The condition of my character is more important to God than the list of my accomplishments. And while God is surely interested in my public ministry,He is more concerned with the integrity of my personal life. This is why God is so focused on the cultivation of His fruit in my life. I’m not suggesting the gifts of the Spirit are unimportant;rather,that their proper use and effectiveness are contingent upon the character I’ve first allowed the Holy Spirit to fashion in me.
I think you would agree that we hear more about the “gifts of the Spirit” than we do about the “fruit of the Spirit.” I wonder why? Could it be that gifts are easier to talk about? Are they seen as being more exciting? Regardless of the answer,the subject of “fruitfulness” ranks as one of the most crucial in the life of the believer.
Spiritual gifts equip us for ministry but spiritual fruit forms the bedrock of our moral fiber. When our character is sound we become vessels through which God’s gifts more purely operate. Gifts reveal the ability of God,but fruit reveals the attributes of God.
As some read Galatians 5:22,they incorrectly assume the fruit of the Spirit is distributed to people in the same way as spiritual gifts. This is not so! The gifts,according to 1 Corinthians 12:11,are given “as God wills.” As a result,no one individual will obtain every spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:29-30).
However,Paul stresses that all nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are to operate in every believer. We are not,therefore,given the option to pick and choose which fruits most interest us. The text is clear —in order to biblically bear fruit,all nine component of Galatians 5:22 are to be seen in our lives.
Jesus reminded us that a tree is “known by its fruit” (Mt. 12:33). The purity,or lack thereof,of every human being is shown by the fruit (outcome) of his or her life. Even the best produce department can’t disguise rotten fruit. No matter how shiny or well displayed an apple may be,if it is soft,mushy and full of worms,the discriminating shopper will discover it. Good fruit can’t be faked either. The fruit of our lives,whether good or bad,will be recognized by all.
In his book,The Fruit of the Spirit,John Sanderson writes,“We have many yardsticks for measuring Christian greatness,but the fruit of the Spirit is not high on the list. We seem to prefer other kinds of greatness. Yet Scriptures place the highest value on the fruit.” He’s right! The Bible makes it abundantly clear that fruitfulness is the best measurement for genuine Christianity.
Some may ask,“What does it mean to bear the Fruit of the Holy Spirit?” It means the fruit is of the Spirit and not of the flesh. People can train themselves to act in certain ways;however,these learned responses are mere external measures designed to temporarily alter actions or modify behavior. Such modifications never correct the condition of the heart. But as one bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit,there is the accompanying certainty that one’s life has been and is being divinely transformed.
Oswald Chambers once wrote,“The call of God is essentially expressive of His nature.” Only when the fruit of the Spirit is a reality in my life will this high calling be realized. This is exactly what Jesus was getting at when He said,“Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Mt. 7:16). We shall be clearly seen and known as Christ followers when we manifest the nature of God’s Spirit in our lives.
Is your life revealing the nature of God? More specifically,is God’s love,joy,peace,patience,kindness,goodness,gentleness and self-control evident in you? Does your wife or husband see it? What about your children? Do your co-workers recognize it?
As we close,let’s do a quick review. First,God is more concerned with our fruitfulness than He is with our giftedness. Second,all nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are to be manifest in our lives. Third,the fruit of the Spirit comes from God,not our flesh. Finally,bearing the fruit of the Spirit is a part of God’s high calling on our lives.
Any orchard owner will tell you saplings don’t bear good fruit,only mature trees do. So,let us go on to maturity,bearing the fruit of the Spirit and,simultaneously,revealing God to a watching world.
I would purpose that both fruits and gifts of the Spirit are both underestimated and underutilized by those following Christ and by the Church. The fruits of the Spirit are exemplified in the concept of Love. Paul states the fruits of the Spirit are:love,joy,peace,longsuffering,gentleness,goodness,faith,meekness and temperance. This list can be contained in the concepts of love that Paul defines in 1 Corinthians 13 (Love is patient,kind,does not envy,does not boast,is not proud,is not rude,is not self-seeking,is not easily angered,keeps no record of wrongs,does not delight in evil,rejoices with the truth,always protects,always trusts,always hopes,always perseveres. Love never fails.) In these traits we see the fruits of the Spirit. We can be warned that if we lack these fruits that we lack love. John tells us in 1 John that,“He that doesn’t love,doesn’t know God,for God is love.” Therefore,if Love is God and the fruit,we can be assured that the Spirit is Love and truth. Through the Spirit the Law of Christ is accomplished where the Law of the flesh is unto death. For in the Spirit/Love we accomplish the intent of the law (Romans 13:8),we cover a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) and the commandments of Christ. With the Fruit of the Spirit/Love we have the completeness or perfection of the law that Christ speaks of in Matthew 5:48,for those who follow only the law missed the intent of the law- Love. In John 8:51 Christ tells us that,“if we believe on Him and obey his commands we will never see death.” Christ’s commandment is the love that He places in the heart of a believer. This Love accomplishes the two great commandments of Christ- Love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). If we love God,then we will love His commands and we will have communion with Him. If we lack love,the fruits of the Spirit,then we know not God. Christ places this as an imperative operation in the life of a believer and for Salvation. In Matthew 7,Christ tells of those who will have used His name and gifts to do great things,but yet they lacked knowing Christ. Paul reflects on this in 1 Corinthians 13,when he says that if we lack love in using gifts and doing works,then we are nothing. James tells us that if we say we believe,but do not have fruit then our faith is dead. The fruit of the Spirit is the one gift that all true believers have and that remains for eternity. The fruit of the Spirit is the activator of our works of faith.
However,let us also not forgo the other gifts of the Spirit. It is by these gifts,through love,that we are able to build up the faith,edify the body,cause faith and empower believers in this world. Gifts help to instill faith and mature the faith of the Church. Gifts help us know God,have wisdom,have knowledge,demonstrate God’s miracles,build faith,heal and create the body of the Church. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:1 “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts,especially the gift of prophecy.” Paul tells us that prophecy provides edification,exhortation,and comfort. In 1 Corinthians 14,Paul speaks of many within the body that have gifts and that these gifts ought to be utilized. In 1 Corinthians 12,Paul explains that gifts of the Spirit are given to the body in different capacities so that all will have need of one another in working as a body. Through the Spirit,Christ,as head,is able to impart His will and direction within the Church. The gifts of the Spirit provide an insight into God’s Will in our church. We,as the church,might empower certain members into certain positions,but we also must realize our impulse to create our own order and control,whereas through the filling of the Spirit,fruits of the Spirit and gifts of the Spirit we can see the order of Christ. Often,our order and control provides little allowances for the Spirit to move within the church. This is Paul’s warning specifically to the Church and then to believers in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20- “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not the prophesyings.” To often the church has proposed that those with titles and positions are the only ones to teach,preach and prophesy to the whole body (possibly a holdover from the Roman Catholic tradition),but that is not what scripture teaches. The few instances that we have in scripture of the body being edified in one place in an ongoing basis,such as our current day Sunday services,is done by those who have spiritual gifts,regardless of title. Moreover the “positions” within a church (apostles,prophets,evangelists,pastors and teachers) are given and made by Christ through gifts of the Spirit,“for the perfecting of the saints,for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ.” This truth is taught in Ephesians 4. It is therefore by the fruits and gifts of the Spirit that we have a true body of Christ,fully edified and fully active for the glory of God.
The great challenges that we have as a Church is that we first evaluate the Love and Fruit that we are expressing to God,one another and to the world;and secondly that we don’t forget,under utilize,fear or hold back the gifts of the Spirit within the Church.