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“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:15-16).
This passage in Matthew is one of the most well-known in all of Scripture. Jesus was warning of false teachers but also mentioned fruit in a general context, emphasizing the need to live a Spirit-led life.
Within Christianity, bearing fruit is not your own doing, but an attribute known as a heavenly gift from the Holy Spirit.
Jesus referenced the Spirit, stating, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16).
Christians know well that the Bible teaches it’s a daily struggle of flesh (human sin) versus the Spirit (being indwelled by the Holy Spirit). While grace and faith alone save believers, being led by the Spirit is paramount.
Paul taught of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). He added in verse 25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
J. I. Packer taught further, “The determining choice is ours. God has given us His Spirit and now waits for us to ‘be what we are’ by properly giving our minds to spiritual things.”[i]
Bearing the fruit of Christ certainly does not earn or merit salvation. However, it lessens the complexity of things in this fallen world and helps Christians prevail over sin. Packer even alluded to the fact that believers have an excellent textbook to assist them in this complicated matter: the Bible.
What should you do when sin is present and prevalent in your life? You should counter it with prayer, the Scriptures, and godly wisdom. Though we might dislike admitting this, we sin daily and are constantly in need of godly assistance. Thankfully, the Spirit will lead us in this debacle of fallen creation.
Repentance is required, and again, the Spirit allows humans to turn away from their sins and recognize their trespasses against God. Packer put it best:
Christian living in this world is both dangerous and demanding. For it cannot be strictly governed by a fixed list of ‘dos’ and ‘dont’s—rules which decide beforehand how to act in every situation… Christian living is like steering a ship across a wide ocean where there are no highways or landmarks or traffic lights, and where the right course can be found and followed by only constant watchfulness and by acquired skill in navigation. The indwelling Spirit and the divinely inspired ‘chart’ of God’s written Word [Bible] are given to us to enable us to acquire and exercise this skill.[ii]
The purpose of this life is to glorify God. Knowing that we can’t do it alone, God has given us a free gift of salvation while assisting us by the Spirit to bear His fruit. While it seems rather complex, it’s not. To bear the fruit of Christ is to follow Him in actions, words and deeds. With the saving power of Christ, Christians can conquer sin by repentance and relying on the Spirit. Thanks be to God, that we have help in this fallen world.
[i] A.M. Stibbs & J.I. Packer, The Spirit Within You: The Church’s Neglected Possession, (Port St. Lucie: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2018), 52.
[ii] Ibid., 54.
