What is a fruit metric?
I have an advanced degree in mathematics, and my wife always says that this degree changed me (and not necessarily for the good). I have a tendency towards logic, and this degree pushed me over (or so says my wife). So I tend to view things in a different way some times, and have a different vocabulary to describe things, than some.
One of my favorite things to find when hearing about a subject, is the concept of a metric. In mathematics, it is how you measure something. So for instance, if you wanted to measure the distance between two points, you say “easy”, pull out your ruler (a straight edge between the two points) and measure between those two points. That is the standard metric, or a way to measure distance. But that is only one type of measure. Another metric would be to set a grid, like city blocks, and then a measurement might be five blocks, two blocks east and three blocks north. This is also a valid metric; it just depends on what additional properties one wants in a metric. The concept of a metric is important because it is how we measure a particular property of something.
You can see how this might translate into spiritual things. There are multiple ways one COULD measure spiritual things. But we must be attentive to what the scripture says. I was struck one day when reading the following passage:
In John 15
7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
And this scripture
16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
Now fruitfulness is a measure, you can be more fruitful, or less fruitful. It is not either/or, but a quality measure. But what is that measure? Some would say it is the number of “souls” one can get saved. Sounds reasonable but is that what Jesus said was “fruit”. I believe the metric Jesus used was something else.
If you looked at the two passages of scripture above, we see a pattern, in fact one that I would argue is Jesus’ definition of fruitfulness.
As I read this scripture you get this metric
“amount of fruit” = “what you ask for, you get”
I have looked over this scripture in Greek, and there are a couple of possible options of interpretation but my conclusions are if this “what you as for, you get” is not the measure of fruitfulness, then it is tightly related.
One thing to notice in this passage is that Jesus said “My words abide in you”, and “what you ask for, you get”. I don’t think that this is a “anything you ask for” type of passage, nor do I believe that would necessarily be fruit in one’s life. But if the words of Jesus come out of your mouth and they come to pass, I believe that is the definition of fruitfulness (expressed by Jesus himself).