Life’s most important question: where do I stand with God? How can we be sure? It turns out that the fruit we bear reveals our relationship with God. Have you surrendered completely to God for him to bear fruit through your life?
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.
Hebrews 6:4-9
This is the third post in a three-day review of Hebrews 6:4-9. We have seen that for God’s children, Jesus makes sure that he doesn’t lose us, even though we often lose sight of him. We have also considered that for those who are on the doorstep of the kingdom yet haven’t walked through, there is risk. The enemy is battling for your soul and will do anything to keep you from embracing the Holy Spirit’s call.
We are left with the most important question for any person. Where do I stand with God? Do I have assurance of my future in heaven? How do you tell? You might be reading in fear to determine whether you are on the doorstep, a proven defector, or a true child of God. How can we have assurance today?
The author of Hebrews is gracious with us to provide an example – a parable of sorts – to illustrate the point and provide a yardstick with which we can measure our lives.
7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
What crop are you producing? As the rain of God falls (and it falls on all people), what is growing in the fields of your life? The crop you are growing falls into one of two categories. It is either useful for those whom it is farmed, or it is thorns and thistles, which are not useful at all. The fruit we bear is the measure of our status with the Lord of heaven and earth.
If you want to know where you sit in relation to God, look critically at the fruit of your life. The path to healthy and useful fruit is laid out in God’s word. We have just read in chapter 5 about progressing from the milk of the word to the meat of the word of God. By constant use of God’s teaching, we will become mature in our faith.
God’s active presence in our lives, welcomed and nurtured by our attitudes and behaviours (not quenching the Spirit), will produce fruit. As we live as branches which are connected and fed by the vine (John 15) we will bear much fruit.
This is the time for self-reflection and submission to God. Have you surrendered completely to God and is he bearing fruit through your life? Or are you not seeing God’s fruit because you are not completely trusting him and surrendered to him?
Turn over your life, live in Christ and give everything over to him in faith. Accept that he gave his life for you and your sin so that you can be acceptable to God. Surrender completely. If you do this, you will bear much fruit and Jesus will never let you go.
Amen.
Marc Kinna
marckinna 