DAY 270

WHAT KIND OF FRUIT ARE YOU?

Isaiah 1 & 2 and Galatians 5

“What kind of fruit are you?” Or maybe I should say “What kind of fruit do you produce?” (The first question is more fun.)

Today we start Isaiah, and I will write about this new book of the Bible tomorrow. Today let’s finish Galatians. Yes there will be one more day of reading it, but in many ways we get to a beautiful climax in chapter five. Let’s retrace our steps:

1.      Paul is upset that the Galatian church seems to be thinking they have to “do something” to receive God’s love, and so he outlines why they do not.

2.      We have read how there is no longer Greek/Jew, slave/free, male/female.

3.      We have read how we are adopted as sons and daughter – heirs!

4.      We have read how we are “known by God.”

We come now to Paul proclaiming that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…in other words, receive God’s love and do not fall back into the trap of having to think you have to earn it…stay free!

That sounds great. Then we get what seems like a long list of do’s and don’ts in vv. 16-21. How do you understand this list? Does it sound like law? Is Paul suggesting follow his rules vice the rules of those other people? Not at all! And here is the crux of following Jesus.

Following Jesus means accepting his, God’s, love. Following Jesus means being secure in the knowledge of God’s love. Following Jesus means choosing life. When you decide to follow Jesus, it is not as if someone waves a magic wand over your head and everything inside of you becomes perfect…not at all…it means you have decided to let Him lead you on a journey. There will be flat parts and there will be steep parts. In other words you will have walking and working to do.

If I might change the metaphor: following Jesus means being planted in God’s soil and not some other. It means being nourished by God’s Word and Sacraments. When you do these things fruit will be produced. I love how Paul changes his language. He writes, “the works of the flesh are…, but the fruit of the Spirit is…” Works versus fruit: you cannot go get “patience” and tape it to yourself…it must grow from what you are rooting yourself in and feeding yourself.

Paul’s point is root yourself in the freedom of God’s love in Jesus Christ…not any human works.