What is Good Fruit?
Repentance. The Bible indicates the first fruit we see is the fruit of repentance. Matthew 3:8 says, “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance.” This message was preached by John the Baptist as he pointed to the coming Christ. Jesus instructs the church the same thing in Revelation 2:5
"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place -- unless you repent.
The evidence of the fruit of repentance is obedience. Works are not the road to repentance, but rather the result of repentance. Works are always the evidence of faith.
Fruit of the Spirit. The Bible says that when someone is born again through Christ, God’s Spirit is placed within them. The Spirit convicts us of sin and instructs us in the word. It is God’s Spirit that reveals the word to us so we can begin our walk of obedience. As we grow in the word, the fruit of the Spirit will begin emerging in our lives. Look at Galatians 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If you are a child of God, you have the power to live and walk in the Spirit. If you walk in the Spirit, these things will begin to emerge in your life. Remember, fruit is produced by patience while we abide in Christ. Jesus said that we must abide in Him in order to bear fruit, for without him, we can do nothing. But if we abide in Him, we are promised that we will indeed bear fruit (John 15). Fruit has to grow before it can mature. This is part of our life of self-examination. Do you see love (agape) developing in your life? If bitterness is choking the word, you will not be fruitful. What about patience, gentleness, or self control?
These things are only possible when we abide in Christ. There are many teachings out there about what it means to abide in Christ, but Jesus dispels all misconceptions, and tells us what it means to abide. First look at John 8:31-32
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
There is a common pattern throughout scripture. The word is always central to our obedience to God. It is possible to abuse the word. Some know the word, but never know what it means to abide in Christ. Without first having the Spirit of God, the Bible says it is impossible for the mind in the flesh to receive the things of God. Have you ever wondered how an atheist can comb through the scriptures, looking for faults in the smallest details, but never see the truth he is wading through? Jesus said, “Why can’t you hear may words? It is because you are not my sheep.” Without the Spirit, man can’t comprehend the truth of scriptures. So it is possible to have Bible knowledge without abiding in Christ, but it is NOT possible to abide in Christ without studying and abiding in the word. This is emphasized in John 15:7-10
7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9 " As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
Do you see how the self-centered gospel blinds people to what it means to bear fruit? The fleshly mind looks at this promise and says, “I can ask what I desire and get it!” The spiritually minded believer looks at this and realizes, if I abide in the word, I will know the will of God, and he will give me godly desires. Then I will ask, knowing the Lord will do it, because He will be glorified as I bear good fruit. This is explained also in 1 John 5:14-15
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
This is even taught in the Old Testament. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Is this a selfish gospel? No. If we delight in the Lord, we must also be delighting in His word – including the commandments. Our motives will be pure, our desires will come from the Spirit, and God will fulfill His will in our joyful heart and willing lives. Self-seeking prayers have no promise of being fulfilled. Look at James 4:2-3
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
There must be a change of heart. Our prayers are not based on lusting after the world. The truth is, the Bible doesn’t command us to pray for our pleasures – and in truth it is not necessary. We don’t need to claim benefits. The Bible makes it clear that God wants to fill our lives with good things, but the first and most important good thing is the spiritual maturity which will endure into eternity. Pleasure will pass away, and everything we see with our eyes will be dissolved. If this is our affection, we are not prepared to be blessed by God.
Promises are the natural result of obedience. We must learn to quit claiming the promise, and start claiming the commands which bring us God’s promises. The promise of obedience is Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Notice the promise? These things shall be added to you. Is Jesus instructing us to claim the promise? No. When we seek His kingdom through obedience, the promises are added to us. People are misled to believe they are to claim the promises, but in truth, the promises are our assurance of faith. We obey, sacrifice, and die to ourselves knowing that God will fulfill our lives through His promises. Promises are received by faith, and faith is expressed through obedience. There are no promises of good things for the disobedient Christian. Our focus must be on overcoming the things which hinder obedience, not on the promises without our obedience. These things will be added when we obey; there is no need to beg or demand.
Do you have sinful habits that consistently draw you out of God’s will? When I came to Christ, I had so many terrible character flaws, it made my head spin. As I grew, I realized how many more I had that I couldn’t see. Several of my character flaws were a great hindrance to my walk. I would feel close to the Lord, and then be drawn back into the flesh before I knew what was happening. Suddenly, my life seemed to be spinning out of control, and I felt distant from God – yet again.
Like every Christian, my life is a daily wrestling to overcome the flesh, but something significant happened that changed my perspective. This passage spoke to me, 1 John 4:4-6
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
People who resist the word and can’t hear the truth are walking in the spirit of error. But those who hear the truth will respond from the heart, and they are walking in the Spirit of truth. Take special note of verse 4: you have overcome, and greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world. This applies to our Christian walk in the world, but it also applies to my personal battle for holiness. Because I am now in Christ, I have already overcome – past tense. The Bible tells me that I have been born of incorruptible seed. Look at this wonderful passage in 1 Peter 1:22-23
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.
