THEREFORE WHAT BENEFIT WERE YOU THEN DERIVING
FROM THE THINGS OF WHICH YOU ARE NOW ASHAMED?: tina oun karpon eichete
(2PIAI) tote ephois nun
epaischunesthe (2PPPI): (Ro
7:5;
Pr 1:31;
5:10-13;
9:17,18;
Isa 3:10;
Jer 17:10;
44:20-24;
Gal 6:7,8)
(Ezra 9:6;
Job 40:4;
42:6;
Jer 3:3;
8:12;
31:19;
Ezek 16:61-63;
Ezek 36:31,32;
43:11;
Da 9:7,8;
12:2;
Lu 15:17-21;
2Cor 7:11;
1Jn 2:28)
As he does so frequently in this
epistle Paul introduces this section with a rhetorical (asked for
effect) question which he quickly answers, explaining that our former
life of disobedience wrought only death.
Benefit
(fruit) (2590)
(karpos) is used in its
literal sense to refer to
fruit, produce or offspring, which describes that which is produced by the inherent
energy of a living organism. Karpos is what something
naturally produces.
Figuratively, karpos is
used of the consequence of physical, mental, or spiritual action. In the
NT the figurative (metaphorical) uses predominate
and this is particularly true in the Gospels, where human actions and
words are viewed as fruit growing out of a person's essential being or
character.
Karpos refers to
that which originates or comes from something producing an effect or
result (benefit, advantage, profit, utility).
Karpos is used 66 times in the NT (Matthew
14x;
Mark
5x;
Luke
11x;
John
7x;
Acts
Romans
4x;
1 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
3x;
2 Timothy
Hebrews
2x;
James
4x;
Revelation)
and is translated in the NASB as: benefit, 2; crop, 5; crops, 2;
descendants, 1; fruit, 43; fruitful, 1; fruits, 4; grain, 1; harvest, 1;
proceeds, 1; produce, 4; profit, 1.
Karpos is used some 96 times
in the
Septuagint (LXX)
(Gen. 1:11f, 29; 3:2f,
6; 4:3; 30:2; 43:11; Exod. 10:12, 15; Lev. 19:23ff; 23:40; 25:3; 26:4,
20; 27:30; Num. 13:20, 26f; Deut. 1:25; 7:13; 11:17; 26:2; Jdg. 6:4; 1
Sam. 5:4; 2 Ki. 19:29f; Neh. 9:36; 10:35, 37; Job 22:21; Ps. 1:3; 21:10;
58:11; 67:6; 72:16; 78:46; 85:12; 104:13; 105:35; 107:37; 127:3; 128:2;
132:11; Prov. 1:31; 3:9; 10:16; 11:30; 12:14; 13:2; 15:6; 18:20f; 19:22;
27:18; 31:16, 20, 31; Eccl. 2:5; Cant. 2:3; 4:13, 16; 8:11f; Isa. 27:6;
37:30; Jer. 2:7; 6:19; 12:2; 17:8, 10; 29:5, 28; 31:12; 50:27; Lam.
2:20; Ezek. 17:8f, 23; 19:10; 25:4; 34:27; 36:8, 30; 47:12; Dan. 4:12,
14, 21; Hos. 9:16; 10:1, 12f; 14:2, 8; Joel 2:22; Amos 2:9; 6:12; 9:14;
Mic. 6:7; 7:13; Hag. 2:19; Zech. 8:12; Mal. 3:11)
Other resources on fruit:
ISBE Article;
Torrey's Topic;
Holman Bible Dictionary;
Thompson's
Chain References
Fruit, sinful
Fruit, spiritual
Fruitfulness-unfruitfulness
Fruitfulness ;Easton's;
Baker's Evangelical Dictionary
Paul
uses karpos as an expression for desirable, righteous qualities
in one’s life, the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). The
author of Hebrews uses karpos to picture the results of the
disciplined lifestyle (see note
Hebrews 12:11)
Scripture catalogs 3 general kinds of spiritual fruit...
1) Spiritual attitudes that
characterize a Spirit-led believer -
Galatians 5:22-23
2) Righteous actions - see
notes
Romans 6:22,
Philippians 4:16;
4:17;
Hebrews 13:5
3) New converts - see
note
Romans 16:5
Larry
Richards summarizes the Biblical concept of spiritual
fruit writing that...
