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| Common culinary fruits. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation:seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11-12
New International Version (NIV)
From the beginning of Creation the world abounded with fruit. Nutritionists and doctors all agree that fruit is good for us and that we should eat it regularly. And God saw that it was good. Fruit is intended for our consumption and we benefit greatly from this gift from god.
Fruit is mentioned often in the Bible in both a literal and metaphorical sense. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve were encouraged to eat of the fruits, but not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We don't know what kind of fruit this tree would have actually borne and it may very well be that the fruit was not organic in a literal sense, but a more metaphorical use of the term fruit.
We see in the New Testament references to the "fruit" that humans bear and the fruits that we gain from the Spirit that are in the form of attributes and gifts that people can possess. Discernment can be made about people and belief systems by observing the fruits that they produce. Fruit can be good or bad depending on the quality, the taste, and the nature of it.
A diet that includes good fruit is essential to good physical health. Partaking of the right metaphorical fruit is essential to good mental and spiritual health. We can usually tell when fruit is good or bad. When we stay in the Word of God the bad fruit becomes more obvious and the fruits of the Spirit flourish within us. A diet of good spiritual fruit will cause us to be bearers of more good fruit.
Fruit is mentioned often in the Bible in both a literal and metaphorical sense. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve were encouraged to eat of the fruits, but not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We don't know what kind of fruit this tree would have actually borne and it may very well be that the fruit was not organic in a literal sense, but a more metaphorical use of the term fruit.
We see in the New Testament references to the "fruit" that humans bear and the fruits that we gain from the Spirit that are in the form of attributes and gifts that people can possess. Discernment can be made about people and belief systems by observing the fruits that they produce. Fruit can be good or bad depending on the quality, the taste, and the nature of it.
A diet that includes good fruit is essential to good physical health. Partaking of the right metaphorical fruit is essential to good mental and spiritual health. We can usually tell when fruit is good or bad. When we stay in the Word of God the bad fruit becomes more obvious and the fruits of the Spirit flourish within us. A diet of good spiritual fruit will cause us to be bearers of more good fruit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
New International Version (NIV)
