John 15:1

¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

The fruits of vine are used symbolically to represent the characters and behaviours God desired for His children. Israel is called the vineyard of God planted with choicest vines because Israel as a nation has the advantage of being formed, protected and guided by God. Unfortunately, Israel failed to bear fruits to God’s glory (Isaiah 5:1-2, 7). Although Israel has a strong religious system throughout history, many practise religious rituals out of man-made tradition without a genuine love and relationship with God. In other words, the outward performance of worshipping God is not consistent with the heart within (Isaiah 29:13). Being invisible, the heart is what God looks at because the heart reflects true love of God and obedience to His word (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). A genuine heart will bear good fruits that God desires. A hypocritical heart will bear bad fruits (Matthew 7:17-18). The failure of Israel to be a holy nation for God does not mean that the gentile nations are righteous and pleasing to God. Therefore the possession and knowledge of laws as revealed by God and the institution of a strong religious system cannot make people righteous. On the other hand, one cannot argue that people who do not possess the revealed laws of God are not guilty because they are also created in the image of God and by nature have unwritten laws in their heart called conscience (Romans 2:14-15). After Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruits of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, all people in the world, as descendants of Adam and Eve, know good and evil in their heart (Genesis 3:22). People will think and act against the conscience which is sin (James 4:17). Indeed, the whole world is full of sins in the past, present and future (Romans 3:9-10, 23) until God’s kingdom come when God will transform everything new after purging all the impure and corrupted things (Revelation 21:4-5).

Isaiah 5:1-2, 7

¹ I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. ² He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. ⁷ The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Isaiah 29:13

¹³ The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Matthew 7:17-18

¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Genesis 3:22

²² And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

Romans 2:14-15

(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.

James 4:17

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Romans 3:9-10, 23

⁹What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. ¹⁰As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Revelation 21:4-5

⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ⁵He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

The Key of Success

Jesus says that He is the true vine and we are the branches. Jesus means that He is the key in the success of bearing fruits in life. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself without the water and nutrients supplied by the vine, we cannot bear good fruits in life by ourselves. As we know, our human nature is weak and tend to bear bad fruits rather than good fruits in life. But, if we are connected to Jesus as branches connected to the vine then we can bear good fruits by the power of God (John 15:5). If we are not connected to Jesus, we cannot bear good fruits.

John 15:5

⁵"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Connecting to the True Vine

t is not hard to understand that a branch not connecting to the vine will wither and die. While a branch connecting to the vine will receive water and nourishment to grow and bear fruits. The question is what we should do in order to connect to the True Vine. Actually, there is nothing for us to do in order to connect to the True Vine but to believe (John 6:29, John 3:16) and accept this free offer of blessing with faith in Jesus Christ (Isaiah 55:1, John 7:37-39). When we believe in Jesus, we will receive the promise of the Holy Spirit who will make the withering life flourish such that we may know to praise the Lord (Isaiah 12:2-3. Isaiah 43:20-21). This grace of salvation to the whole world was promised by God to Abraham (Genesis 18:18, Galatians 3:14) who was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel in which the Messiah Jesus came. Jesus is the Lord and Savior of Israel and the Gentiles. Therefore Abraham was prophesied as the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5) for Jesus, the Messiah was the Word became flesh, born of virgin Mary who was the descendant of king David who in turn was the descendant of Abraham (John 1:14).

John 6:29

²⁹Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

John 3:16

¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Isaiah 55:1

¹ "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

John 7:37-39

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Isaiah 12:2-3

² Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." ³ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 43:20-21

²⁰ The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, ²¹ the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

Genesis 18:18

¹⁸ Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

Galatians 3:14

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Genesis 17:5

No longer will you be called Abram ; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

