THE FRUIT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."—Mat. 7:16-20.

Israel and Judah suffered the loss of the kingdom, the power, and the glory of their unity as brethren because they failed to bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of God. Such is the case even now; therefore the decree of the Lord that "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof," is also applicable on the Christian nations. (Mat. 21:43.) What does it mean then to bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of God? It is possible to grasp the meaning con­tained in these words if we consider nature, the fruit-producing earth, good seed, and useful trees. If we look upon wild lands and woods, where the hand of man has touched nothing, it will be found. that they produce a multitude of trees, fruits, herbs, and grass, all of which contribute to the enjoyment of, and serve and nourish, the animal world over which man has been placed. These fruits come forth as a result of obedience to the laws of nature, which the Creator has connected with the earth. And what would life be without these fruits? It could not exist.

Cultivated land is an illustration of the result of labor in con­nection with good and poor seed. Lands well taken care of and lands poorly taken care of illustrate how man, who resembles the earth in a spiritual sense, may be ruined to the extent of absolute uselessness when it comes to receiving good seed, to say nothing of yielding anything worth while. It is futile to sow good seed in a long neglected field. Such a field must first undergo a thorough and persistent weeding. An habitual practicer of all manner of sins is unable to grasp the Word of God with his mind so that it will bring forth good fruits in him. But the person resembling good cultivated earth is able to grasp the Word of faith and act in harmony with it—even though he has not been previously susceptible of cultivation by the Spirit of God—while circumstances and spiritual wisdom remold his mind.

A horse, an ox, and a cow may be used as examples. Animals cannot serve man until they have been broken in and tamed, and circumstances have given them a chance to give man good returns in the form of service, labor, or commercial products. Before this treatment they are unspoiled, good, and as beautiful as Nature made them. Consider that an animal, like a human being, is in possession of the limbs and qualities necessary to perform service before it is broken in—for instance a horse broken in to the use of a harness. The animal will become good or bad, depending on its treatment while it is being tamed, also afterwards. If the bad dominate, the animal may become even dangerous to its owner; and there are many who have been killed by such animals.

We wonder if so-called Christians cannot be likened to bad, lazy, and contrary animals—persons who have only a profession of being saved from their sinful habits and from the spirit of falsehood inspired by sectarian interests and by a bitter hatred to the truth that comes a little too close to them? As soon as the judgment of the gospel falls on an unchastened mind, that mind flares up in hatred toward the one who would help the man tame and restrain his flesh. The "Pharisees," the most "saved" people of that time according to the regulations of men, were inspired by such a mind to murder Truth itself. This is the mind that everywhere still hinders the fruits of truth from coming forth. That class of people cannot be likened to uncultivated earth, or to unspoiled, untamed animals, neither to good fruit and seed. They have received everything in the way of enlightenment and assist­ance to aid the suppression of their flesh, but they resemble ruined earth, or spoiled horses which refuse to pull a load, or cows which drink their own milk—in other words, thorns, thistles, and zizania.

Whereof does the fruit of the kingdom of God consist? When Paul says that "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power" (1 Cor. 4:20), it follows from the comparisons we have mentioned that the fruit of the kingdom of God consists of personified truth, a result of the secret power of God. The fruit of a tree reveals the power of that tree, regardless of whether the tree is good or bad, great or small. Good fruit in a man nourishes a life of faith and makes a spiritual mind rejoice. A steadfast spiritual person reveals his power in deeds which harmonize with the Word of God and serve others to their welfare, enlightenment, and ennoble­ment. lie does not need to be served thus himself; he does not live any longer for himself, but for his Lord; and he is a source of happiness to his Lord in the degree that he brings forth the fruits of the kingdom of God.

Personified righteousness cannot be separated from the truth, because everywhere it meets its rival, unrighteousness. In its con­quest against falsehood a.nd unrighteousness, it journeys through time always bearing fruit—and it is always innocent, like a good fruit tree.

Paul says, "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink [thus socials cannot be excused as constituting fruits of the kingdom of God] ; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men." (Rom. 14:17, 18.) Paul does not say acceptable to men, but "approved." It is impossible to bear the fruit of the kingdom of God and at the same time be acceptable in the eyes of those who hate righteousness. Those who resemble the flowers of thistles, however, charm and please those who live in the flesh.

