Why does the Bible refer to fruit so much?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25 NASB) What do you know about fruit? The Bible has used it in connection with our spiritual journey since the Garden of Eden.

Eve was drawn to it in Genesis 3:6: “the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye…” She could have eaten ANY fruit but was more tempted by the forbidden fruit. (Does that still happen today?) Eating the irresistible apple (although the Bible never specifies that it was an apple) created cosmic problems for Eve, Adam, and all of us. But, dang, that fruit looked good!

Producing Fruit

Fruit is colorful, refreshing, juicy, and tasty. You watch tiny buds on trees ripen into delicious, succulent fruit. How? It is the external result of an internal process. The plant or tree takes in light and nourishment, and produces the appropriate resulting fruit. From a biological standpoint, a piece of fruit is actually like a lifeboat for seeds. It harbors seeds surrounded by sustenance, so that when it falls to the ground, the seeds have a better chance to grow and flourish. The flesh of the fruit will die to support the new life that can come from the seeds.

Paul says in Galatians that the spiritual life is also characterized by its fruit. There is an external result of an internal process. A person’s fruit is evident in his actions and attitudes. If I’m yielded to God’s Spirit then I should be loving, joyous, at peace, patient, kind, good, faithful—exhibiting all of the attributes of the Spirit. But perhaps the easiest litmus test is the inverse of that: if I am selfish, anxious, impatient, rude, harsh, judgmental, then I can be sure I am walking in my own way, ordering my own steps.

Seeds Are For Growth

I have always thought that we were given God’s Spirit as Christians somewhat magically to help us live a sanctified life, and I’ve wondered why God didn’t just take over and magically change my behavior to all those really neat spiritual qualities. I’m often the same carnal guy I would be anyway. How come we as Christians do not exhibit the fruits of the Spirit all the time? Here are a couple of thoughts.

Fruit is still an external result of an internal process. Are you getting enough light and nourishment? Have you consciously crucified your fleshly nature today? Our Imposter wants to improve our flesh, have it do some good deeds, and present it as morally sufficient to the world. The Spirit, who wants to replace the flesh, requires the same process as biological fruit. The flesh must die to produce new growth, which is something Jesus spoke about in John 12:24: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Who is Your Fruit Really For?

Jesus says that the fruit from wheat is not merely to be food, but that its seed is produced for a larger purpose. We often think of the fruit of the Spirit as things that make US better, or help OUR behavior. But think about it. Everything on that list is something designed to help SOMEONE ELSE. One of the designed functions of regular fruit is that it provides a basis to nourish the seeds so that they will germinate and grow. Maybe Spiritual gifts are like that, too..

A person who walks by the Spirit will be a blessing to everyone around them. Christians are not given love, joy, peace and patience as a badge of honor for good behavior but as bandage of hope for whoever needs blessing. Nail your selfish flesh to the cross today and be fruitful. Paul says there’s no law against that.

Gifts

The Fruit of the Spirit is from above,
With joy and peace, and patient love.
It’s being good, and controlling your mind,
Staying faithful, and being kind…
The fruits of the Spirit are like precious jewels,
Which, Paul affirms, don’t break any rules.
So walk in the Spirit each step of the way,
Yielding yourself to Him, come what may,
And receive this fruit each and every day:
But it’s only yours to be given away.

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