Why Am I Not Spiritually Fruitful?

Did you know you have been chosen by God to bear fruit? Jesus said:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last… (John 15:16)

One way that we show that we are disciples of Christ is by bearing his fruit (see John 15:8). But how do we do that? How do we become spiritually fruitful? And why are some Christians unfruitful?

Fruitfulness is the product of intimacy. So the way to a fruitful life is knowing God in your daily life.

Easy to say, but what does that mean? How do we live the life that is ours in Christ?

In his second epistle, Peter shows us how:

We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you – your tickets to participation in the life of God… (2 Peter 1:4, MSG)

Other translations refer to the “magnificent and precious promises” of God that release his divine power into our lives. The indwelling Word of God imparts life and the spoken word of God – his magnificent and precious promises – imparts power.

What is our part in this? Our part is to receive the word. It is to trust and believe that what God has said is true and relevant in our circumstances. As God’s word takes root in your heart, you will bear his fruit and experience the blessings of heaven.

One thing that makes us unfruitful

Peter does a good job explaining the qualities we need to take advantage of God’s promises. But then he ends with this strange verse:

He who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. (2 Peter 1:9)

In other words, forgetting that we are forgiven renders us unfruitful.

“Why am I not spiritually fruitful?”

Perhaps it is because you do not know who you are in Christ. If you don’t know that you are a new creation, totally forgiven, righteous and holy, you will be barren. Instead of being forgiven, you waste your life trying to get forgiven.

This is why the gospel of grace begins with the declaration of God’s unconditional love and his total forgiveness of all sins – past, present and future. Before you can be fruitful, you need to believe you are completely and eternally forgiven.

“But why does Peter refer to former sins? That sounds like only some of my sins have been forgiven.”

He is talking about your former way of life when you were a sinner. “The old sinner you were has been crucified with Christ and no longer lives. You are a new creation, so act like it.”

This is not to suggest you will never sin, but you are not a sinner. You are a royal priest and a citizen of a holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9).

The number one reason why some are unfruitful

One more time for emphasis: The number one reason why some Christians are unfruitful is because they don’t know who they are in Christ.

Instead of abiding in the love of God, they are striving to earn his love.

Instead of resting in Christ’s finished work, they are working hard.

Instead of praising God for the gift of his righteousness, they are trying to make themselves righteous.

And since they are walking in the flesh, they remain barren and ineffectual. Indeed, Peter says they are spiritually blind and shortsighted.

The remedy is to REMEMBER you are forgiven, REFUTE any message that says otherwise, and REJOICE in the grace of God:

Happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven, whose sins are pardoned! Happy is the person whose sins the Lord will not keep account of! (Romans 4:7–8, GNB)

If you are an unfruitful branch, allow the Gardener to lift you out of the dirt so that you can bask in the sunshine of his love.

“No branch can bear fruit by itself” (John 15:4). We all need the Lord’s help when it comes to bearing his fruit.

Want to see more spiritual fruit in your life? Then get established in the love and grace of God. Once you are secure in your Father’s love, grab hold of those magnificent and precious promises and grow, baby grow!

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