Fruitfulness is a consistent
concept in the OT and the NT. The fruit God seeks in human beings
is expressed in righteous and loving acts that bring peace and harmony
to the individual and to society. But that fruit is foreign to
sinful human nature. Energized by sinful passions, fallen humanity acts
in ways that harm and bring dissension. God's solution is found in a
personal relationship with Jesus and in the supernatural working of
God's Spirit within the believer. As we live in intimate, obedient
relationship with Jesus, God's Spirit energizes us as we produce the
peaceable fruits of a righteousness that can come only from the
Lord. (Richards,
L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency)
W. E
Vine has an excellent summary of karpos explaining that...
Karpos frequently in the New
Testament in its natural sense of that which is produced by the
inherent energy of a living organism, Matthew 13:8, and also, in a
derived sense, of the result, in the spiritual and moral sphere, of
the energy of the Holy Spirit operating in those who through faith are
brought into living union with Christ, John 15:4-5.
Fruit is thus the outward
expression of power working inwardly, and so in itself beyond
observation, the character of the fruit giving evidence of the character
of the power that produces it,
Matthew 7:16 (note).
As lust manifests itself in works, the restless and disorderly
activities of the flesh, or principle of evil, in man, so the Spirit
manifests His presence in His peaceable
Hebrews 12:11 (note),
and orderly fruit.
In this connection fruit
presents an advance upon “works.” “Works” gives prominence to the notion
of activity; fruit directs attention to the power that works
within.
Fruit is also used by the
apostle Paul of the converts resulting from his ministry,
Philippians 1:22 (note);
and of the manifestation of the character of Christ in the lives of
believers in consequence of his ministry of the Word among them,
Romans 1:13 (note);
and of the care of the believers for the poor, for this is the fruit, or
outward expression, of love, attesting its reality,
Romans 15:28 (note);
and of the care of laborers in the gospel, for this is the fruit, or
outward expression, of thankfulness to God for spiritual blessings
enjoyed, attesting its reality,
Philippians 4:17 (note).
The singular form, fruit, is
used here perhaps to suggest the unity and harmony of the character of
the Lord Jesus which is to be reproduced in the believer by the power of
the Holy Spirit, in contrast with the discordant and often mutually
antagonistic “works of the flesh.” In Christ actually, and in the
Christian potentially, the fruit of the Spirit is harmonious, the
various elements being mutually consistent, and each encouraging and
enhancing the rest in happy coordination and cooperation in that “new
man, which after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of
truth,”
Ephesians 4:24 (note).
The verb “fruit-bearing,”
karpophoreo, is found in the New Testament in both the natural, Mark
4:28, and the spiritual sense, Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15. The
two states of men, the regenerate and the unregenerate, are contrasted
in
Romans 7:4,
7:5 (note);
in the former “the passions of sins,” i.e., sinful impulses, see at v.
24, below, bore fruit unto death, that is these activities arose out of
a state of alienation from God; in the latter the power of the
indwelling Spirit, who unites the soul with the risen Lord, bears fruit
unto God; so also
Colossians 1:10 (note).
Colossians 1:6 (note)
corresponds with
Philippians 1:22 (note),
mentioned above. (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
Here are a few illustrative uses of
karpos in the New Testament (studying these in
context
will give one a good sense of the meaning of the word
karpos)...
Matthew 3:8 "Therefore bring forth fruit
in keeping with repentance;" In his proclamation John the Baptist
called for repentance and insisted that any inner change produce fruit
as evidence of its reality.
Matthew 7:16-20 “You will know
them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs
from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but
the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit,
nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.19 “Every tree that does not bear
good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you
will know them by their fruits." Jesus explained to his audience
that true inner character (and evidence of a new heart, a spiritually
circumcised heart) is recognized in a person's good fruits or conversely
bad fruits (from the unregenerate heart). When a tree is rotten it
naturally produces rotten fruit. But when the indwelling Spirit of God
Himself begins to express His mighty power in the inner being of
believers, good things begin to happen. The nature of God Himself begins
to manifest itself in our lives. (See notes on
Matthew 7:16;
17;
18;
19;
20)
Matthew 13:8 And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a
hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
Matthew 21:43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken
away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.
Mark 4:7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up
and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 Other seeds fell into the good
soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and
produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
Luke 8:8 Other seed fell into the
good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.”
As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear,
let him hear.”
