Fruit in Our Lives
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. 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. 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? Does it exalt any man above what the scripture allows?
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 new 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 churches.
Fruit in our lives.
The first area of fruit in the Christian life is the work of the Holy Spirit within us. To understand this, we need to look at the fruit of the Spirit and the works of the flesh as taught in Galatians 5:17-25
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
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.
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.
The Bible precedes the teaching of the fruit of the Spirit by reminding us of what is produced through our flesh. Even though we are in Christ, have a new spiritual nature, born of God and incorruptible, we still live in a body of flesh. In Romans, we are told that sin in our flesh wars against our minds, trying to draw us back into bondage. We are again reminded of this war in Galatians. The word ‘lusts’ in verse 17 is ‘epithumeo’, which means to covet after, desire or crave after things that are forbidden. We are faced with a contrast of the flesh craving after the things that are forbidden and war against the Spirit, and the Spirit desiring for godly things which war against our flesh. The flesh or our human nature and the new creation we have become cannot reign together. One must be brought under subjection, and the other raised to honor.
It is impossible to please God and walk according to the flesh. This is why the passage above says, “You do not do the things you wish.” It is an implied command. If we are walking in the Spirit, we do not do the things we desire in the flesh. If I choose to obey the flesh in its lusts, I can’t inherit the kingdom God desires to give to me. It’s not an issue of salvation at stake in this passage, but a matter of eternal inheritance. It’s like the lust of Esau, who sold his birthright for a moment of gratification. Each day Christians are tempted to give up God’s best for a moment of sin in the flesh. Many even teach that we can have both, but the Bible says the opposite. This is part of the reason of this study. This is exactly what the scripture is warning against in Colossians 2:8
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
The church and our culture are filled with philosophies that are empty and will cheat you out of your reward. We as believers are commanded constantly to be on guard, beware, watch for, and resist these doctrines. Growing in the Spirit comes through crucifying the flesh with its lustful desires. In the passage above, we are led by the Spirit out of the law. Keep in mind, the law kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). Those who are led by the Spirit are no longer under the law. Everyone else remains under the law.
The Spirit doesn’t nullify the law, it fulfills the work of God in our hearts. The law is for those who follow the flesh into sin, for the law condemns sin and judges it. But when we walk in the Spirit and walk according to our new man, we discover the law of God is written on our hearts and we naturally do the things that are written in the law. Look at Romans 2:14-15
14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,
15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.
Some have twisted this passage into saying we are no longer accountable for sin, but follow our hearts and do what is right in our own eyes. Not so. Before verse 14, the Bible says that those who sin without the law are judged without the law, and those who sin under the law, will be judged by the law. In verse 15, we see that those being praised are still doing what is in the law, but for a completely different reason. We who have the Spirit, still keep the commandments of God, but we do so because we are following a nature that shows that the word is written in our hearts.
In other words, we are not keeping our lives in check because we are afraid of being judged in this life, but because we are pursuing the spiritual things that witness to our eternal perspective. The one who fears judgment may curb his behavior, but the one who sees the joy of the Lord pursues what is right because it is more precious than what they are leaving behind. One obeys out of compulsion, getting nothing from their works but a momentary release from fear, the other serves out of a joyful love of God.
So the first fruit in our lives begins to emerge when the things crowding the Spirit are weeded out of our hearts and minds. Like the parable of the sower of seeds, some seed fell on weedy soil. The seed sprang up, but the cares of this life and other things coming in choke the word so that person becomes unfruitful. But when we remove the works of the flesh and the things that crowd the word, the Spirit produces fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control begin to show themselves in our lives when we crucify the flesh and learn to walk in the Spirit.
This becomes the first fruit and the evidence of good fruit from the word in our lives. And evidence a teacher is giving good instruction from the word. The response to the word belongs to each individual, but when a teacher is giving good instructions in the word, evidence should begin to emerge in the church. If there is no evidence of lives being drawn into the Spirit, it may be a warning sign that the word is not being preached accurately. Nearly every teacher, preacher, and church claims to be solid in the word, but the fruit testifies for or against this.
In the same way, nearly every Christian claims to be a student of the word and claims to love God, but the fruit of the Spirit either testifies for or against us. In fact, the fruit of our lives can alert us when we begin to slip into apathy, or begin to get our lives too crowded. If the fruit of the Spirit ceases to grow, we are allowing our focus to drift. We must constantly be striving to see these things come to maturity in our lives. Like farmers examining their crops daily, we should examine the fruit in our own lives and see when we are drifting off course. Are we losing self-control? We’re beginning to walk in the flesh. Are we showing bitterness instead of kindness? Impatient? Lacking in joy? Is peace slipping and fear rising in our life? All these things alert us to the fact that the flesh is becoming the focus and we need to examine our lives and pray for the Spirit to reveal what we need to turn from.