The above given text is first of all applicable on "the false prophets" who come "in sheep's clothing," and then on their seed. By considering our Predecessor, we shall' be able to discern be­tween light seed and chaff, and between the seed of truth and zizania. First he says, "Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."—See Mat. 7:13-20.

This is only another picture of the development of wheat and weeds. The gate mentioned represents the conditions laid down in connection with salvation, which are offered sinners who become influenced by the question of salvation. Satan's conditions re­specting salvation vary according to the social position, ideas, and tastes of each "savior." And salvation as they give it harmonizes therewith. The following serves to show how wide their gate is, revealing also the appearance of their fruit:

In one of his sermons Dr. Arthur Pierson mentioned a story of the singular conversion of a man, an experience he was directly connected with : "While I was pastor in Detroit," he said, "a man came to me after a sermon and asked for a private conference .. . He told me one of the darkest tales I have ever heard from a man's lips. I cannot tell the details. Enough is mentioned when I say that there is no commandment in the holy law of God .. . which he had not broken. He was a blasphemer, a drinker, an adulterer, a liar, a deceiver, and a thief. No sin exists that was not his."

The man asked, "What shall I do, and how long will it take me to become saved ?" The savior said, "Just as long as it will take to turn your heart to Jesus!" Said the man, "Do you mean that I could be saved here ? Isn't is first necessary that I be freed from my sins ... I have sinful connections; isn't it necessary that I first sever them?" The savior answered, "Let us kneel before the Lord. First I shall pray a few words, and then you must pray."

Rev. Pierson forced the sinner to his knees and commenced to pray, but he was obliged to break off and hold the man down. He admonished him to pray, but the man rose and said, "Let me get up! I can swear and curse, but I cant' pray." "I pulled him down," said the reverend gentleman, "and then he began to pray. I don't believe I have ever heard a man pray like that before… He was saved… I had the pleasure of ordaining him as a teacher in a congregation. And God has really blessed him in his work of saving souls."

This man rode through the gate with a whole load of sin, and right away he was fit to be a teacher—to sow weeds among the wheat. But something else was the result when a young man, naturally good, asked Jesus, "What good things shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" He had observed the law—the letter itself—from his childhood, but Jesus showed him how he would be able to obtain perfect salvation by obedience according to faith. He said, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." (See Nat. 19:16-24.) This was a narrower gate. But then there was a dif­ference in saviors. "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?… Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

When such doers of sin are saved in a moment, there can be no talk of dying to the world and living by the Word of God. They know nothing of the strait gate, and the way they go is wide enough for all the baggage they choose to carry along. For this reason the fruit is of the same nature. Their baggage of sin is converted into a spiritual form and also accompanies them. Explanations of what constitutes the fruit come from the same source. They say it means to have saved many, healed many, to have built many churches, and to have donated much money to Jesus—in other words, to have piled up dead deeds before the gods. If this repre­sents the fruit by which Jesus was to be identified as the Son of God, we received poor evidence of his genuineness in this respect, since he failed to leave behind him even a brick or a shingle. He kept no account of those he had healed, and there were only eleven visible disciples at his death.

Rev. Talmage, on the other hand, said, "If I don't find one hundred thousand in heaven when I get there that I have con­verted, I,shall come back and do it over." Then think of Booth, with his more than "twenty-five thousand bands," described in Ezek. 25':6, 7 and Rev. 16: 13, 14, with his barracks and his banks, his millions of dollars in birthday presents, to say nothing of his "Hallelujah girls." Here there is fruit—but before you praise it, go and taste it when you are destitute. Such achievements as these show that the Spirit of Jesus Christ has not been the inspiring in­fluence in their missionary work. Christ says, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works l And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."—Mat. 7: 22, 23.

