We chuckle a bit about the child who comes home from school and is asked if they were good that day. The child replies, “I didn’t hit anyone.” Cue parent eye-rolling. “The absence of bad behavior does not imply good behavior.”
While kind of funny, the story highlights the contrast between actively being good and refraining from misbehaving. It is also the contrast between engaging in good and just being.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that Jesus sees a fig tree, and going over to it, finds it has no fruit. The tree is leafy and green and growing but there is no fruit. Jesus curses the fig tree and it immediately withers. The tree didn’t have bad fruit on it, it didn’t “hit anyone”. But likewise it didn’t produce good fruit, which is really what fig trees are there to do. Well, produce fruit of some sort, not just consume resources.
Paul and James in their New Testament writings also urge believers to produce fruit, that the proof of faith is good fruit, good works, evidence of a heart smitten with Jesus.
Am I producing good fruit? Or just refraining from bad fruit? There is an important difference.
Just Sayin' 