M-G: 3.1.21 // Are You A Jesus Tree

In Florida, I grew up around orange trees; so, I am familiar with them. But if you grew up, let’s say, in Montana, and you are not a botanical guru, and you saw an orange tree without someone telling you what kind of tree it was, you wouldn’t know it was an orange tree until you’ve seen its visible fruit. The fruit betrays the tree’s identity; it is unmistakable, yes? Nobody in their right mind is going to point out a fruit-ladened orange tree and say, “Hey! Look at those apples!” Jesus backs me up here when He said to His disciples (Lk 6:44a),

For every tree is known by its own fruit.

The fruit of our thinking, speaking, and doing reveals our spiritual tree or character. There are no exceptions for every (Gk, hekastos) is emphasized in Greek. We are known by the fruit of our thinking, speaking, and acting. People who view the world through the lens of Scripture will see that we are a Jesus tree, not a snag of the world; for we bear the fruit of Christlikeness. All that the snags see is a tree unlike them. 

MacArthur comments on Rom 8:16,

(Rom 8:16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…. 

“God’s Holy Spirit confirms the validity of our adoption [Rom 8:15, added], not by some inner, mystical voice, but by the fruit He produces in us (Gal 2:22-23) and the power He provides for spiritual service (Acts 1:8).” 

To even become a Jesus Tree, we must first be spiritually regenerated (Jn 3:3). Rooted in Jesus by grace through faith, we begin a lifetime of developing into Christlikeness (Eph 4:13; 2 Pet 3:18). 

(Eph 2:8) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God [emphasis mine],

(Eph 2:9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. 

Let me to touch briefly upon the importance of through faith (Gk, dia pisteos) here in Eph 2:8. The conduit of our works is our faith; “grace is God’s part, faith is ours” (Robertson’s Word Pictures). 

(Rom 4:2) For if Abraham was justified [judicially declared righteous] by works, he has something to boast about [contrast Eph 2:9, lest anyone should boast], but not before God.

(Rom 4:3) For what does the Scripture say? ABRAHAM BELIEVED [Gk, pisteuo, is the verb form of pistis, translated, faith] GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED [imputed, credited, reckoned] TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

In Romans 4:1-25, this Greek verb (logizomai) translated accounted here in v3, occurs 11 times alone. John MacArthur observes that this word means “… to take something that belongs to someone and credit to another’s account. It is a one-sided transaction [or unilateral or unconditional, added]. Abraham did nothing to accumulate it; God simply took His own righteousness and credited it to Abraham as if it were actually his. This God did because Abraham believed in Him…” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary on Romans 4:3). This is astonishing!  

Works can never make us righteous before God; it is only through faith that it is even possible (Eph 2:8-9, 10). The Source of salvation is by the grace of God, not by any human works. The fulness of salvation is this. It was by grace, it is by grace, and it will be by grace. Yahweh saved us; He is saving us; He will save us. Glory to God! 

Let’s not forget about mercy, 

(Tit 3:3) For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another [He is talking about our past!]. 

(Tit 3:4) But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 

(Tit 3:5) not by works of righteousness [those things deemed good outside of those things listed in v3] which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit [emphasis mine], 

(Tit 3:6) whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 

(Tit 3:7) that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope [anticipation or expectation] of eternal life [emphasis mine]. 

Think of it! We are justified by His grace; another way of saying it is that through faith we are judicially declared righteous by Yahweh according to His unmerited favor! We didn’t deserve it; we didn’t earn it! It was simply and purely His grace lavishly bestowed upon us for the purpose of becoming heirs according to the anticipation or expectation of life eternal! 

I don’t detect a trace or hint of works anywhere in our salvation; why is that? Because our works of righteous in a fallen state are as leprous rags before the thrice-holy God and are deemed unholy and unacceptable to Him (Isa 64:6). Only through Jesus can the penalty of sin be satisfied (Rom 3:25; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). 

What “righteous” works could never do; through faith in Him alone the impossible happens; we become a new creation in Him, all things pass away all things become new instantaneously (2 Cor 5:17)! It still remains incomprehensible for me that God would love us so (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:10; Rom 5:8)! It is humbling, so undeserved; In a tearful manner, I feel so unworthy of His grace. 

Even though I know of His love for me to be true, the Scriptural truth of it doesn’t alleviate my inability to wrap my arms around it after all of these years as a believer! I simply move forward in faith believing He loved me to such an extent that He was not only willing to give His life for me; He did give His life for me! 