Luke 1:42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ("fruit of
the womb" is a Hebraism = a linguistic usage or custom borrowed
from or particular to the Hebrew language)
Luke 3:8 Therefore bear fruits in keeping (axios
= corresponding to or consistent with) with repentance, and do not
begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say
to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to
Abraham." Here karpos views the deeds as the outcome
of some moral or inner force.
John 12:24 Truly, truly (Amen, Amen), I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls
into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much
fruit.
John 15:2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit (karpos) He takes away;
and every branch that bears fruit (karpos), He prunes it so that it may bear more
fruit....4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
(karpos) of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you
abide in Me. 5
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him,
he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing....8 “My
Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit (karpos), and so prove to
be My disciples....16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and
appointed you that you would go and bear fruit (karpos), and that your
fruit (karpos) would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may
give to you." (Comment: In the Gospel of John and the Epistles of Paul that
the concept of fruitfulness shifts from that of the product of character
to the product of God's work within us. Jesus takes the image of the
vine, with God as gardener, from Isaiah. We believers are carefully
tended by the Father, pruned and cared for that we may "bear much
fruit." Fruitfulness is possible, he said, if we remain in him and his
words remain in us. The point Jesus makes is that fruitfulness is rooted
in our personal relationship with him, and our personal relationship
with him is maintained by living his words: "If you obey my commands you
will remain in my love" -- John 15:10. God has chosen us. It is his
intention that we be fruitful. It is for this reason that he has given
us the most intimate of relationships and Jesus' own words to guide us,
and it is our responsibility to walk in close fellowship with our Lord.)
Romans 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have
planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may
obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the
Gentiles. (see
note)
Romans 15:28 Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal
on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. (see
note)
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"
Ephesians 5:9
for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and
righteousness and truth (see
note)
Philippians 1:11 having been filled with the
fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the
glory and praise of God. (see
note)
Philippians 4:17
Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which
increases to your account. (see
note) (Comment: Vine writes that " The figure here is that of spiritual and
eternal recompense for material assistance; there is blessing both in
this life and the next. See
Proverbs 19:17. The “account”
(logos) is a financial metaphor suggestive of interest." (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
2 Timothy 2:6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his
share of the crops. (see
note)
Hebrews 12:11
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but
sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it
yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (see
note)
Hebrews 13:15
Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
(see
note)
James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without
hypocrisy. 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace
by those who make peace.
James 5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient
about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
Revelation 22:2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was
the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit
every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations. (see
note)
The unsaved person is free—free from righteousness (v20). But
his bondage to sin only leads him deeper into slavery so that it becomes
harder and harder to do what is right. The Prodigal Son is an example of
this (Lu 15:11-24). When he was at home, he decided he wanted his
freedom, so he left home to find himself and enjoy himself. But his
rebellion only led him deeper into slavery. He was the slave of wrong
desires, then the slave of wrong deeds; and finally he became a literal
slave when he took care of the pigs. He wanted to find himself, but he
lost himself! What he thought was freedom turned out to be the worst
kind of slavery. It was only when he returned home and yielded to his
father that he found true freedom.
Haldane offers an interesting
point of clarification on benefit noting that...
Fruit (in the KJV, NAS =
benefit) here signifies advantage, and not pleasure. Many interpret
this verse as if the Apostle denied that they had any pleasure in their
sins at the time of committing them. This the Apostle could not do; for
it is a fact that men have pleasure in sin. To say that sinful pleasure
is no pleasure, but is imaginary, is to abuse terms. All pleasure is a
matter of feeling, and a man is no less happy than he feels himself to
be; if he imagines that he enjoys pleasure, he actually enjoys pleasure.
But what advantage is there in such pleasure? This is the question which
the Apostle asks. (Haldane,
R. An Exposition on the Epistle to the Roman. Ages Classic Commentaries)
Newell comments that...
in those former evil days, they had
been, as Paul says, free in regard of righteousness (see note
Romans 6:20).
They were altogether given to iniquity, without any check whatever.
("There seems to be a grave but cutting irony in this allusion to their
old condition, when the only freedom they knew was in respect to
righteousness! They were slaves of sin, and had nothing to do with
righteousness!") And those were fruitless days of which they were now
ashamed.
Free and fruitless!
What a pair of words to describe the
life of one who is going on daily toward eternity! Let each believer
look back to those days when God was "not in all his thoughts." The
pleasures and treasures of sin we sought - free in regard of
righteousness, like the beasts which perish. What saved one can say of
his unsaved life, I can treasure this or that as fruit? of any
particular iniquity, I cherish good results from it? What fruit had you?