You will know by the fruit. This is true for our individual lives first, and then the things within our circle of influence. Returning to the word and seeking the Lord must be the focus of doctrine and application. Consider this wonderful passage from Jeremiah 17:5-10. I want to break this down and see how it applies to the works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit in Galatians.
5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.
This is a product of the flesh. It is fleshly focused and produces the works of the flesh. A barren, unfruitful life, loneliness, and a parched heart. Our trust in the flesh could be our own works. It could be trusting in a pastor or spiritual leader. It applies to anything of the flesh, for as Jesus said, “The flesh profits nothing.” Good works by man’s efforts are still part of this curse, even if they seem good in our sight. It is man trusting and making the flesh his or her strength, and producing a barren work. Now let’s move on to verse 7.
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
This is the fruit of the Spirit. It’s a fruitful life, rooted in Christ. He produces fruit, not us. We put our trust in him, and he plants us like a tree by the waters. It is Jesus who said we will have springs of living waters abounding from the Spirit he gives us. Jesus also said, we must abide in him, for without him, we can do nothing. We will be like a withered branch, detached from the vine, and good for nothing but to be burned when we do not abide in Christ. The above passage shows the life of one abiding in Christ. Notice the fruit. You will not cease from yielding fruit. Drought doesn’t cause anxiety, heat doesn’t cause fear or a life to wither. That person will flourish and cannot experience drought, for their water comes from a source that never runs dry.
Now let’s move on to the last two verses. Remember what we learned from Galatians. The things of the flesh must be rooted out of our lives so the eternal vine of our lives can flourish. Yet, we don’t have the power to do this by our own abilities. It is the Spirit that reveals these things to us and we receive the promise that if we walk in the Spirit, we’ll live according to the Spirit. Now look at the remainder of our passage in Jeremiah:
9 " The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
It’s amazing how the message of faith and grace are consistent throughout the Bible. Here, in the Old Testament, we see a New Testament principle. It is not our works, but the work of God in our lives. My heart is embattled with my flesh, and because I have a limited perspective, I can’t see my own faults. In fact, I can always justify my actions, regardless of how sinful they may be.
We can be vindictive, persuading ourselves that our actions are justified by the wrong we feel. Even though the Bible forbids avenging ourselves, we can justify our behavior in our own hearts. We can backbite and gossip, and then justify it by saying we are going to pray for that person. Look at every work of the flesh. In each case, we can justify that behavior in our own lives. In the flesh, we always feel justified in our behavior. Yet, the Spirit has the power to search our hearts, reveal the deception, and then promises to give us judgment or blessing based on the fruit of our actions.
When God reveals our hatred, do we cover it by justifying our actions? That is bad fruit and will be judged. Or do we repent, forgive, and do good as the Lord has commanded? That is good fruit. The Spirit searches our hearts, reveals our motives, intents, and sins – while also showing us the right way. Then we are rewarded according to our response to His conviction. This is also expressed in Psalm 19:7-14
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Once again, we see the consistent message of scripture. The word of the Lord shows us truth, and the Spirit gives us understanding. When God’s ways become more precious than gold and riches, we will surrender to it and the Spirit of God rejoices our heart, enlightens our eyes, cleanses us, and makes us righteous. This Psalm ends similar to what we read in Jeremiah. It is a declaration that we cannot even comprehend our secret faults, but need the Lord to search us, empower us to resist temptation – by walking in the spirit – and make us blameless. Our dependence is on the Lord. He must give us strength to overcome, and he will do it when we keep His word. Every promise of God is claimed by obedience through faith.
Once our lives are fertile grounds for the fruit of the Spirit, the natural result is good works. Good works is the work of God in our lives to reach out to those in need, equip the saints for ministry, and to produce new disciples by teaching them to obey all that has been commanded by God. This is the fruit of ministry. Fruit in your life must come before you can expect to see fruit in your labor.
Judging fruit is a self examination just as much as it is an examination of what is being introduced in the church. Fruit is the single way Jesus gave us to determine the good from the bad. Human standards are not the measuring stick. We determine good from bad by taking heed according to his word. You and I don’t do the judging. Indeed, we cannot even judge our own hearts. We judge what is being taught by the same standard we judge our own lives. We open up the word of God and compare what we see by what God has declared. He is the judge. We are merely deciding whether to put our trust in what God has declared, or put our trust in the doctrines of men. We are deciding whether to trust in the word of the Lord, or trust the desires of the flesh. Both promise satisfaction, but only one truly satisfies. Where there is a conflict, we must decide whose testimony we believe.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Discipleship
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eddiesnipes
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