One of the interesting things about the Bible is that it begins and ends with fruitfulness. Fruitfulness is both a physical and spiritual command and is a theme that is repeatedly seen throughout the Bible. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:22). In Exodus, God had called His people together and blessed Israel. Exodus 1:7 states that he children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly and multiplied. In Leviticus 26:9, we read that God promised to establish his covenant with the children of Israel and to make them fruitful and multiply. In Psalms 127:3, children are described as the “fruit of the womb.”
Fruit is more than a physical concept as in Proverbs 1: 31 we see that the result of a man or woman’s behavior is referred to as fruit. The verse states, “Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” Proverbs 16 links fruit of the wicked with sin while Proverbs 11:30 states the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.
Fruit is more than actions performed in life but they are also the result of words spoken. Proverbs 18:20 states, “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth,” and the following verse says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
When Jesus began His ministry, He began to teach on spiritual fruit. Where the Old Testament spoke about fruitfulness with physical blessings through childbirth, multiplication of the nation of Israel, and watching moral behaviors through the fruits of a man or woman’s work and word, Jesus began to teach about the fruit that is produced in a person’s life.
In Matthew 3, John the Baptist warned that those who do not live fruitful lives or who bear bad fruit will be cast into the fire. He stated, “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.” Jesus then taught on fruit in Matthew 7: 17 He stated, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” In verse 20 he states, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
It was fruit that was used to describe the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5: 22 and Ephesians 5:9 describes the fruit of the Spirit as being in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. In Revelation, the Bible concludes with a description of the tree of life. The tree of life was first mentioned in Genesis 2:9 where it reads, “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” After Adam and Eve sinned by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the Bible states that God placed cherubims around the tree of life. Genesis 3: 22 and 24 read, “And the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” “So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.”
The Bible begins with talk of the tree of life and ends the same way. In Revelation 2:7 it states, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Revelation 22:2 continues, “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Finally, Revelation 22:14 states, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
The Bible uses fruit to describe many things. From producing children, to the actions we live, and the words we speak; to the fruits of the Holy Spirit that are worked in our lives by resisting sin and living a righteous life through the Holy Spirit. The Bible begins with literal fruit from two trees: The tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life. According to the Bible, those that pursue holiness, and live their lives producing good fruit, will not be cut down and cast into the lake of fire, but will be given the gift of partaking in the fruit from the tree of life which know is in the midst of God’s paradise.
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