John 1:14

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When we received Jesus as the Savior, we will be very grateful to the forgiveness and new life that God gives us. This gratefulness, if genuine, will also comes with repentance and love of God in light of God’s words. The reason is that a new believer realizes he or she has been set free from the bondage of sin and its dark and tragic consequence and is given the privilege to enter the kingdom of light and becomes a child of God and receives His abundant blessings (Ephesians 5:8). Definitely the believer will be grateful and loves the one who makes all this possible. This is best illustrated by the act of a woman well known to be sinful in her own town when Jesus was attending a dinner invitation in a Pharisee’s house as recorded in the Luke gospel. One could imagine the degree of her sinfulness when even unrighteous people thought she was sinful. The woman brought a jar of expensive perfume and poured it to Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair in the dinner party at the Pharisee’s house (Luke 7:37-38). Her act was to show her gratefulness and love to Jesus by honoring Him in public. Her weeping reflected her repentance and mourning of her sins (Luke 7:47). Her act upon Jesus was, of course, predicated on her belief in Jesus’ teachings and His authority to forgive sins. Therefore Jesus said that it was her faith that saved her (Luke 7:50). This was in contrast to most of the people present in the dinner party who were questioning the authority of Jesus to forgive sins (Luke 7:49) for they did not believe in Jesus’ teachings and His offer of salvation. The host of the party did not even show common courtesy by giving water to Jesus as his guest to wash his feet (Luke 7:44). In Jesus’ time people commonly wore sandals walking on dusty and dirty road, therefore, it was common courtesy to offer water to guests for feet washing. Otherwise it was considered an insult. Perhaps this was also the reason the woman had to use her tears as water to wash Jesus’ feet. Therefore, it was obvious that the host, Simon, did not show any respect to Jesus let alone gratefulness and love of Jesus. Simon’s lack of gratefulness and love of Jesus was the evidence of his lack of faith (Luke 7:47). In general, non-believers do not know who Jesus is and some may even show no respect to Jesus. True believers know who Jesus is and what He has done to them and helped them to escape the tragic, destructive and eternal sufferings of sins. In other words, non-believers do not connect to the vine only true believers do.

Ephesians 5:8

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

Luke 7:37-38

³⁷When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

Luke 7:44

⁴⁴Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

Luke 7:47

⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

Luke 7:50

⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Luke 7:49

⁴⁹The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

Luke 7:47

⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

The Effect of the Holy Spirit

When we connect to Christ, the words of God will be be the center of our life (John 15:7-8) and we have a close communication with God through prayers and we may receive the power to bear fruits for God’s glory. Having the words of God in a believer’s life cannot be overemphasized. The Scripture is truth and is given to us by God. Unlike the teachings of humans, God's word is perfect, authoritative and effective in accomplishing His purpose of sending it (Isaiah 55:10-11). God's word will give comfort, and guidance to all believers as they grow in the relationship with God. In fact, the word of God is like the essential nutrients while the Holy Spirit is the power for the growth and bearing of fruits of the new lives in Christ (1 Peter 1:23, Titus 3:5). It must be emphasized that if the word of God is truly in the center of a believer’s life, the word of God will be put into action. As the book of James says that it is futile for someone merely hearing the word of God without putting it into action (James 1:22-24). Only doers of the word of God will bear fruits in his or her life. It must also be emphasized that the Holy Spirit dwelling in a believer’s life reminds and empowers a believer to put God’s word into action. It is important for a believer to walk in step or be attentive and obedient with the Holy Spirit in order to bear much fruits for God’s glory (Galatians 5:25).

John 15:7-8

⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Isaiah 55:10-11

¹⁰ As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Titus 3:5

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

James 1:22-24

²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Galatians 5:25

²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

The powerful effect of the Holy Spirit on a believer’s life is taught by Jesus. A devoted religious person named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council came to Jesus in secret to ask for the way of eternal life. Jesus taught him the essential condition of entering the Kingdom of God. The condition to enter the Kingdom of God is being born again, not physically but spiritually. Notice that “being born again” is a passive voice because the action is accomplished by a third party due to the simple fact that a person cannot give birth to himself or herself. Being born again is accomplished by the Holy Spirit who will make a person who trusts in Christ a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) bearing good fruits for the glory of God. Holy Spirit is invisible but effective in actions in bringing changes on a believer as wind is invisible but its effect can be seen clearly. A simple example is when the wind blows, leaves will be swaying in a tree (John 3:8). When the Holy Spirit works on a believer’s life, we will see the effect on the believer’s life. There are many life changing stories of people who lived a very destructive lifestyle but were turned around and lived a fruitful life when they accepted Christ into their lives. They might be drug addicts, alcoholics, gangsters, sexually immoral addicts and criminals, but they were set free when they came to Jesus and lived a new abundant life free from the destructive bondage. We may not be all live under such terribly destructive bondage, but according to the Scripture, are all enslaved by the bondage of sins and fall short of the glory of God. We all need to trust in Jesus such that we may receive the Holy Spirit who will make us a new creation bearing good fruits in life based on the word of God (John 14:26, Galatians 5:22, James 1:18).

