2-11 Days of Praise

The Fruit-Bearing Christian
by Henry Morris, Ph.D. | Feb. 11, 2009
"Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." (Philippians 4:17)

The apostle Paul here was commending the Christians at Philippi as the only church that had sent an offering to help defray his expenses on his missionary trips. He calls such gifts "fruit" that would abound to their "account" (Greek logos, probably better rendered as "testimony"). Thus God considers gifts of money to scriptural ministries to be like life-giving fruits on a healthy vine.

There are other types of fruits which a Christian life can produce. Paul regarded those he had helped lead to Christ as fruits. He wrote to the Christians at Rome: "I purposed to come unto you . . . that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles" (Romans 1:13).

Genuine traits of godly character are also called fruits. "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9). The classic passage, outlining the nine-fold fruit produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of a willing ...