Part 27 of 31 from "Christ our Righteousness".
By Carl Oluf Rosenius.
(1816-1868)
Translated from ekris.net
“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)
Notice one thing: The Lord speaks on fruit all the time. He gives us grace and forgiveness freely and for nothing. Adoption as sons with God and eternal life are gifts which has been gained us by Christ’s blood. It’s our fortunate portion to possess all this in the faith, and be allowed to live in a kingdom of grace in which no law can condemn us, and no sin be imputed to us.
But neither must we “change the grace of our God into a license for immorality” nor “be ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” On the contrary, he wants us to be increasingly rich in everything good for the glory of God, and for the blessing of our neighbour.
With this as his end, he takes care of and encourages us, disciplines and cleanses us, that we must bear more fruit. Yes, he promises those who remain in him, that they will bear much fruit.
There is a great difference here between each individual Christian. There are some who almost brim over with love and good deeds, while others are far less rich in fruit. Yes, there are some who are so careless and unfruitful, that they almost seem ignorant that they are called to “no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again”.
Translation Gert Gravgaard