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

John 3:8

⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

John 14:26

²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

James 1:18

¹⁸He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

The Process of Fruit Bearing

Bearing fruits is usually a process that takes time for believers. Some believers may bear more abundant fruits and more quickly than others (Mark 4:20). As branches connected to the vine takes time to grow and bear fruits, so is a believer takes time to be mature and bears spiritual fruits. We should be thankful for God’s grace of patience that allow us to develop from spiritual infancy into spiritual maturity like Christ. I have known for years that John Newton who was a slave trader wrote the famous hymn “Amazing Grace”. But, one thing I did not know was that when John Newton accepted Jesus as his savior, he did not stop engaging in slave trade immediately. The world view on slave trade at the time of John Newton was morally acceptable and legal and John Newton did not have the spiritual maturity and discernment to see the evil of slave trade and to abandon the money making business. Not until many years later after he became a Christian did he break the silence and published a confessing and powerful pamphlet Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade. John Newton then joined force with the English abolitionist William Wilberforce to abolish slave trade. Finally, in 1807, slave trade was outlawed in Britain and later by many European countries as well. This story is a great illustration of the growing process of a believer. When John Newton first became a Christian, he repented of his sins and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. However, he was not perfect and his thoughts and values were still somehow affected by the world view such as the legal practice of slave trade. However, the Holy Spirit would continue to work on him such that he could grow in faith and discernment of truth and falsity. Eventually, John Newton realized and confessed his hidden sin and committed to the word of God such that he would write down and committed to the teaching of Matthew 7:12 as the key verse of his publication “Thoughts on African Slave Trade”. Because John Newton realized that the world view of slave trade was in violation of the teaching of the scripture of loving others as loving yourself. The story also illustrats that the authority and power of the word of God in a believer’s fruit bearing process. With spiritual maturity, John Newton not only forfeited slave trade but acted as a confronting force against the world view of slave trade fulfilling the command of the Lord as the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14). This work of faith could not be handled by a spiritual infant but a mature Christian soldier. The word of God is like spiritual milk for a spiritual infant essential to spiritual growth. As milk provides nutrients and energy for an infant to grow, the word of God would provide the guidance and values of a believer such that he or she will bear fruits for the glory of God. A good evidence of true faith of a believer is the urge in studying and walking in the word of God (1 Peter 2:1-2).

Mark 4:20

²⁰Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

Matthew 7:12

¹²So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 5:13-14

¹³"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

1 Peter 2:1-2

¹Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ²Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

The heavenly Father is involved with the process of fruit bearing (John 15:1-2). He will prune every branch that bear fruits such that it will bear more abundant fruits. Pruning is no fun and could be painful in a believer’s life. But, it is part of the fruit bearing process for cleansing our impurities and growing in maturity. This is all done for our good with the love of God (Hebrews 12:10-11).

In sum, spiritual fruit bearing is incidental to salvation and salvation is not given to a person such that he or she is covered up to live a sinful life. Rather, salvation is forgiveness of sin and God Himself satisfied the demand of penalty of sin by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ such that sinners are justified by God’s grace with the imputed righteousness due to the work of Jesus Christ. The saved person will not be perfect on day one of salvation but the indwelling Holy Spirit will help him or her to grow spiritually and bear fruits based on God’s word for His glory. We also see that God plays an active role in the salvation of a sinner and the subsequent process of fruit bearing. True believer have faith in Jesus and true faith implies obedience to the word of God with the motivation and help of the Holy Spirit. Obedience to the word of God results in bearing of spiritual fruits in a believer’s life (Philippians 2:12-13).

John 15:1-2

¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Hebrews 12:10-11

¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Philippians 2:12-13

¹²Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Fruitlessness and Judgment of God