My body of flesh still struggles with corruption, and according to Romans 7, sin remains in my flesh, warring against my mind, and trying to bring me back into the bondage of sin. This war will not end until my final redemption when I am changed at Christ’s coming. Yet, the battle to overcome is a battle that not only can be won, but is already won. I’m not sure how many times I heard and read this, but when I took it to heart, it changed the battle in my life forever.
Instead of acting like a victim, helplessly trying to fend off temptation, I realized the truth of Romans 8:37 which tells me, I am more than a conqueror against these things. Not because I have the power, but because I have been redeemed and delivered from the bondage of the sin in my flesh. I changed my way of thinking. Instead of a faithless prayer of saying, “Lord, help me overcome. It’s too strong for me,” I began to pray, “Thank you for delivering me, and giving me the power to overcome.” Sin no longer has the right to my mind, and has no power over me. Not because I have the power, for temptation is still too strong for me in the flesh, but because I abide in His power when I walk according to the new man, the incorruptible new creation, born through the Spirit of God.
God’s instruction is to be strong in the Lord, and the power of His might. In my flesh, I don’t have the power to overcome the flesh. But in the Spirit, I am more than a conqueror, because He has already defeated sin and given me the victory He wrought on the cross. I finally realized I needed to change the way I viewed temptation.
Why did the children of Israel fail to inherit the promise of God after being delivered from the strong arm of Pharaoh? They sent spies into the land as God commanded. They brought back a report saying the land was just as God described it, flowing with milk and honey. But there was a problem. There were giants in the land. Then one of them made the statement, “We were like grasshoppers in our own sight.” The giants were so big, we felt like grasshoppers, helpless against so powerful an enemy. They were not defeated because the giants were strong, but because they surrendered. This was in spite of the promise that the Lord was the conqueror, and the battle wasn’t theirs to fight.
Temptation in our life is often the same way. Especially habitual sins. It’s too big for us to conquer, and we are helpless against the things that have always dominated our life. True. We are helpless, but the battle isn’t ours to fight. Yes, we are more than conquerors, but it isn’t our might, but the Lord’s. The promise is that we are more than conquerors through Him. It is He who leads us into battle and chases away the warriors. It is He who puts temptation to flight. The sins I thought I would never conquer suddenly didn’t seem like giants. In fact, I no longer wrestle against one of the strongest temptations of my past. When it rises against me, I just push it out of the way and pass by. “You no longer have power over me. Sorry, but I don’t have time to bother with you.” No battle, no sweat and tears. It is a gnat I shoo away with a brush of my hand.
The change was faith. I understood and believed the word of God. Since I have already overcome, sin was defeated on the cross, and my old man was crucified with Christ, and I was raised as a new creation with an inner man incorruptible, what power could the flesh have over me? Realizing the truth of this was spiritually empowering. What peace I found when I understood the victory in Jesus Christ, and the freedom from sin He gave.
Such as are all the battles of our flesh. If we are drawn into the flesh, we have no power against these mighty warriors of temptation. But if we walk in the Spirit, looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith, they have no power. The flesh has no power against the Spirit. It can only attempt to lure us out of the Spirit where the battle gives sin the advantage. This is beautifully explained in Romans 8:1-6
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Add to this Galatians 5:16
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Through the word, we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and when our minds abide in the word and we live according to the Spirit, sin has no power over us. Then we will see the fruit of the Spirit coming to maturity in our lives. Spiritual maturity is not only knowing the word, but abiding in obedience to the word. It is walking in the Spirit on a consistent basis.
The fruit of repentance is the power to turn from the weakness of the flesh, and walk in the purity of the Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit of God can reveal sin to us, and empower us to walk according to the incorruption of the inner man. Repentance is not groveling in guilt, but turning from the condemnation of the flesh and to the power of God, so we can overcome as God has commanded. When we do this, all the promises of God and ways of truth open up to us, making our lives fruitful in the Spirit.
Fruit of discipleship
Discipleship is good fruit in the Christian walk. We first overcome in our own lives, and then we guide others into the truth we are discovering. As you overcome a weakness in your flesh, God will reveal more. Eyebrows raise when I say this, but I am a bigger sinner today than I was when I first came to Christ. Think about a youth. They often think they have all the answers, but when they grow older and gain more understanding, they realize how little they know because there is so much more out there to learn.
The truth is, as I grow closer to God, I recognize more things that need to change. And the more I am amazed at His grace and mercy. He doesn’t slap me down for my inability to be like Him. The Lord reveals an area where I fall short, and begins teaching me how to overcome it. The deeper my relationship with the Lord grows, the more I realize how much more there is to discover about God. Once, I thought I had most of the answers, but now I realize I haven’t begun to scratch the surface of the knowledge of God and His ways. I also see how far I am from the perfect standard of Christ. I discover more of His love for me as He guides me by the hand, and teaches me how to strive against the flesh and overcome.
