The good fruit

Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. 1 John 3:9-10 NLT

John continues to point out from the text that the source of sin is the devil: all sin originates with Satan. Satan enticed Adam and Eve and through their sinful acts, the whole human race was placed in the bondage of sin. John, in the Gospel, aptly puts it: “Satan, the ruler of this world” (John 12:31) governs the man who lives in sin. “But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8b). It was the Son of God who appeared to set man free from the power of Satan. “The Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14–15). The Son of God came to deliver us from the bondage of sin. Now, as His children, we are “totally committed to doing good deeds” (Titus 2:14). Since we are “born into God’s family,” it will be inconsistent if we still have the appetite to continue the practice of sinning. We should find the purpose and value of our lives in the knowledge that we now belong to Him because we have placed our faith in Him. “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit” (Matthew 7:17). God’s life is in us and that life guards our hearts so we will not continue in the habit of sinning. What God planted in us, He grows and develops so we will not yield to sin. In Christ, there is no middle ground. It is either we are for Him or for the enemy of God. We cannot serve two masters. Therefore, it is imperative for every believer to do what they know is right for it is based on the will of God. “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (James 4:17).

Blessings,