On the other hand, fruitlessness in a person’s life could mean that he or she has no relationship with God and is a dangerous unsaved situation. As a matter of fact, the heavenly Father will cut off branches that bear no fruit. The act of cutting off is the act of judgment by God. The fact that the unfruitful branches are connected to the vine could represent people who have some sorts of religious association with God in appearance but not so in reality within and are awaiting for God’s judgment in the appropriate time (Matthew 13:30). On studying Luke 13, Jesus taught about the consequence of fruitlessness upon hearing a report by some people who were with Him about a calamity of Galileans being slaughtered by the Roman soldiers in the Jewish temple. Apparently, the Galileans were religious persons for they went to the temple in Jerusalem but were killed due to a clash with the Roman government under the reign of Pontius Pilate, and the victims’ blood were said to mix with their sacrifices. Jesus told them that these victims were not worse sinners than other Galileans who did not fall victims to this tragedy. They were all sinners and unless they repent they too would perish. Jesus then emphasised the point by telling them another calamity in which a tower in Siloam collapsed and killed eighteen people. Jesus told the people who brought up the Galilean tragic story that these eighteen victims suffered such tragic death not because they were more sinful than the other people living in Jerusalem. Then Jesus warned them that unless they repent from their sins, they too would perish. In other words, sinfulness would bring death and death could come sooner or later. While we have the opportunity today, we need to address to the problem of sin in order to escape its tragic consequence of death. When Jesus refers to “perish”, He transcends the meaning to the second death in the lake of fire which will come as a judgment of God (Revelation 21:8) as Jesus seems to tell us that the first death is immaterial in compare to the second death as He teaches (Luke 12:4-5). As a matter of fact, the bodies of people of faith in Jesus will die also, but it is referred to as sleep (Acts 7:59-60) for there is resurrection and life in Jesus Christ (John 11:25). The Scripture teaches that the only way to escape the second death is through Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of the world (Romans 6:23).

Mankind unlike plants and animals are created in the image of God and are expected by the Creator to reflect His glory. Sin brings about the fall of mankind such that no one will reflect the glory of God by nature (Romans 3:23). Bearing fruits will glorify God and not bearing fruits will not glorify God and will see judgment. Mankind are created for the glory of God as fruit trees are planted for fruits. Fruit trees that bear no fruits will be cut down. Jesus has taught in parable that a man planted a fig tree in his vineyard for fruits. However, the owner of the vineyard was disappointed for three years he came for fruits but found nothing. He was about to cut down the tree such that it would not use up the soil. But a servant asked the owner for more time such that he would dig around the tree and fertilize the soil, hopefully it would bear fruits next year otherwise it should be cut down ( Luke 13:9). In addition, Jesus performed a miracle by cursing a fig tree near Jerusalem which He found no fruit as an object lesson teaching the disciples the importance of bearing fruits for the glory of God. The disciples found the fig tree withered from the root the next day demonstrating the judgment of death executed by God Himself (Mark 11:20). Therefore, a truly repentant believer will seek to live a life glorifying God rather than continue to live a life falling short of the glory of God. Please see the next section “Effectiveness of Faith”.

Matthew 13:30

³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "

Luke 13:3, 5

³I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ⁵I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Revelation 21:8

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Luke 12:4-5

⁴"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;

Acts 7:59-60

⁵⁹While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." ⁶⁰Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Luke 13:9

⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

Mark11:20

²⁰In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"

The Effectiveness of Faith

The scripture does not teach salvation by works. Salvation is a gift of God to everyone who believe in Jesus Christ His one and only Son and there is no other way of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, the precedence of salvation is the atonement work of Jesus Christ and the believers’ repentance and faith in Jesus as the Savior and Lord. The consequence of salvation is a new life in Christ made possible by the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 3:5-6). A new life in Christ will bear fruits for the glory of God. As a new born infant takes time to grow into an adult, the process of growth into spiritual maturity takes time. Therefore, Ephesians 2:10 states that people that are saved are the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus to do good works for God’s glory. Performance of good works is the manifestation of a redeemed life and is a consequence of the gift of salvation stated in Ephesians 2:8-9. Performance of good works is part and partial of a fruitful life of a spiritually mature person in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:10). To reiterate, salvation is not gained by performing good works, but a gift of God when we trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Performance of Good works is an outward manifestation of the inward born again life qualities (Galatians 5:22-23) of the redeemed person who has been made a new creation and is empowered by the Holy Spirit according to the word of God. Performance of good works cannot be underemphasized because the Scripture teaches that it is a practical way to show the presence of faith (James 2:17-18). In fact, absence of good work is considered sin if we know it is good but do not do it (James 4:17). Therefore, apostle Paul admonishes us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 that we should examine ourselves if Jesus Christ is within our lives as the evidence of true faith. We know we have the Father and Christ in our lives if Christ’s word is in our heart and becomes our values and guidance in our everyday walk with the Holy Spirit (John 14:23-25). Then we may no longer be enslaved by sins and the image of God is restored in our lives and we are truly called the children of God and we may live a fruitful life for God’s glory even in the corrupted world (1 John 5:3-5).

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

John 3:5-6

⁵Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Colossians 1:10

¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

Galatians 5:22-23

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

James 2:17-18

¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ¹⁸But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

James 4:17

¹⁷Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

John 14:23-25

²³Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. ²⁵"All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

1 John 5:3-5

³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.