Some argue that we are no longer a sinner because our inner man is incorruptible. While it is true that we are now born of incorruptible seed, we still live in a body of flesh, which is corrupted by sin. We are still commanded to strive against sin, keep ourselves in the love of God, and mature in the faith. Maturity is understanding the word, and growing into that understanding. If I know the word, and have perfect understanding, but allow myself to be lured into disobedience, I am not mature. A selfish child who disobeys is considered immature. A child is considered a man or a woman when they adopt attitudes and behaviors that show they can do what is right.
We never cease our own life of discipleship, but we should come to the place where we seek to influence others. Our calling is to make disciples – not merely gaining converts or new members in our ministry or church. Look at Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Our encouragement is found in knowing Jesus has all authority. Since He has all authority, I know His command to me is my authority. The purpose of the Christian life is not to make converts, but to make disciples. True fruit of discipleship is teaching the word to others. This is first accomplished by sharing the hope of salvation, but this is not the end. It is the beginning. Someone is not a disciple until they are striving to observe all things God has commanded. Our commission is to teach others the word of God so they can learn what it means to walk in obedience, and become a disciple of the word and take up this commission to teach others and make new disciples of Christ. The focus is not to become a leader of disciples, but a teacher who equips the saints for the work ministry.
The fruit of discipleship is seeing others mature in the faith to the point where they now realize they don’t need man to teach them, but can study to show themselves approved. Teaching then becomes a body of believers refreshing each other, reminding each other of the word, encouraging each other in the word, and sharing what God has shown us. If you are a true disciple of the word, you will discover things that will encourage me and offer fresh perspectives I have not discovered yet, and I should be doing the same for you. A disciple is never an island, but a part of a body with other disciples, having the same mind, rooted and grounded in the same word. That is what the Bible calls a church body, joined together by what every member supplies, and edifying itself in love as it draws close to the head – Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).
A true ministry, teacher, or preacher must have this in their ministry before we can testify their fruit as good. A flock of dependent people is not true discipleship. A crowd is not fruit. A big building and dozens of ministries is not fruit. A world wide outreach is not fruit. Gaining satellite churches where you are the focus is not fruit. There are churches where the pastor broadcasts himself into multiple satellite churches. This is a failure of discipleship. How is it that someone can have so many followers and offshoots of their ministry, yet not one person has grown to the point where they can take the role of a new leader? True fruit is new disciples emerging who can carry on the work in the world around them, maturing, and teaching others to mature. If there is no maturity in the people under a ministry, there is also no fruit.
Fruit of good works
The evidence of a life in the Spirit is good works. As we discussed before, it is possible to have works without fruit. Even an atheist can do good works, as can any other religion. However, this does not discount the fact that good works will come out in the Christian life. A big difference between Christian good works, and the works of man is where they lead. Look at Matthew 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
The Christian’s good works should be a light that shines the way to truth, and glorifies God. There are people who do good works to be seen, and there are those who do good to glorify God. When the Pharisees did good works, Jesus called them hypocrites. He condemned the fact that their works were a big show so they could be seen by men and called righteous. Jesus warned that because they were being seen and gaining glory of men, they have their reward. Any who use works to show themselves as righteous before men have their reward and should expect nothing from God. Consider Matthew 6:3-6
3 "But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 "that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
5 " And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Never worry about whether you are acknowledged for your good deeds. In fact, rejoice when you are not. The less credit you receive, the more assured you will be that your motivation is right and the Lord is the focus of your work. False works point to man; good works point to the glory of God. Take 1 Peter 2:11-12 to heart:
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Your works and conduct is a testimony that glorifies God. A righteous man or woman may be mocked. People may speak evil of you, try to tear you down, and even call you an evil doer, but when God visits the sinner with the call of redemption, they will glorify him, and your works and conduct will play a role in leading them to the light of Christ. Works are a testimony of God’s work in our lives, not a testimony of our own righteousness. It is God who guides us, teaches good works through His word, and calls us into the work He has prepared for us. Do not fret if your works are overlooked. God never overlooks a heart of obedience. Look at 1 Timothy 5:24-25
24 Some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.
25 Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.
Your good works cannot be hidden. It may not be evident to the world, or those around you, but it is evident to God and He will reward. Also keep in mind that feeding the poor has no eternal value if we leave their hearts untouched by the gospel. Good works should open the door of the gospel by showing our care, and then using our works as an open door to shine the light of truth. A hungry man may not be willing to see the gospel if his mind is on his hunger. Even after meeting the needs of the body, people still may not be open to the gospel, but that isn’t for us to worry about. We do good, and share truth. The results are up to God.
