Once when I was a young kid, my dad and I went to a major league soccer game. At one point in the game, we bought two large fresh-squeezed lemonades. I quickly drank to the bottom of the cup, and with my last sip, I swallowed a seed. Shortly after doing so, I began to worry about lemons growing in my stomach. I tapped on my dad’s arm and asked what would happen if someone were to swallow a lemon seed, and he jokingly said that a lemon tree would begin to grow inside of them. My heart-beat rapidly increased, and I told him that we must quickly get to the doctor, because I did just swallow a lemon seed and we need to get it removed. With comforting assurance, and a calming chuckle, he told me he was joking and that I was going to be just fine. I let out a huge sigh of relief, and we turned our attention back to the soccer game.
That memory popped into my mind the other day, and when I reflected on that situation, I realized that although my fear was physically irrational, there was a spiritual lesson to it. Lemon trees won’t grow in our stomachs when we swallow seeds, however we do produce fruit in our lives according to the actions we choose to take. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says, “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks (Lk 6:43-45).
When one is a Christian, they are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) and therefore ought to be producing fruits of the Spirit. In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul says that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Before that he lists the acts of the flesh that contrast the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:19-21). There are many, but one big one that stands out to me in these strange times is hatred.
No one can, nor ought to expect non-Christians to follow Christian tenets or to produce things that only by the Spirit one may produce. But there is no excuse for the Christian, no matter what culture they’re in. Online and on the news, I see many Christians spewing hate and quarrelling with one another not just on social media, but in public. Many have replaced the Scriptural Gospels of the Church with demonic doctrine of their Social Gospel.
One sins and is saved individually. The fruits produced in one’s life is upon themselves according to their agency and free-will actions, not due to their race. Christians, who have been adopted by God the Father, washed clean by the blood of the Son, and led into all truth by the Spirit are called to bring peace to their communities. Many seem to have forgotten that the battle is spiritual, not physical (Eph 6:12) and that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, but from another place (Jn 18:36).
As stated above, good and evil come from the abundance of the heart. We will not change society by burning down buildings, tearing down statues, beating people up, voting in the “correct” politicians, equally distributing wealth and material goods, virtue-signaling on social media, taking a knee, or surveilling a populace. Change comes from aligning the heart, mind, soul, body, and will with the Will of the Christian God. No other religion, no well-crafted political platform, and no perfected economic system will save us.
Our redemption is in Christ, not in the systems of this world. All humans, regardless of race or creed, must repent of our sins and love the Lord with our whole hearts, souls, and minds. We are called to love one another as ourselves. That means recognizing that our neighbor is uniquely made in the image and likeness of God just as we see ourselves as being. They sin and fail just as we do, but they are worthy of respect, love, and forgiveness just as we feel we are.
The condemnation of sins, the judgment for sins, and the forgiveness of sins comes from God. Anything that doesn’t align with the Scripture, traditions, and teaching of the Christian Faith is at best a misstep, and at worst demonic. May God bring peace and protection to you and your family in these times. Remember to bear good fruit as we are called to do no matter the year, season, or circumstance.