Spiritual fruits are only those virtues that are obviously produced by God’s Spirit

God likes fruit; fruit produced by us, His trees. He planted us with loving care, and like any good farmer, He planted us with the expectation of good things coming from the tree.

So, what are the fruits God seeks? They are good characteristics emanating from His people. We call them virtues. Galatians 5:22-23 is the most obvious list of virtues in the Bible. They include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Love exhibited by one of God’s people to someone else, for example, is a fruit.

Fruits are important. God expects His trees to give Him fruit. Why else would He plant the tree?  These virtues are called “fruits of the Spirit” because they are manufactured, not by us, but by God’s Spirit. This is a subtle reminder of God’s goodness toward us. He demands fruit but He also gives us everything we need to produce it. More on this in a bit.

When God’s trees do not produce the fruit He desires, He cuts them down and burns them (Matthew 7:19). He clearly is not pleased with such a tree. It is imperative that believers learn how to produce the good fruits that please God. But how can we tell if we’re producing fruit? It is difficult for us to be objective and unbiased. What fruits are we producing, if any? Can I tell if the fruit I’m producing is good or bad?  What is the difference between a fruit of the Spirit and that which is just a natural trait or part of my personality? 

Thankfully, we have the word of God to help us. We see from the Word that the type of fruits we bear is dependent on the condition of our heart.  We can use the Word as a reference, comparing what ought to be with reality. We can pause and compare our characteristics against the gold standards from scripture to see if our heart is good or bad. 

Good and Bad Fruits

There are good fruits and bad fruits. We have already seen the good fruits God seeks in Galatians 5:22-23. A good heart is full of the Spirit of Christ and therefore will produce good fruit. There is a certain automatic nature about this, which is exciting. Good trees cannot produce bad fruit (Matthew 7:18). If the Spirit has taken hold of a humble, submitted believer’s heart, it is impossible for that believer to produce bad fruit. Good fruit is the sure and certain result of that state of being. 

A bad heart cannot produce this good fruit. As far as bearing fruit that is pleasing to God, a man with a bad heart can do nothing apart from Christ (John 15:4-5). There is an incriminating list of bad fruits in Galatians 5:19-21 which Paul calls “deeds of the flesh.” Like fruits of the Spirit, they are manifested characteristics exhibited by an individual. In this case, however, they are vices, not virtues. They include nasty traits like sensuality, immorality, idolatry, enmity, strife, jealousy, angry outbursts, envy, and such. They are the only kinds of fruit our flesh is capable of producing, and it is a condemning list. I would suggest it could be a believer producing these things, for what Christian is there that can honestly say he has never exhibited vices on this list?  A believer who is self-righteously living in the flesh, not by the Spirit, is only capable of producing this fruit of death (Romans 7:5). Some can fake it for a while. Even the most sinister worker of evil can make himself appear good. But over time, “you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20). Some will be trees without fruit, worthless and “doubly dead” (Jude 1:12). The heart can deceive us and make us think it is better than it is, but the fruits we bear tell the truth. They are a sure sign if our heart is good or not. 

We can see the condition of our heart not only from the type of fruit we bear, but the quantity as well. The quantity of our fruit tells us how much of our heart is devoted to God (Matthew 13:23). A divided heart that loves the world and God will only produce a little fruit. Are we often anxious? Impulsive? Despairing?  Do we rarely consider other people’s needs? If so, it is likely we are unproductive trees. The scant fruits we’re producing are small, withered, and unripe. 

Spiritually Wrought

Now, we said at the beginning that fruits of the Spirit are from God, not us. Good fruits are spiritually wrought.  We cannot produce fruits of the Spirit on our own. They are “of the Spirit”.  We can employ good habits of Bible reading and prayer, but without the Spirit working in us, these are mere disciplines. We cannot teach our kids to bear spiritual fruit. We can teach them to try. They may emulate these qualities for a time. But human flesh cannot generate fruits of the Spirit. They do not come from human effort. They come when a believer dies unto himself so that the Spirit of God can live in Him. It is true, the one who desires to bear fruit must pour into God’s word, studying it, looking for understanding, conviction, and truth against which he must align his thinking. He must remember what he read. But he should not stop there. He must honor the Word, aligning the pattern of his life after it, hanging his convictions on it, submitting himself to and being totally dependent upon the Spirit of Jesus Christ who is speaking the word to his soul. The one who delights in God’s word in this way will be like a fruitful tree (Psalm 1:3). The Spirit will work with the one who thus honors God’s word. He will breathe life into those words, recall them to memory, motivate good works in the right situation, at the right time. So, although our time in God’s word is important and necessary to produce fruit, it is always the Spirit in the end who does it.

That is why I think spiritual fruits are only those virtues that are obviously produced by God’s Spirit. There are some people who are naturally joyful, kind, gentle, and loving. We would be surprised if they weren’t that way. Their good qualities may be spiritual fruits, and those people may well be pleasing the Lord just by their nature. Perhaps God blesses certain people with “natural” gifts of the Spirit, manifesting His goodness in such a way as it being effortless to the host of these blessed gifts. However, I think God also produces fruit in cases that are obviously “of the Spirit”, fruits that come in people we wouldn’t expect it to come from, fruits that only God could produce. When fruits are seen where they are not expected, God gets all the glory of the fruit, not the tree. 