Good works are the evidence of Christian maturity and a fruitful life in Christ. Part of bearing fruit as a teacher is teaching others to have a heart of works. Look at Titus 2:6-8
6 Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
A Christian should show a pattern of good works. As our lives grow in faith and in the Spirit, we are compelled to do good works. Even so, we often need to be encouraged and reminded to show a pattern of good works so our lives glorify God. It is a command, but as we mature, works become the outflow of the work God is doing in our hearts. A heart cannot be full of the love of God and the Spirit of worship without the person having a desire to express that love outwardly.
A desire to serve is the evidence of fruit. The works born out of that desire, if they are truly from God, will point back to God. A faithful believer wants to work so others can see the love of God. When I am experiencing the love of God in my own heart, I want others to experience what I am experiencing. If I love myself and am self-seeking, my works will point to myself. If I love God and seek His glory, my works will point others to the goodness of the Lord. That is the fruit of good works.
Conclusion
The Bible says so much about fruit, this study could easily double in size. In preparation for this study, I noted another two pages of scriptures which could be included. What each one of us should understand is that we cannot judge what is in the hearts of others. We are told not to judge each other in food, drink, or personal preferences. We can’t discern the secrets of the heart. We can’t even discover the intent of our own heart without the Spirit searching, revealing, and examining our lives in the word. What we are commanded to judge is doctrine and fruit.
Fruit in our personal lives is our call to holiness and Christ-likeness. The fruit of the Spirit are clear, measurable things we can examine to see if we are conforming to the image of Christ. The works of the flesh are clear things we which can see which point to the works of the flesh. This is described in Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Can we judge people by these works? Certainly. Not judge in order to condemn, but judge in order to know if what is being taught and practiced is in agreement with scripture. If someone can live in adultery and find comfort in a church, that church is not teaching the truth. If a church is teaching its members that selfish ambition is pursuing the promises of God, we know this teaching is a work of the flesh. But if people are emerging from the flesh and beginning to show the fruit of the Spirit, we know this is the evidence of God’s work of the Spirit. Can a church teach heresy and claim God is moving? No. Teaching contrary to the scripture is a work of the flesh – regardless of how many followers someone gains.
It is true that we should not go out to seek for error or go on a fault finding mission. I do not like so-called discernment ministries. Some are sincere, but they have a hard time turning off their examination of others, and often they make minor disagreements appear to be heresy and essentials of the gospel. We don’t seek error in each other, but when something is presented, we must use discernment.
When doctrines and ‘visions for the church’ are introduced, we should – and must – examine these by the scripture. Does it glorify God? Does it gratify the flesh? Does it agree with the scripture? Is it calling us to deny ourselves in this world, and walk by faith? Does it fulfill the commandment to love God with all our heart, and love each other as ourselves? Am I at the center of the message, or is it focused on glorifying Christ?
When a new doctrine comes out, or the church adopts a new vision, and it forces members to turn against those who question the vision, it is not of God. A well known pastor and author wrote, “There are people in the church who love God sincerely, but will never change.” He then advocated ‘God removing those people from the church’. I have witnessed this with my own eyes, and experienced this with my own family. I have many letters from people who have been members of a church for generations, but were called enemies of God and driven out when they questioned the pastor’s new vision. But this is what pastors are being taught in books, seminaries, and conferences. If someone loves God, why would we be calling them to change? The highest call and highest success of a believer is to learn how to love God as we ought – sincerely and with all our heart. How could this type of person possibly be a threat and why would God force them out of the church for obeying? Unless the vision is not teaching the truth of scripture.
When we are alarmed by a teaching, we should seek the word to see if what we are being told is true. We are called to discernment. We are called to test the spirits to see if they are of God. It is a sin to judge according to the flesh – our personal preferences or self-focused desires – but it is also a sin to allow heresy to go unchecked. We are commanded to judge righteously. Judging righteously is not setting ourselves up as the judge, but God’s word as the judge. It is allowing the Bible to distinguish the difference between good and bad fruit, truth and error, and the difference between fruit and worldly success.
Identifying fruit first teaches us how to grow in our own lives, and see the difference between man’s measure of success and God’s call to bear fruit. It then teaches us how to discern between good teaching and false teaching. It also shows us the direction the church should be going. If we don’t see fruit, we know we aren’t fulfilling God’s call. If we see bad fruit, we know we need to confront the heresies which lead people into the flesh.
Discerning between good and bad fruit is not only finding error, but discovering what is good, right, and blessed by God. It shows us whether we are making an eternal difference, and gives us encouragement by showing good fruit when we are living by the word. Our goal is to find good, but in that process, we may also have to remove what is bad. Ultimately, examining the fruit is an act of submission to God. First we test our own lives, then fruit in our church, and also the things that affect our church.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Discipleship
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eddiesnipes
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