(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
Summary: Paul mixes metaphors and combines fruit with light. It works because the food value of this fruit is spiritual.
Paul is comparing us to a tree that bears fruit. I don’t know what kind of tree he was thinking of. A fig tree, maybe? Figs or apples, it doesn’t really matter. All fruits have certain things in common.
In Paul’s metaphor, believers are “light in the Lord” (Eph 5:8). We are a kind of light that bears fruit. Fruit is food for others, so in Paul’s metaphor, we feed on the good fruit of the light and provide fruit for others to feed on.
This is important: Without goodness, righteousness, and truth, society sinks into darkness. There is no spiritual fruit to feed on. In the dark, people thrash around for something to hang onto. Meanwhile, creatures of the dark use the cover of darkness to their advantage.
Our society has been sinking into the darkness for a long time. Like a boat that starts taking on water, the sinking was hard to notice at first. Everybody thought it was somebody else’s responsibility to fix the leak, so nobody did. Some liked the fact that the ship was sinking. They even looked for ways to make the ship sink faster. These people are the creatures of darkness.
You see, they are counting on fear. People are afraid of drowning in the dark waters. They will do anything to avoid death. Fear makes people easier to manipulate. As the ship sinks faster, the people on board realize something is wrong. The deck is decidedly tilted, and simply walking across the room is an uphill climb. Something has to be done!
The light is still here. It shines in the heart of every believer, even though many of us are confused and uncertain. The ship is sinking faster. The dark waters are rising. We are confused because the ship’s crew keeps telling us everything is okay. And you know what? We want to believe everything is okay.
But it’s not. Everything is not okay.
The light of goodness, righteousness, and truth will live forever in heaven, but here on earth, the dark waters rise. Lies abound, and yet we want to believe. We want to believe the lies because it is easier than facing the truth. But false truth claims and faux righteousness are not good fruit. They are poison. We need to wake up and turn to the light.
Application: There is only one source for goodness, righteousness and truth — Jesus.
Food for Thought: How do we tell the difference between truth and lies in the world around us?
The truth standard of Scripture needs to be our guide. It is God breathed so it is true. And it is useful for us to do every good work that pleases the Lord (2 Timothy 3: 16- 17). It can be the guide that lightens are path in a dark world (psalm 119: 105). Of course, as believers, we have the Holy Spirit to illuminate that truth (John 14: 26) and a relationship with Jesus, who is truth (John 14: 6).
Rich
Thank you!
It sounds like we need to be very familiar with Scripture and the Holy Spirit.
08-16-2023, How do we tell the difference between truth and lies in the world around us?
I concur with Rich.
Romans 1:20, 2:15, The law is written on our hearts, our consciences bears witness, our thoughts either accuse or defend us. Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, all are without excuse.
John 16:8, The Holy Spirit came and convict’s the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.
1 John 4:9-10, God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Matthew 6:33, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3, We learn to conform to the truth by reading, meditating and applying God’s Word to our lives.
1 Peter 2:9, We become a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
We have been given sight, cleansed and received the power to conform to God’s righteousness, so we can minister to the decaying world around us.
Thanks Ron!
Again, being familiar with God’s Word is critical.
As believers the standard we should measure everything is in self-less love (Jesus). If what we are being told, or even what we are thinking, doesn’t speak to that, it is either a half-truth (which is deception) or an outright lie. A good rule of thumb is asking “how does this submit to and serve God?” The ultimate truth is that God loves us, gave of Himself and Himself for us, and we are to love Him and each other. How do we tell the difference between truth and lies in the world around us? I would say hold it up to God’s truth and see if His light shines though it.
1 John 4:7-21 ESV Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
Chris,
“… hold it up to God’s truth and see if His light shines though it.”
What a great test! Another test is the ‘smell test.’ (2 Corinthians 2: 14-16)
I like that!