Greetings, children of God,
Today let’s take a look at the relationship between repentance and bearing fruit:
Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;
— Matthew 3:8
In John’s sermon by the Jordan River, the core message that he preached was repentance. The Scriptures tell us that John the Baptist was making way for the Lord Jesus Christ. This was prophesied long ago by the prophet Isaiah:
A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its lovingkindness is like the flower of the field.
— Isaiah 40:6
This tells us that God’s plan for salvation included repentance from long ago. Repentance was part of the means by which salvation would be brought about. We know that because of the fall, mankind was doomed to face the wrath of God in judgment. However, the coming of John the Baptist was a sign that the Messiah was about to come to bring about reconciliation. We see that reconciliation was also part of John’s ministry:
“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land, devoting it to destruction.”
— Malachi 4:5-6
In this sermon, John, as he’s rebuking the Pharisees and the Sadducees, urges the congregation that they ought to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. This is where we now find the fruit of repentance. We find this bearing of fruit expressed more by Paul as he introduced the fruit of the Spirit to the Galatians:
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
What’s interesting in Paul’s description of the fruit of the Spirit is specifically that the cause of the fruit is the Holy Spirit Himself. At the beginning of this section, Paul tells the Galatians that if they walk by the Spirit they shall not gratify the desires of the flesh. Furthermore, he tells them that the Spirit is at war against the flesh so that they may not do what they want (Galatians 5:16-17).
It is important to note that when Paul urges the Galatians to walk by the Spirit, this is not merely performing simple acts of morality. This is not something that happens in the flesh; instead, it is something that is prompted by the Holy Spirit. In the same way, it is important to understand that repentance itself is something that is granted by the Holy Spirit:
And when they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
— Acts 11:18
In this passage, you see as Peter was preaching to the Gentiles that it was God who granted them repentance. This goes to show that true repentance is not simply an act of man but rather an act of God. God is the one who enables us to be repentant because left to ourselves we are unable to turn to God.
We see something similar that Paul instructs Timothy with regards to those who are teaching false doctrine:
And the Lord’s slave must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may give them repentance leading to the full knowledge of the truth,
— 2 Timothy 2:24-25
Here we see Paul instructing Timothy to correct those who are in opposition, in that perhaps God may give them repentance leading to the full knowledge of the truth. Paul’s use of the word “perhaps” points towards Paul’s own submission to the will of God to grant repentance.
Therefore, as we see John preaching this sermon by the Jordan River, he tells the Pharisees and the Sadducees that they ought to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. What he is appealing to is actually the Lord’s work in granting true repentance in the hearts of sinners. We see that this was the case for some of the multitudes that were gathered to be baptized.
and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
— Matthew 3:6
We see that there are those in attendance who are convicted in their hearts to repent, confess their sins, and be baptized for the repentance of sin.
Finally, it is important to understand that the main purpose of our bearing fruit in keeping with repentance is that it actually pleases God. Such is a sentiment that Jesus shared with his disciples towards the end of his ministry here on earth:
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
— John 15:8
Jesus says that our bearing of fruit does not only glorify God but it goes further in proving that we are truly the followers and students of Christ if we bear much fruit. This is the fruit of repentance, the fruit that comes as we deny ourselves and turn to Christ. This is the fruit of salvation that comes when we place our faith in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and believe that He is our Lord and Savior who takes away our sins.
Let’s remember this:
- Faith in Christ and Repentance of Sins Go Hand in Hand: As we place our faith in Christ, we repent of our sins and “consider the members of our bodies dead to sin” (Colossians 3:5).
- Repentance is Granted by God: The means by which God has ordained for us to come into faith involves our repentance of sin, and all of this is from God (2 Corinthians 5:18).
- God is Glorified When We Bear Fruit: Our bearing of the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of repentance, glorifies God and goes to prove that we are indeed disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray this word blesses you,
Paul.
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