eden and in Christ. THE very first command every uttered came in the form of a blessing: Be fruitful, multiply, subdue the earth and rule....... That command has never been revoked. It has been repeated in various wordings throughout the Bible and as far as I can tell it remains just as much intact as the second command: if you sin then you die. Galatians 6:6-10 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.The fruit born of disobedience is death. The fruit born from sowing to the flesh is corruption or destruction. Likewise, the fruit born sowing to the Spirit is eternal life. As the op notes, Galatians 5:22-25...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Keep in mind that list is not exhaustive. The fruit the Spirit bears makes for a much longer list. Anyone can open the door for someone with their flesh. Getting hand and Spirit to work together is the goal. Mark 12:30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.That cannot be done in or with the flesh. Nothing from the heart of stone, the sinful mind, or fleshly strengths bears the kind of fruit God produces in a person. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit bear fruit according to their kind, and that is why we are first created in the Creator's image and then in the Creator's image born by the Son. The Son is the firstfruit. We are the harvest that seed bore when planted in the ground to die. |
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e v e
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Post by e v e on Aug 10, 2022 14:53:19 GMT -8
Is there any reason to think Genesis 1:11-12, 21, and 25 do NOT apply to humans? [indent] "Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.... God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.... God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good."[/indent] Humans produce fruit according to their kind, and they do so foundationally based on the way God made humanity. Humans reproduce humans. Good humans reproduce good humans and bad humans reproduce bad humans. The problem is after Genesis 3:6 there are no more good humans apart from Christ incarnate. We should not be surprised at this because we all understand the equally foundation reality of two imperfect creatures never being able to produce perfect progeny. because man was made as sons and daughters of God, not animals. of course now because of sin we are in a creature situation… what a step down. rotten to the core….. |
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Post by Obadiah on Aug 10, 2022 15:07:56 GMT -8
How would you relate that to the NT and Jesus and the Apostles teaching to bear much fruit and prove to be His disciples ? Thanks ! I recently posted at length about this in CARM (hope it's okay to mention competitors' forums ) in a thread on John 15. The synergist reading of John 15 is understandable only if the text is read in a summary manner. Problems arise once we take a whole-scripture approach, though, because the undeniable implication is Jesus produces bad branches. That is a bad Christology. This is visible by noting the passage has several conditional clauses or statements in it. The use of " if" indicates the conditional nature of Jesus' words and even though the word " if" does not explicitly occur in verse 15:1 his opening statement is conditional. Matthew 7's people claiming to know Jesus and perform works consistent with that knowledge is another way we understand the conditional nature of fruit-bearing. Jesus kicks them out because they are not known, not because they do not know. See also Galatians 4:8-9. We must know AND be known, AND we must be known salvifically. Nothing else is salvation in Christ. There are several ways of understanding salvific fruit-bearing but I'll mention only two others. The first is teleological, or the purpose of our salvation. Ephesians 2:5-10 is the proof-text passage for understanding the basics of salvation from sin and God's wrath. That text tells us the " by," the " through," and the " for" of salvation. We are saved by grace, through faith (not by faith, not by works), and we are saved, created in Christ for good works that God planned in advance for us to perform! Works are the purpose of our salvation. A salvation without purpose is no salvation. God is not a purposeless God. The second important feature of bearing fruit is that it must be born of the Spirit and not the flesh. The unregenerate person has no Spirt; s/he has only the flesh and God neither wants nor needs anything from the sinful creature's flesh. The regenerate person has BOTH flesh and Spirit and although the flesh has been washed and restored it remains corruptible. It possesses nothing soteriological meritorious. The confusing part is that many of the works of the Spirit can also be produced in mock and mocking form by our flesh. But fundamentally my main point would be that producing fruit is inescapably and inextricably tied to our design and the purpose for which we are created both in Eden and in Christ. THE very first command every uttered came in the form of a blessing: Be fruitful, multiply, subdue the earth and rule....... That command has never been revoked. It has been repeated in various wordings throughout the Bible and as far as I can tell it remains just as much intact as the second command: if you sin then you die. Galatians 6:6-10 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.The fruit born of disobedience is death. The fruit born from sowing to the flesh is corruption or destruction. Likewise, the fruit born sowing to the Spirit is eternal life. As the op notes, Galatians 5:22-25...