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“And now the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Luke 3:9).
I grew up on a fruit farm, and we were very much aware of a tree that did not bear good fruit. If it did not bear good fruit for one year, we might wait a year, to see if the next year was better. But if it did not bear good fruit for two years, we cut it down, and planted a new tree.
The nation of Israel was like a tree that did not bear good fruit, and John the Baptist told them that unless there was repentance, God was going to cut it down. That is, He was going to disown that nation, at least for a time.
But we must realize that none of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, can bring forth good fruit for the Lord in our natural state. All of us were like a tree that was useless, and needed to be cut down. There is only one way we can bring forth good fruit for the Lord, and that is when we have a new life in Christ. Those who repented in Israel waited for the Lord Jesus to come, and He was going to offer them new life in Him—a new life that could produce fruit for God. You and I can have that new life too, by accepting Him as our Savior.
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