By Thomas E. Trask and Wayde
I. Goodall
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians
5:22, NIV).
The fruit of the Spirit is fruit that comes from God; we cannot
produce it on our own. However, by remaining in Jesus, we will begin
to yield a harvest of actions and attitudes that demonstrates we
are connected to the true Vine and directed by the Holy Spirit.
When I (Wayde) was a missionary living in Grinzing, Austria, I
often watched the vineyard farmers from the hilltops where I went
to pray. Each fall, as a result of their hard work the rest of the
year, the grape farmers would bring in the harvest. After the harvest
they would prune the vines to near ground level. The first time
I watched them I thought they were going to destroy their vines.
During the winter months all I could see on the hills were rows
of stakes holding up wire. I couldn’t imagine how the farmers
could hope to produce a profitable crop the next season. Yet each
farmer carefully tilled the soil and checked the wire lines and
stakes to be sure they were firmly connected to each other. The
farmers seemed sure that they were doing the right thing and would
see a good harvest. The cold winter soon transitioned into spring;
and as the trees of Vienna began to blossom, the vineyards began
to produce vines that quickly grew up the stakes and across the
wires, and soon tiny grapes appeared that would ripen for the fall
harvest.
Until I had watched an entire growing cycle, I did not understand
why the farmers did what they did. Each pruned the branches drastically
and tilled the soil faithfully, even when there was no evidence
that the branches would produce a good harvest. They knew from past
experience that, if they did their job effectively and the weather
cooperated, they would witness a tremendous harvest.
When Jesus explained to His disciples how they would be able to
produce God’s fruit, He used the analogy of a vineyard (see
John 15:1-17). He said they were like the branches of a vine the
Heavenly Father, the Gardener, would prune so they could produce
fruit. He also told them what the fruit would look like and why
some branches had to be destroyed. Jesus Christ, the Vine, is perfect.
He desires for us to produce fruit like that of our Creator, and
He knows this is possible only if we are connected to Him.
You may feel that you can’t follow the Lord wholeheartedly.
The fruit of God’s Spirit is something you may be able to display
on rare occasions; however, as a lifestyle it is impossible. You’re
right. You cannot consistently display the fruit of the Spirit unless
you have totally surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. Because
of your self-discipline, you may be able to perform random acts
of love and kindness or have some sense of peace or patience; however,
such acts will be inconsistent because they do not come from the
consistent flow of the Holy Spirit’s power within you. And
when really put to the test, perhaps in a time of trial, you may
not be able to muster these virtues in your own power. That is why
you must be connected to the one who supplies all the ingredients
for you to manifest His fruit.
Jesus says it is for the "Father’s glory, that you bear much
fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:8). Billy
Graham comments on the difference between "fruits" and "fruit":
"It is interesting that the Bible talks of the fruit of the Spirit
rather than the fruits. A tree may bear many apples, but all come
from the same tree. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is the source
of all fruit in our lives."1
As our lives are enriched by Christ, we demonstrate many Christlike
attributes and bring glory to God. In Martin Luther’s Commentary
on Galatians, he said that those who follow the Lord "bring with
them most excellent fruits and maximum usefulness, for they that
have them give glory to God, and with the same do allure and provoke
others to embrace the doctrine and faith of Christ."2
When people see us act in ways different from the ways the world
would act, they want to know more about the God who enabled us to
be this way. All the fruit is available whenever we need a particular
type, whether it is patience with a boss or a child or kindness
toward someone who is helpless to return the favor. God is glorified
when we show others by the fruit we display that we are disciples
of Jesus.
The fruit that Jesus’ disciples display is different from
the fruit of those who only appear to be connected to the Vine.
Although they may look legitimate, their actions prove they are
not. John says that "those who obey his commands live in him, and
he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know
it by the Spirit he gave us" (1 John 3:24). Again John instructs,
"If anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete
in him. This is how we know we are in him" (1 John 2:5). Our obedience
to Christ’s commands proves that we remain in Him. If we disobey
Him and His Word, we will not bear His fruit, for we will have chosen
to disconnect and not remain. If we choose not to live a life in
Christ that will bring glory to Him and to live a life of disobedience
instead, we can anticipate God’s judgment. Jesus said that
such a person is "like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned" (John
15:6).
What does
God’s fruit look like?
People fruit
People fruit consists of people we have introduced to Christ or
influenced in a positive way for Him. The apostle Paul wrote to
the Roman Christians, "I planned many times to come to you ... in
order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had
among the other Gentiles" (Romans 1:13).
When we walk with Christ, many will be drawn to Jesus because of
the positive impact He is having on our lives, and they will want
what we have.
Giving fruit
The time, energy and money we give to the cause of Christ are fruit
that help spread the gospel and minister to people in need. Paul
informed the Roman believers that churches in Macedonia and Achaia
made a "contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem
.... For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual
blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material
blessings" (Romans 15:26,27). He added that he would ensure that
they "received this fruit" (v.28).
Gospel fruit
When believers spread the gospel of Christ, it will bear fruit.
Paul told the Colossian believers, "All over the world this gospel
is bearing fruit and growing" (Colossians 1:6).
The fruit of praise
Praising God and telling others that Christ is Lord is fruit that
honors God. The author of Hebrews instructs, "Let us continually
offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that
confess his name" (Hebrews 13:15).
As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are connected to the Vine. Through
His roots, the nourishment of the Spirit flows into you and enables
you to act like Christ and exhibit "the fruit of the Spirit." You
are different from what you were before you gave your life to Christ.
Before, you could not have modeled the kind of love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
that is the Spirit’s fruit. But when you daily cling to and
rely on the Vine, you will grow God’s fruit, for this is a
supernatural ability that only believers in Christ can enjoy.
His fruit can be displayed in your life — if you will yield
to the Holy Spirit daily.
1From The Collected Works of Billy Graham
(New York: Inspiration Press, 1993), p.497.
2Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians,
Modern-English ed. (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1988), p.378.
From The Fruit of the Spirit by Thomas
E. Trask and Wayde I. Goodall (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000). Reprinted
with permission.
Thomas E. Trask is general superintendent of the Assemblies of
God.
Wayde I. Goodall is executive editor of Enrichment journal
and coordinator of the Ministerial Enrichment Office at the Assemblies
of God Headquarters.
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The
fruit of the Holy Spirit