Christmas Day 3 of 24

Forgive me for posting this late. It has been quite the day. 

Today's Reading: Luke 3

Today's Focus: Vs. 7-14

John's message is simple. It isn't "believe in Jesus" because, well, Jesus had not entered the scene yet. 

His call is to "bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (vs 8). This means that as believers, when we repent, we "keep up with" that repentance by bearing fruit. The warning is startling: every tree that does not yield fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire (vs 9). Therefore, there is no such thing as someone who "repents" but doesn't show "fruit." That category does not exist!

What does "bearing fruit" look like? In this passage, it has a lot to do with what we would call "social justice" today. I do not like that term, simply because it is defined so broadly to so many people. On the the other hand, it clearly show's God's expectation of how His people ought to act and treat others, even those who do not identify with them in religion, class, race, gender, etc. 

The question they ask John the Baptist is, "What then shall we do?" Here's an overview of his response in verse 11-14:

• If you have two cloaks, share with someone who doesn't have any.
• If you have food, share with those who do not. 
• To the tax collector: Do not collect more than you're authorized to. Don't steal and pocket it for your own profit. 
• To the soldiers/police: Don't extort money from people by threatening them. Do not falsely accuse them. Be content with your wages. 

Those who walk in repentance will show that with their lives. The fruit they bear will not only be to love God, but also to love your your neighbor. Jesus reiterates this in Matthew 22:36-40.

Those who suggest to throw out all of God's Word also throws out the command to love people. We are in danger of reverting back to a society where there are no moral laws. The most toxic thing in our culture is to tell someone to "follow their heart." That was how Israel was in the day of the Judges:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
-Judges 21:25

Repent, then let your repentance bear fruit.