Shame, only: things of which ye are now ashamed. Furthermore, we were
going on steadily in that path unto the end, which was death, and that
eternal. Remember the relentless but true description of sin's horrid
birth and end, in James 1:14,15. Now from all this, God has in sovereign
grace rescued us, and should we not, do we not, gladly enter upon the
path of loving service, yea, bond service, to Him? (Romans 6)
Ashamed (1870)
(epaischunomai
from epi = upon or used to intensify the
meaning of the following word + aischunomai from aischos =
disfigurement & then disgrace) (Click
in depth study of
epaischunomai) (used
2x in Romans) means to
experience a painful feeling or sense of loss of status because of some
particular event or activity. It describes one's consciousness of guilt
or of exposure or the fear of embarrassment that one's expectations may
prove false. Epaischunomai
is associated with being afraid, feeling shame which prevents one from
doing something, a reluctance to say or do something because of fear of
humiliation, experiencing a lack of courage to stand up for something or
feeling shame because of what has been done.
John Calvin wrote that
As soon as
the godly begin to be enlightened by the Spirit of Christ and the
preaching of the gospel, they freely acknowledge that the whole of their
past life, which they lived without Christ, is worthy of condemnation.
So far from trying to excuse it, they are in fact ashamed of themselves.
Indeed, they go farther, and continually bear their disgrace in mind, so
that the shame of it may make them more truly and willingly humble
before God. (Romans 6)
Ezra describes this shame writing...
O my God, I am ashamed (because the Jews
had taken some of the pagan Gentile daughters as wives, so that the holy
race was intermingled with the pagans) and embarrassed to lift up
my face to Thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads,
and our guilt has grown even to the heavens. (Ezra 9:6)
Jeremiah describes God's wrath on His people declaring...
Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there
has been no spring rain. yet you had a harlot's forehead; You refused to
be ashamed....12 "Were they ashamed because of the
abomination they had done? They certainly were not ashamed,
And they did not know how to blush; Therefore they shall fall among
those who fall; At the time of their punishment they shall be brought
down," Declares the LORD. (Jer 3:3;
8:12)
In the future Israel will be ashamed, Ezekiel
recording...
Then you
will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive
your sisters, both your older and your younger; and I will give them to
you as daughters, but not because of your covenant 62 "Thus I will
establish My covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD 63
in order that you may remember and be ashamed, and never
open your mouth anymore because of your humiliation, when I have
forgiven you for all that you have done," the Lord GOD declares...31
"Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not
good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your
iniquities and your abominations. 32 "I am not doing this for your
sake," declares the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed
and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!" (Ezek 16:61-63;
Ezek 36:31,32)
Daniel warns of the failure of one willing to be
ashamed during this life of their sin against God recording that in the
future...
many of
those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to
everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt."
(Da
12:2)
John exhorts believers...
And now,
little children (born ones),
abide
(present
imperative - John, filled with the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, says to abide not as a suggestion to do so when we feel
spiritual, but a command that calls for abiding to be our very
lifestyle) in Him, so that when He appears, we may have
confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. (1Jn 2:28)
FOR THE OUTCOME OF THOSE THINGS IS DEATH: to gar telos ekeinon
thanatos: (Ro
6:23
;
1:32;
Dt 17:6;
21:22;
2Sa 12:5-7;
1Ki 2:26;
Ps 73:17;
Pr 14:12;
Pr 16:25;
Phil 3:19;
Heb 6:8;
10:29;
Ja 1:15;
5:20;
1Pet 4:17;
Rev 16:6;
Rev 20:14)
Outcome (5056)
(telos from tello = to set out for a definite point or
goal) is the culmination or the outcome of a growth or development
representing an attained objective. Telos is never used in NT as
a chronological end, as if something simply stops. Instead, telos
speaks of a consummation, a goal achieved, a result attained, or a
realization. Telos is the result of an event or process with
special focus upon the final state or condition - outcome, result.
Death
(2288)
(thanatos) includes not only physical death, but also the quality
of one's present life (1Ti
5:6). Here Paul uses the term of the death brought in by
human sin and not referring merely to physical death but to death in its
most comprehensive sense - separation of the creature from his Creator
in the Lake of fire (see note
Revelation 20:14; see also
