Recognized by Faith
According to the scriptures fruit comes from several sources. There is what we expect; the fruit of the trees, the fruit of the womb, and of the land. But, they also speak of the fruits of our body and the fruit of our lips or mouth, and the fruit of our thoughts. Anytime there is a result that comes from something, that could be seen as fruit.
The fruit of anger and malice may be poor relationships with others and the displeasure of God. The fruit of our lips can be good or evil according to the way we think. Our thoughts affect our hearts and what is in the heart will come out of our mouths (Matthew 15:18).
There is also the fruit of the Spirit; “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Is there anything there you don’t want? These are the fruits of the Spirit identified by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23. They all look good to me. These fruits on display will honor the Lord, benefit others when we practice them, and bring blessings to our own lives. Why do we not have the discipline to exhibit them constantly? These are “fruits of the Spirit.” They are not gifts. God has given each one of His children gifts but fruits of the Spirit are displayed based on our discipline to obey God and His Word.
Prior to these verses in Galatians 5, Paul addresses the fight we have between the desires of our flesh and the desires of the Spirit. He is very specific about what the desires of the flesh are (you can view them here: Galatians 5:19-21).
When we succumb to the flesh, we will not experience the fruits of the Spirit but when we decide to follow the desires of the Spirit, God rewards us with these fruits of His Spirit.
The Apostle Paul starts the chapter: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 ESV). The “yoke of slavery” he was talking about was the legalistic keeping of the law of circumcision that false teachers were claiming was a way of salvation.
Paul was declaring the freedom that Christ has delivered to us in His death on the cross, taking the punishment for our sin. Today one would hope that there are few
who still expect circumcision as a condition of salvation. (Hoping, however, doesn’t make that true. Circumcision is a “work” and there are still plenty of people chasing salvation through works.)
But now, how are we to live so that we can experience these fruits that are promised in the freedom Christ has provided? Obviously, a religious keeping of the law is not it. What is the obedience we are called to?
A faithful keeping of the law appears to be the answer. Consider Romans 3:28-31 to see that we are justified by faith alone:
“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
Is that clear to us? If we have faith in the One Tue God, we will keep His law because we trust that this is what is good for us, and our neighbors. It’s trust and faith in the Lord that drives our obedience; we’re not obeying in order to obligate God to reward us. The fruits of the Spirit are a wonderful reward to experience. They will influence how we deal with others. We will be better neighbors when we put them into action.
If we are faithfully willing to obey God’s commands and keep His statutes, His Word promises blessing (Psalm 119:1), provision (Proverbs 3:16), humility, honor and life (Proverbs 22:4). All of these, and the fruits of the Spirit.
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. Will you and I be recognized by these fruits (Matthew 7:20)?