The Fruit of the Spirit - a Bible Study

Fruit is mentioned quite often in the Bible. In the New International Version (NIV), the word fruit appears more than 150 times. It appears first in Genesis 1:11, the first book and chapter of the Old Testament, and its final occurrence is in Revelation 22:2, the last book and chapter of the New Testament. One thing that I have learned is that when something is repeated frequently in the Bible, there is at least one important lesson to be learned about it. What follows is by no means an exhaustive study of fruit. And while I do not claim to be a Bible scholar, it is one of the lessons that I have learned. All of the following passages are quoted from the NIV Bible. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8; But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

In Jeremiah, we see man being likened to a tree. A man that trusts in the Lord will be like a tree living near a stream. The stream - the Lord - will provide for the tree - the man - even during the hard times, allowing the tree to not only live but to bear fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23; But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

This passage describes the fruit of the Spirit. A tree is to fruit as a man that trusts in the Lord is to the fruit of the Spirit. These are the things that we should produce as Christians - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is our fruit. This is the fruit that we should bear.

Matthew 7:16-20; By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Matthew 12:33; Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Luke 3:8-9; Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

These three passages all contrast good trees bearing good fruit to bad trees bearing bad fruit. The next one is very similar to Matthew 7:16-20, but goes a little further by completing the analogy.

Luke 6:43-45; No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

Let's take a look at what Jesus says about fruit...

John 15:1-8; "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

A gardener removes the dead, fruitless plants from the garden. The healthy ones he cuts back, or prunes the branches as needed so that they remain healthy and fruitful. Cutting a plant does not kill it and only wounds the plant for a moment. So too are we cut - wounded for a moment so that we can grow stronger. If we stay connected to Jesus, we will bear the fruits of the Spirit.

The more that I have studied the Bible, the more I realize just how connected it all is. So, why is the analogy of fruit even used?

Fruit provides two things - nourishment and seeds. The flesh of the fruit is consumed to provide us with energy and as a result, we are able to live. The seeds can be planted. Some seeds are simply cast away and do not find fertile soil so they wither and die. Others find fertile soil and are able grow and blossom into a new plant. These plants can be nurtured and cared for. They can mature and begin to produce fruit of their own.

Is this different from what we as Christians are supposed to do?

Matthew 28:16-20; Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

This is the Great Commission. "Go and make disciples of all nations." What better way is there to do this than to be fruitful? People feed on fruit. Similarly, people feed on the fruits of the Spirit. When we love unconditionally; are joyful, peaceful, and patient; show kindness and gentleness to others; remain faithful in the face of adversity; exhibit self-control over our sinful nature, other people notice. They eat our spiritual fruit and the seeds are planted on their hearts. As in nature, those seeds might not find fertile soil. They might take hold and sprout, only to be trampled. They could, however, take root, sprout, and blossom into a new and healthy tree, one planted by a stream that will not suffer from a drought. We are not the gardener; rather we are planted in the garden. It is not our job to judge others or to rebuke them. It is our job to bear the fruits of the Spirit so that the seeds can be planted. It is God's job to make them grow.