Be Fruitful and Multiply
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2009
by Mark Parsec
Wordcasters
It should not surprise us that after God had created man and woman He gave mankind its very first commandment. Do you remember what it was?
God's very first command to mankind was to be fruitful and multiply. And on the surface of it, this command may seem to be quite simple, that Adam and Eve were to bear children and launch the human race. And although in large part this is true, my suggestion is that there is a much more significant meaning to this command than we might originally think.
First of all, the command appears to be redundant... "Be Fruitful" "And Multiply". Doesn't that seem rather odd to you? Doesn't the term "Be Fruitful" and the word "Multiply" mean the same thing?
To understand this redundancy we need to look a little deeper into the Bible. After God had created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the stars and the seas… After God had created all these things he said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so.
Notice that the plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth were to bear fruit AFTER THEIR OWN KIND with seed in them. God had created a perpetual motion in creation. The things that He created were to recreate after their own kind. Apple trees would bear fruit that created apple trees, which in turn would again bear fruit and create more apple trees. And on and on the cycle would go. Moreover, this appears to have been God's plan with every living thing that He had created. And this is the way it was to be with mankind.
Now, listen again to Genesis 1:27, where we are told that: God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God created man in His own image; we are reflections of God. God created us after His own kind. And like God, we are to recreate after our kind. So, then if we are reflections of God, if we have been created after His kind, what sort of fruit ought we to bear?
Now, I know these things may be difficult to understand. And some of you may be wondering if I am off my rocker. Some of you may be wondering if I am teaching that we are gods… No, I am not saying that we are gods; that is a false belief that the Mormons teach. However, what I am saying is that the physical realm parallels the spiritual realm.
To help you understand this concept we need to go to the New Testament where Jesus Christ emphasized the importance of being fruitful and multiplying after our own kind in a parable he shared about a sower. In Matthew 13:1-9 (NIV) we are told…
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear."
Now if you are a little confused about what in the world Jesus was talking about you have every right to be. The disciples were confused too. The point is that Jesus was referring not only to the physical realm, but also to the spiritual realm. And, because the disciples did not understand Jesus, He had to explain this parable to them.
Matthew 13:18-23 (NIV)
18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
In the parable of the sower, Jesus is explaining the most fundamental principal of godliness, of living in the image of God, of reflecting the glory of God. He tells us that the seed that is sown in good soil hears the world and understands it, that he bears fruit and brings forth up to a hundredfold.
In Genesis God tells us: "Be fruitful and multiply". In the Gospels Jesus tells us how we can bear fruit and bring forth up to a hundredfold.
Now we can assume that in both Genesis and in the Gospels that the Word of God is referring to only the physical realm when it speaks of being fruitful and multiplying, but nothing could be further from the truth. For when we are talking about multiplying or bringing forth up to a hundredfold, this is beyond the physical potential for a normal husband and wife. So, we have entered into the dimension of the spirit. And what the Word of God is instructing us to do is to bring forth spiritual children… to sow the seed of the Gospel and to bear children for the Kingdom of God.
So, as we consider our positions in the family of God, some of us are parents and some of us are not. Some of us have produced fruit and some of us have not. Let me ask you this… How many of you have ever led a person to Christ? How many of you have ever knelt down and helped a repentant sinner say the sinner's prayer? How many of you can honestly say that you have been fruitful and multiplied for the kingdom of God?
As we have learned from Genesis the seed bearing fruit bears fruit after its own kind. Therefore, either we are reproducing children into the world of flesh and death, or we are reproducing children into the Kingdom of God.
In Luke 6:43-45 Jesus said, "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. You cannot pick figs or grapes from thornbushes. Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart."
I want to ask you today, what kind of fruit are you producing in your life? Are you bearing fruit for Jesus? Are you speaking words of life to people? Are you sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you know someone that desperately needs the Lord but you have not spoke up to that person?
Jesus said our words show what is in our hearts. And if we say nothing then it is as good as doing nothing. A seed will not grow unless it is planted. If we want to be fruitful for the Lord then we need to speak the Word. We need to plant seeds.
We should find it interesting that the first words God spoke to mankind in the book of Genesis were, "Be fruitful and multiply." When we think of the meaning of these words in context of producing spiritual children, bringing people into the Kingdom of God, helping the lost to find salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then the last words our Savior spoke in the Gospel of Matthew 28:18-20 take on profound meaning…
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)"God had created a perpetual motion in creation"The most profound statement I have read and filled with truth. Thank you Mark for a very insightful, well-written work. Thank you for sharing. ~Nenita~
Thank you, Nenita. I appreciate your comments.Mark
I thank God that He use you to confirm me about the spiritual meaning of "be fruitful,multiply and fill the earth....because I strongly believe that 2 or 3 witnesses establishes a thing.Thank you and may OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BLESS YOU AND ANOINT YOU MORE!!!Thank you, Zillah.May God continue to bless you and multiply your seed.In Christ,Mark
God had given me a word this morning in my Spirit, "Be fruitful and Multiple. I use to think God was talking about Men and women to bare children but you have summed it up for me...Amen and God Blessed you to Bless others.
Thank you Delphine.May you be fruitful and prosper.God bless you,Mark
Thank you Mark. I had this command in the Spirit and am trying to find out what it mean since it was too obvious that it mean have children. So here I am with your with an explanation that makes complete sense to me. I thank God for you and may you continue the GOOD WORK IN HIS NAME.Thank you! I am glad that the article was helpful to you. God bless you!
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