Allow me to provide at least three reasons why those who believe in the eternal security of the believer1 should not or do not fool around with sin. 

(1) Love (agape) and respect for the Holy One (Jn 14:15, 21, 23; 1 Pet 1:15-16).

(2) Consequences in the here and now and the future for sinful behavior (chastening, Heb 12:5-11, reaping what was sown, dealing with the ripple effect, loss of rewards in the future). We can throw any rock of rebellion into the water and be forgiven for it (cf. 1 Jn 1:9, confess = agree with), but the ripple effect of our actions will continue to play out though forgiven. If we should sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 Jn 2:1). 

Because of Yahweh’s attribute of all-knowing, He knows that we are going to mess up from time to time. That’s not an excuse but a reality. Through our confession, God will forgive us and restore us to fellowship, but should we foolishly stir up a hornet’s nest, the hornets are still coming out to play for knocking on their door while we are asking forgiveness on the run! 

(3) We enjoy the manifold blessings of fellowship and obedience being in the will of God. Backsliding is so hard on the mind and the body (cf. Psa 32:4).

Thankfully, He will absolutely never abandon us whether we are faithful or unfaithful (Heb 13:5; 2 Tim 2:13). Yahweh’s unconditional love is simply amazing and inexplicable. Should I stumble and fall, I am reminded from a biblical and experiential perspective, that if my salvation was predicated on never sinning, I am in a world of hurt, and so are you, my friend, if there is no eternal security for any believer who unknowingly sins in ignorance or sins in knowledge. You can never know if you are out or in! Any soteriology that promotes a merit-based system is another gospel (Gal 1:8-9) and has horrifying consequences for the false proclaimer. 

Frankly, I’m not too keen on the phrase, “once saved always saved.” I prefer the theological phrasing of “the eternal security of the believer.” I am inherently too weak to save myself which is why God provided a way, right (Jn 14:6)? If I am too weak to save myself, it would be arrogant on my part to believe I could live the life apart from Jesus. 

There is no bearing of good fruit: the fruit of the Spirit, for instance (Gal 5:22-23; cf. Lk 6:43) without Divine assistance. I have found it to be futile being filled with the fruit of righteousness (Php 1:11) without the help of God the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 15:5; Gal 5:16. Eph 5:18; Php 4:13). 

Here is what I do know about biblical soteriology. Works have unequivocally nothing to do with salvation. It’s all God and all grace. Now, in progressive sanctification or growing and maturing in the faith, it is all about working in partnership with the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:16), growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior (2 Pet 3:18), and doing good works (Eph 2:10). Rewards at the Bema seat will be based on our service to Yahweh at the very inception of spiritual regeneration to our appearance before the judgment seat of Christ.

True faith bears fruit (Eph 2:10; Jas 2:18, 20, 26; Gal 5:22-23). If we claim to be an orange tree (using my example), there will be oranges, not mangos, apples, grapefruits, guavas, papayas, or some other fruit. A tree is known by its fruit, period (cf. Mt 12:33)!    

Fruit always follows a genuine conversion. A fruitless faith is a dead faith (cf. Jas 2:18, 20, 26). Getting back to my orange tree analogy, the fruit that I bear in my life, and I say this humbly, identifies me as being a growing Jesus Tree to those with spiritual eyes! If you claim to be an orange tree, show the world your oranges, yes?   

(1Chron 16:33) Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD, For He is coming to judge the earth. 

(Psa 104:16a) The trees of Yahweh are full of sap.    

(Psa 1:1) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

(Psa 1:2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.

(Psa 1:3) He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. 

(Prov 11:30) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. 

(Psa 148:9) …fruitful trees and all cedars….

(Psa148:13) …praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven. 

Are you drinking from the water of life, fruitful, spiritually healthy, and flourishing in Yahweh? Or are you more like the exalted snags of the ungodly? Have you been fearfully and wonderfully transformed by the Holy Spirit or are you still working at it? Again, a fruitless faith is a dead faith. Are you bearing the fruit of Christlikeness, a Jesus tree, or bearing the fruit of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life of a snag?  <><

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1. There is a 7-part series on “How should we then live in light of eternal security.” If you are interested, go to the Archive page (8.23.2016), or you can copy-paste Part 1: https://michael-gram.blogspot.com/2016/08/m-g-8232016-how-should-we-then-live-in.html