Three Fruits

Romans 1:13

Paul continues to express his desire to visit the church of Rome in this verse just as we have seen in the previous three verses. In verse ten we saw that he desired to visit the Romans, but God had other plans. In verse eleven we saw that Paul wanted to visit the Romans because he wanted to establish (or strengthen) them. And in verse twelve we saw that he himself also desired to be encouraged by the believers in Rome.

Verse thirteen gives us more to ponder on why Paul desired to visit the Roman church. It says, “Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.” At first glance this seems similar to what Paul wrote in verse ten, but when you dive a little deeper you will see additional nuggets of truth.

Paul points out for the second time that he desired to visit the Romans. In verse ten we saw that he was praying and “making requests” to God to visit them. In verse thirteen we see again that he “often planned to come to” them. He even plainly states that he wanted them to be aware that he desired to visit them but had not been able to up to this point. Why was it so important that the Romans knew that?

It is not clear but I believe a reason for this could be that the Romans may have wondered if he actually desired to visit them. Paul may have been trying to put them at ease and eliminate any worries that they may have had. Perhaps he heard that the Romans wondered if he wanted to see them and he wanted to clear any possible misunderstandings, or he may have proactively wanted to alleviate potential misunderstandings. Whatever the reason was that Paul stated twice that he desired to see them is unknown, but what we do know is that he wanted to be clear that he genuinely did want to see them.

The second part of this verse I want to home in on says, “that I might have some fruit among you also.” This was the reason Paul gave in this verse for wanting to visit the Romans. What kind of fruit was Paul referring to here? John MacArthur, in his sermon titled Marks of True Spiritual Service, Part 3[i], points to three different types of fruit being mentioned in Scripture. First is attitude. This is the fruit of the spirit, what most of us likely think of when we see fruit in this context. Second is action. It is putting the fruits of the spirit into action. Third is addition. New converts being added into the family of God. First fruits (Romans 16:5).

John MacArthur believes this fruit in verse thirteen is an addition fruit, and I believe based on the end of this verse and the next two verses that he is right. Paul did not only desire to come because he wanted to strengthen and encourage fellow believers, he also desired to see more men and women saved. His entire purpose was to preach to the Gentiles, present the gospel to them, and see them saved. This was no different in Rome. He wanted to go and strengthen and encourage one another, but he also was not going to treat it like a vacation. He wanted to share in the fruit of addition with them.

Paul was constantly focused on his purpose. He consistently wanted to preach Christ. Fruit was regularly on his mind. This is how we ought to be as well. Whatever our purpose is on this earth we ought to seek to fulfill it. God has specific goals and purposes for everyone and we should aim to please Him in how we meet those goals. All believers do have one purpose that we share, and that is to glorify Him with every breath. Let us seek to bear fruit, whether it is a fruit of attitude, action, or addition because that is what will please and glorify Him.

[i] MacArthur, John (1981, May 24). Marks of True Spiritual Service, Part 3. Grace to You. https://www.gty.org/sermons/45-07/marks-of-true-spiritual-service-part-3

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