“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). These words from Jesus have puzzled many. If Christ’s death on the cross was complete and sufficient for our salvation—as Scripture clearly teaches—what did He mean about needing to die to bear fruit? And how do we reconcile this with Paul’s mysterious statement about “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Colossians 1:24)?

These aren’t contradictory teachings that undermine the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. Rather, they reveal the beautiful pattern of how God works in the world: through death comes life, through sacrifice comes fruitfulness, and through union with Christ we participate in His mission.

 

THE CONTEXT: JESUS FACING HIS HOUR

When Jesus spoke these words, His crucifixion was imminent. Greeks had come seeking Him—a sign that His ministry was reaching beyond Israel to the nations. But Jesus knew this global harvest could only come through His death. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” He declared, then immediately explained this glorification would come through the cross.

The grain of wheat metaphor was Jesus’ way of explaining why His death was not a defeat but the very means of victory. A grain of wheat that remains in the barn stays safe but accomplishes nothing. Only when it’s planted in the ground—when it “dies”—does it produce a harvest. Jesus was the ultimate grain of wheat, and His death would produce the greatest harvest in history: countless souls brought into God’s kingdom.

 

WHAT JESUS MEANT: THE PATTERN OF FRUITFULNESS

Jesus’ primary meaning was clear: His own death was necessary to accomplish salvation for many. This wasn’t a reluctant admission but a confident declaration of God’s plan. The cross wasn’t Plan B; it was always the way God intended to save the world.

But Jesus also applied this principle to His followers: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). The pattern that governed His ministry would govern theirs too. True fruitfulness comes through self-denial, sacrifice, and the willingness to “die” to our own interests for the sake of others.

This is crucial to understand: when Jesus calls us to “die,” He’s not talking about earning salvation through suffering. He’s describing the inevitable pattern of Christian discipleship. Just as He laid down His life for us, we’re called to lay down our lives for others. This is sanctification, not justification—it’s about how we live the Christian life, not how we become Christians.

 

THE SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST’S WORK

Here we must be crystal clear: Christ’s atoning death was complete, perfect, and sufficient. Hebrews declares, “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (10:10). When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He meant exactly that—the work of salvation was accomplished.

The grain of wheat passage doesn’t suggest Christ’s death was somehow incomplete. Rather, it reveals the pattern by which God accomplishes His purposes in the world. Christ’s death was the foundation; our discipleship is the building that rises on that foundation. His death secured our salvation; our “dying to self” works out that salvation in practical Christian living.

Think of it this way: Christ’s death was like planting the ultimate grain of wheat. The harvest from that single seed continues to this day as people come to faith, are transformed by the gospel, and live out their calling to follow Christ.

 

UNDERSTANDING PAUL’S “FILLING UP” STATEMENT

This brings us to Paul’s puzzling words in Colossians 1:24: “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” At first glance, this seems to contradict everything we’ve said about Christ’s complete work.

But Paul isn’t suggesting Christ’s atoning work was deficient. Instead, he’s distinguishing between two types of Christ’s sufferings.

• First, there were His redemptive sufferings on the cross—these were complete, unrepeatable, and accomplished our salvation once for all.
• Second, there are His ongoing afflictions experienced through His body, the church, as we participate in His mission in this fallen world.

Calvin explained it well: these are the sufferings that Christ endures in His mystical body as the gospel advances and the church is built up. When Paul suffered as an apostle, when missionaries face persecution, when Christians sacrifice for others’ good—this is Christ continuing to suffer in and through His people for the sake of His mission.

Paul wasn’t adding to Christ’s atoning work; he was participating in Christ’s ongoing work of building His church. The sufferings were real, necessary, and fruitful—but they were ministerial, not salvific.

 

‘UNLESS A GRAIN OF WHEAT FALLS…’: LIVING THE GRAIN OF WHEAT PRINCIPLE

This principle shapes all of Christian discipleship. Pastors die to personal ambition to serve their flocks. Parents sacrifice their comfort for their children’s good. Missionaries leave familiar surroundings to reach the lost. Ordinary Christians give up their time, money, and preferences to love their neighbours.