When the disciples came to Christ and told him of their victories over sickness and similar things, he said that was no reason why they should rejoice; "but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20.) He does not say, `By doing such deeds you have written your names in heaven." Such things are of minor account, taking place in order to convince the ignorant of the truth, for which reason Jesus did not attach much si;g­nificanee to them. But the fruit that Jesus bore serves us as food to this very day, for he spoke the Word of life and wisdom—the hidden manna, giving life and wisdom to all spiritually hungry beings. No one has prepared a table with such fine delicacies, nor distributed such riches as this personally poor man. And the fruit that flows through the trunk, as it were, and is visible on the branches, can be nothing else but the Word of God in the form it is needed for the rescue of man's temporal life and his receipt of everlasting life. Therefore the person who produces the fruit of the kingdom of God brings to others the Word from which he receives nourishment as a branch. If he be connected with Christ, the true Vine, he is a witness of the truth. If he has been grafted into the vine of lie and deceit, he is nourished by the spirit of lie and deceit, and consists of the word of falsehood, for which reason he bears the fruit of death—false doctrines and deceitful deeds.

While different kinds of grain continue to grow, the seed is gradually developed within them, and it is unreasonable to ask for the fruit until the plant has reached a ripened stage. This natural comparison shows that God does not look for fruit until the plant has developed into its real shape. The imitator, on the other hand, hardly has time to sow before he begins to press forth "fruit" —collections and dues. And then the one who has been saved must "offer a testimony" and "bring souls" to his Jesus. Such fruit gives off a "savor of death unto death." (2 Cor. 2:16.) The Master says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, lie is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."—John 15:5-8.

The person who does not remain in the dictrine of Christ "hath not the Father, neither the Son." If he carry on a religious work —bear fruit in opposition to the truth—he is a branch of the tree of falsehood; because the Logos of God says of the one who fails to get nourishment out of the Word, so as to grow thereby, or who fails to hold forth the unadulterated noble Word of truth so that a new harvest results, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."

The fruit glorifies the Father, says the Son, and makes the bearer of the fruit an ever continuing disciple. This shows that the disciple receives the hidden truth only when he continues to be a praying and fruit-bearing branch on the trunk. Yearly harvests of fruit glorify the tree. In the 16th chapter of John, Christ gives a still clearer explanation of what he means. He says, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you."—V. 12-15.

The fruit is contained in the trunk, as it were, and at the proper time it assumes shape on, and because of, the fresh and sound branch, according to the ability of the branch to bring forth. And the tree is praised because of its fruit. When the Spirit of truth is permitted to bring instruction concerning coming events, the believer bears prophetic truths which broaden his views and nourish his faith from time to time. Such things as these are not allowed within the stereotyped sects, because there a person must abide by the doctrine determined by the sect fathers so and so many years ago. But if we are limbs of the Logos tree we all bear fruit, for the Lord says, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain : that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."—John 15:16.

Whatever we ask of the Father in the name of the Master we shall receive as our fruit. Many faithful disciples experience that they do not receive the fulfillment of their prayers, even though they seek God of all their soul. The disciple must first be so incorporated with the doctrine of Christ, and with the practice of that doctrine, that his position will resemble that of the Master. He must be cut off from the world because of the Word of God, not only theoretically, but in reality; like Christ, he must be sen­tenced to be exterminated. He must have conquered his own flesh through the name, Jesus¹³, and assumed a position in relation to the name, Christ, as a man who has sworn to serve an earthly king during the time of war. Then all prayers which the Spirit has dictated will be answered. Circumstances press forth the prayer, and necessity brings the answer. No one can truthfully pray in the official titular names of our Lord unless he be placed in a position where he must entirely depend on him. As long as the people of God are connected with Babylon, their prayers cannot be what the disciples' prayers were when they stood as it were on the other side of the cross.

After having pointed out the times of tribulation that would be­fall his followers, Christ said, "A little while [when he was with the disciples], and ye shall not see me [when he is absent] : and again, a little while, and ye [the disciples] shall see me." By this he connects his first and second presence and the movement which is carried on in his name during the "little while" preceding his second advent. He says, "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." --John 16:22-24.

