Corrupted Fruit means Corrupted Seed and Corrupted Soil

Never more today, in this milieu, has Christianity been devoid of heroes in the ilk of Calvin, Luther, Knox, Wesley, Owen, Chalmers, Moody, Spurgeon, Elliot, Hudson, Judson and the Studd brothers.



What in fact the church has to continually get to grips is the debilitating effect of corrupted fruit implying the possibility of corrupted seed planted in corrupted soil. Clearly the analogy drawn is from the parable of the sower and the seed taken from the gospel of Mathew in chapter thirteen, and of course, the discourse of our Lord just before His betrayal in Gethsemane, on abiding in the Vine, referring to Himself.

The cause for much and great concern is the purveyors of this corrupted seed being sown. The very ones who feel 'called' into the ministry (much like I was!) to preach and teach the gospel of Christ, but who end up preaching what the apostle Paul called, a 'different gospel' in his epistle to the Galatian believers.

Bad fruit is always a manifestation, or evidence of perhaps bad seed, or bad soil, or both. Remember, however, that analogies have limited application by its very nature. The nature of analogies, metaphors and figurative language is that they must be supplemented by propositions. Clearly, as the Lord taught, there are certainly external factors as well, for instance, seed dropped by the way-side, seed in rocky soil, and seed amongst thorns. We can call these some of the external factors.

Then there is the analogy of a building. Our Lord used the analogy of the foolish man who built his house on sand. He did not think it proper to search and seek out foundations of rock. He was careless. Perhaps he had a lackadaisical attitude. And the end result is disastrous.

http://thewriterskeep.blogspot.com/2011/06/what-kind-of-writer-are-you.html

We have more than enough teaching in the Scriptures for believers to learn and understand what the Lord expects when it comes to the accurate teaching and preaching of the Gospel in its fullest in order to 'make disciples of all nations.' And yet, error of insufficient and inaccurate preaching and teaching of the gospel continues with the ubiquitous call of the preacher, teacher and pastor, not to mention, evangelist, for those hearing them, to 'accept Christ'.

The glorious 'unsearchable riches of Christ' is reduced into this phrase, 'accept Christ'. And this disease of revolving everything to do with evangelism into 'accepting Christ' continues relentlessly in the evangelical world, especially and notoriously, amongst Pentecostals and the Charismatics.



What about Conviction of sin, Conversion, Regeneration or being Born Again, Redemption, Translation from the Kingdom of satan into the kingdom of Jesus, Justification by Faith in Christ alone, Sanctification and Glorification?

Everything is collapsed into 'accepting Christ'.

See how deviant, and see how strong Paul was in combating such a preaching and teaching?

May God in His great mercy and grace send to us a Gospel-initiated and Gospel-sustained revival!