In each case, the pattern holds: death leads to life, sacrifice produces fruit, and self-denial results in genuine fruitfulness. This isn’t earning God’s favour—it’s living out the reality of what Christ has already accomplished for us.

 

‘UNLESS A GRAIN OF WHEAT FALLS…’: THE PROMISE REMAINS

Jesus’ promise still stands: the grain of wheat that falls and dies will bear much fruit. His death produced the ultimate harvest—our salvation. Our smaller deaths, as we follow His example, produce their own harvests of transformed lives, strengthened churches, and advanced gospel witness.

Christ’s atoning work was complete and sufficient. Our discipleship work, patterned after His sacrifice, continues until He returns. Both truths are essential, and both point to the same glorious reality: God accomplishes His purposes through the willing sacrifice of those who love Him.

 

‘UNLESS A GRAIN OF WHEAT FALLS…’: RELATED FAQs

Did Jesus literally compare Himself to a seed, or is this purely metaphorical? DA Carson notes that while the grain of wheat is metaphorical, it points to the literal necessity of Christ’s death. The metaphor isn’t just illustrative—it reveals the actual principle by which God works: life comes through death, multiplication through sacrifice. Jesus used agricultural imagery His audience would immediately understand to explain the most profound spiritual reality.

• How do we interpret the “hour” that Jesus mentions in this passage? Reformed scholars like Andreas Köstenberger emphasise Jesus’ “hour” refers to His glorification through crucifixion and resurrection as a unified event. Unlike some who see the cross as merely shameful, the Reformed tradition sees it as the moment of Christ’s greatest glory—where His love, justice, and power are most fully displayed. The “hour” was sovereignly appointed by the Father from eternity.
• In Reformed theology, what’s the difference between Christ’s sufferings and our sufferings? John Piper and other Reformed teachers make a crucial distinction: Christ’s sufferings were both substitutionary (in our place) and exemplary (showing us how to live). Our sufferings can only be exemplary—following His pattern of love and sacrifice. We can never suffer substitutionally because that work is complete, but we’re called to suffer participatively as members of His body serving His mission.

Do all Christians need to literally “die” or suffer martyrdom to be fruitful? Reformed scholar Sinclair Ferguson clarifies the “death” Jesus describes is primarily about dying to self-will and living for God’s glory rather than physical martyrdom. While some are called to literal martyrdom, all Christians are called to daily “deaths”—choosing God’s will over our preferences, others’ needs over our comfort. Fruitfulness comes through this ongoing crucifixion of the flesh, not necessarily physical death.

• How does this passage relate to the Reformed doctrine of union with Christ? Michael Horton and others believe this passage beautifully illustrates union with Christ—we’re so united to Him that we share both His death and His fruitfulness. Just as a branch shares the life of the vine, we participate in Christ’s death-to-life pattern. This union means His death becomes our death to sin, and His resurrection life becomes our power for spiritual fruitfulness.
• What did the early Reformed theologians say about this passage? Calvin emphasised Christ’s death was like a single seed producing an abundant harvest of the elect throughout history. He saw the passage as teaching both the necessity of Christ’s death for our salvation and the necessity of self-denial for Christian discipleship. Calvin warned against using this passage to support works-righteousness, insisting it describes the Christian life, not the basis of salvation.

How do we respond to liberation theology’s interpretation of this passage? Reformed theologians like Kevin Vanhoozer acknowledge the passage calls Christians to sacrificial service for others, but they reject liberation theology’s emphasis on political revolution or earning salvation through social action. They argue the passage teaches true liberation comes through spiritual transformation—dying to sin and living for righteousness. The fruit Jesus promises is primarily spiritual (changed hearts, eternal life) though it includes genuine love for neighbours and justice.

 

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