He says, "Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name." When lie was away, the Spirit spoke the Word of God through the dis­ciples; and when, for the Word of God, they were placed in the same circumstances as the Master, they felt the power contained in, and the importance and value of, these names. Then their prayers were inspired by their needs of the moment, when the victory of the Word depended on an answer to their prayers. The theoretic form of faith was perfect in them, and the answer to their prayers was a seal of perfection on their practice of faith. As an illustration consider Elijah on Mount Carmel, when he became the cause of uniting the people with the Father of the Word which Elijah spoke. In order to bring about this result, God had a long time before united liini as a branch with the trunk of the Word. When circumstances press forth certain needs, so that the prayer is a cry of distress from a spiritual life, the answer, after patience has ripened, will come in accordance with the demands of the moment or the time.

The apostle calls the fruit by different names, saying, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, good­ness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Gal. 5:22, 23.) When a person feels the lack of these beautiful virtues, he will give himself no rest until he has won the power capable of producing these virtues. By holding this or that char­acteristic before his mind as a mold that must be filled, and by making it the goal of his life, one victory after the other is won. This can be compared with the development of the seed in the ear. The person who feels the lack of this spiritual growth without seriously resorting to prayer and to his own vital powers, always waiting for circumstances to force him into the battle, is developed into the 'kind of seed that lacks substance—a foolish virgin. When the heat of harvest comes—the circumstances they wait for—such seed ripens too, quickly, and there will be no substance in them; in the winnowing process they will follow the chaff into the fire.

As a contrast to the fruit of the Spirit. Paul mentions the deeds of the flesh, which easily serve to identify the children of Satan. He says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witch­craft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in the past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." —Gal. 5 :19-21.

These have not made it a point to "make the tree good." (Mat. 12 :33.) Lasciviousness, greed, hastiness, and an unclean doctrine —consequently an unclean spirit too—impel them to sacrifice and to carry on a religious activity over all Christendom like thistles casting off their seed. These always have need of the sympathy of others. They become more and more bold in their wickedness, especially if successful in their deceitful endeavors, so that the deceived will even defend them.

The gifts of the Spirit are always appropriate to the needs of the moment. The apostle mentions them in 1 Cor. 12. As soon as Zion has been formed, and the children of faith assume a proper position in relation to the Creator and his Anointed, these gifts will flow freely and unhampered through the branches of the governmental tree like the life sap of a natural tree in the sum­nier. Apples do not grow in winter, when the tree is embraced by the power of death! Neither are the pure gifts of the Spirit revealed until the powerful sun of the new world melts the stone walls of Babylon and assembles a new truth-seeking Israel that hungers for everlasting life. Then the Spirit will be able to speak through an English-speaking person, for example, to both a Russian and a Jew in their own languages. And then God will have the opportunity to show what a real cure looks like. Then both the one who is healed and the one who 'has performed the miracle will be in danger of their lives, the latter because of those powers; for so it was with Lazarus and his Life-giver, Christ.

The one who has failed to become "a good tree" under the in­fluence of the power of the gospel can never give the fruit-seeking husbandman any products when his messengers appear on the scene. He shall not only find himself disappointed when the in­heritance is divided and distributed, but in pain shall he eat the fruits of his own evil deeds. Consider this, you who halt on both sides! You pose as believers, but your deeds deprive your sur­roundings of the very seed of the gospel Word.

As proof of the fact that the "saved" have done this on a large scale, God now permits the natural grain on their fields to lose its power of reproduction. These immoral people have even de­stroyed their own seed, and loved the fruit of wickedness. The social sins of the nations fill all the children of righteousness and truth with gall and wormwood. And the heavens weep because of the people so that the harvests are submerged in rainwater. The kingdom of God which they have degraded is now to be given to those who have sown the fruit bringing forth peace, joy, truth, and righteousness.

Blessed are these who have fought and conquered! The time of trial is soon ended. The kingdom will pass over to the righteous people, whom they have tormented with their unbridled lives, and persecuted for truth's sake. Rejoice, you who have engraved your names in the book of life, by which the children of truth bless you. The apostle speaks to you in Rom. 12: "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth on teaching," and so forth.

Let us "distribute to the necessity of the saints" according as the Spirit gives us the Word—the bread of life. "Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not—overcome evil with good." Blessed is he that fears the Lord and keeps himself pre­pared as a clean vessel—a well formed branch—to receive the power of faith as a rare seal on the difficult struggle of faith.