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Keep in mind that list is not exhaustive. The fruit the Spirit bears makes for a much longer list. Anyone can open the door for someone with their flesh. Getting hand and Spirit to work together is the goal. Mark 12:30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.That cannot be done in or with the flesh. Nothing from the heart of stone, the sinful mind, or fleshly strengths bears the kind of fruit God produces in a person. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit bear fruit according to their kind, and that is why we are first created in the Creator's image and then in the Creator's image born by the Son. The Son is the firstfruit. We are the harvest that seed bore when planted in the ground to die. Is this the post? John-15-losing-eternal-life. I remember it, even gave it a like. We don't look at them as competitors, more as a place where most of us spent a lot of time. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2022 8:08:08 GMT -8
I recently posted at length about this in CARM (hope it's okay to mention competitors' forums ) in a thread on John 15................ Is this the post? I remember it, even gave it a like. So yeah feel free to mention carm even link to posts from there. We don't look at them as competitors, more as a place where most of us spent a lot of time. The link is dead, or it does not take me to the thread. But that is the thread in question. Let me encourage you to be cautious linking to other forums, Obadiah. CARM does not support talking unfettered about CARM outside of CARM or mentioning other forums in CARM. See Rule 18 of the CARM TOU = carm.org/uncategorized/carm-discussion-rules/. Don't jeopardize your membership in CARM or that of others. I suspect this link won't be considered a problem but do use caution linking to other boards. Just because BAM permits it does not mean others do. |
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Post by Obadiah on Aug 11, 2022 8:29:30 GMT -8
Is this the post? I remember it, even gave it a like. So yeah feel free to mention carm even link to posts from there. We don't look at them as competitors, more as a place where most of us spent a lot of time. The link is dead, or it does not take me to the thread. But that is the thread in question. Let me encourage you to be cautious linking to other forums, Obadiah. CARM does not support talking unfettered about CARM outside of CARM or mentioning other forums in CARM. See Rule 18 of the CARM TOU = carm.org/uncategorized/carm-discussion-rules/. Don't jeopardize your membership in CARM or that of others. I suspect this link won't be considered a problem but do use caution linking to other boards. Just because BAM permits it does not mean others do. Ok, thanks for filling me in. I will not let that happen again. Last thing I want to do is cause any problems. |
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Post by Bronson on Jun 7, 2023 14:26:03 GMT -8
Bearing fruit is a major theme in John 15. The heavenly Vinedresser desires His people to increase their production from fruit to more fruit to much fruit. To make this possible He ensures favorable conditions. Let’s spend a little time gaining insight into how real fruit is produced. Fruit trees begin to bear fruit soon after they’re old enough to flower. Several factors influence a mature tree’s ability to produce fruit. Just one unfavorable condition may reduce the yield or prevent the tree from bearing any fruit at all. Bearing Age: The age when trees can be expected to bear fruit depends on the type of fruit you are growing. Tree Health: Trees must be healthy to produce good-quality fruit. Weak or diseased trees produce either poor-quality fruit or no fruit at all. It is vital to keep trees free from insects and diseases. Climate and Weather: The fruit is frequently injured by frost. Injured flowers may appear to be normal, but if the pistils (center parts of the flower) are killed, no fruit will be produced. Pollination: Flowers of fruit trees must be pollinated to produce fruit. Without sufficient pollination, they may blossom abundantly but will not bear fruit. Cultural Practices: Fruit trees need good cultural practices during the season to maintain an adequate number of good leaves for quality fruit production. These practices include correct placement in sun or shade, spacing, mulching, and weeding. As you study this lesson, spend time examining your fruitfulness. Ask God to show you how you can begin to bear even more fruit so you can glorify Him. |
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) in a thread on John 15. The synergist reading of John 15 is understandable only if the text is read in a summary manner. Problems arise once we take a whole-scripture approach, though, because the undeniable implication is Jesus produces bad branches. That is a bad Christology. This is visible by noting the passage has several conditional clauses or statements in it. The use of "if" indicates the conditional nature of Jesus' words and even though the word "if" does not explicitly occur in verse 15:1 his opening statement is conditional. Matthew 7's people claiming to know Jesus and perform works consistent with that knowledge is another way we understand the conditional nature of fruit-bearing. Jesus kicks them out because they are not known, not because they do not know. See also Galatians 4:8-9. We must know AND be known, AND we must be known salvifically. 
