What? It's been God all along? Imagine that.Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.
For it is God who works in me both to will and to do His good pleasure.
Another look at John 10.
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I know! Scripture EXPLICITLY says it is not by the desire or effort of man. Still, so many deny it.
1 Corinthians 4:7b; John 3:27; Romans 9:15-16 What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did also receive it, why do you boast as not having received it? John replied, "A man can receive only that which is given him from heaven." "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then, it does not depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
The Holy Spirit DOES cause you to have self-control though. Notice if you submit to the Holy Spirit that it's easier to have self-control than before you were saved? That's the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
The fruit of the spirit is produced by obeying the spirit and the word. So by heeding the word of God and the witness of the spirit one learns to exercise self control in order to conform to God's will
So the Holy Spirit isn't sovereign? He can only help if you are obeying? Doesn't He chasten you if you don't obey? Did you decide this as well?
Does a plant produce fruit of itself? Indeed it does when the garden is kept free of weeds
And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; Matthew 13:3
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:7-9
Paul planted, Apollos watered. God gave the increase.
No it's not. The increase wouldn't have happened without God's nourishment, so God gave the plants the ability to produce fruit
The branches have no independent means of bearing fruit. The ability isn't bestowed upon the branch. The vine works through the branch to produce the fruit.
We are to bear fruit, not produce it. This is what abiding is all about. And the way we know we are abiding is that the life of the vine is producing fruit on our branches. Those branches not bearing fruit are cut off, and those which do are, are pruned to increase the harvest.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God Who makes things grow.