In 2 Corinthians 6, we see a dramatic effect in Paul’s writing that highlights the remarkable appearance of spiritual gifts in the midst of adversity. He shares of his sufferings experienced as a missionary–his afflictions, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, sleeplessness, and hunger (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). Following Christ has been hard on him. Then without hesitation, he quickly pivots to the miracle of spiritual fruit, appending to his list of sorrows a new list of amazing fruits produced by the Spirit. These are undoubtedly fruits produced by the Spirit. How else can we explain the attitude of patience, kindness, and love shown toward persecutors, the kind words spoken to cruel jailors, the calm responses offered to corrupt magistrates, the effortless abstention of sensual pleasure in the midst of temptation? In case we could not recognize these as obvious spiritual manifestations, Paul acknowledges the Holy Spirit in the midst of this fruit (2 Corinthians 6:6).

I also think spiritual fruits are born to accomplish God’s purpose–a purpose which is often to help someone other than the bearer of the fruit. One does not bear a spiritual fruit of love to show himself a loving person. He bears the fruit so that someone else can receive the love he sorely needs. This is how God takes care of His own–He gives one a spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, or whatever, so that someone else in the body can benefit from it.  As Paul says, “…to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

The believer will be the first to notice the spiritual fruit within him. He alone knows the original nature of his being and is surprised to see changes happening within his soul. Over time, others start to notice the change. They are equally surprised. But the reaction is not so much a praise of the person, but a praise of God, for it is clear that the host and the gift are both the result of God’s work. These are the signs of the true fruits of the Spirit. They are miraculous. They are unmistakably the work of God. There is no other explanation. It is obvious that God gets the credit, not the person. 

So what are these “true” spiritual fruits?  They are the virtues God desires in us. He manifests them in the hearts of those who are empty within themselves, allowing Him to occupy them and do His work in them. Let’s take a look at several examples of fruits God desires in us.

Love

God desires the fruits of love. The love He desires is not the kind that only loves people who think the same way, but the kind that loves unlovable people, even bitter enemies (Matthew 5:43-47). God desires husbands to love their wives. So husbands, do we bear the fruit of love for our wives?  There may be opportunities to grow bitter against or to judge our wives. If we allow these to define our relationship, we will bear little fruit the Lord seeks. If we instead honor God’s command to love our wives as ourselves, we will do whatever it takes to put those bitternesses and judgments aside so that love may flourish. We ask the Spirit to help do that, and allow Him to work in us. The husband who sets his heart to love his wife this way, relying on the strength and power of the Spirit to do it, will soon notice tiny buds of affection growing inside him. He will see her and melt, even after 35 years of marriage. All of those bitternesses and hurts don’t seem to matter. He will act on these thoughts and kiss her on the forehead, gently, tenderly, lovingly. Boom, there’s a fruit that pleases God, ripe and full.

Joy

God desires fruits of joy. Joy is a fruit sorely needed. In a society in which so many are gripped with despair, a person with joy stands out like a shining beacon. Despair is the absence of joy. Those who are mired in a slough of despair can cry out to the Lord. The Spirit of Christ works in believers and makes their joy full (John 15:11). This kind of joy is not just a happy emotion; it is an uncanny sense of reassurance and hope, fixed securely on His love and forgiveness. This joy is present in the most hopeless situation, when happy emotions and merry-making are long gone. It lifts the despairing soul onto new heights.

Peace

God desires fruits of peace. Like joy, peace is badly needed in our society. All kinds of people including kids have anxiety issues. That should never be normal. The only ones benefiting from it are drug companies, psychiatrists, and emotional support dogs who have suddenly found that their owners are taking them everywhere. No disrespect intended to psychiatrists. We have long let mental health issues go untreated and people who in past generations suffered in silence are now getting help. Nonetheless, we should not assume medical attention is the cure-all for anxiety. We need the spiritual fruit of peace. We should not seek the absence of anxiety, but the active presence of peace. Anxiety is a common emotion that is mass-produced by our natural body. We should not beat ourselves up for feeling anxious. But we should deal with it appropriately by taking it to the Lord who is in control of all things and works all things for our good (Philippians 4:6, Romans 8:28). Only then will the spiritual fruit of peace abound.  A person who exhibits peace in the midst of chaos is noticeable. He is not easily rattled. He has a calming effect on those around him. It is clear He trusts in something greater than the thing that causes anxiety.

Patience

God desires fruits of patience. We are impulsive, impatient people. We want things now. We are unwilling to wait. We want to control the situation and make it the way we want. Believers are not exempt from these vices. God has graciously allowed mankind to be part of His Plan, but that doesn’t mean He needs our help. He doesn’t need us to “make Him famous”. We should consider ourselves as farmers that work hard, preparing the soil, sowing the seed, fertilizing the ground…and then, waiting (James 5:7). God is 100 percent responsible for the growth, not us. Waiting is an essential part of faith. Sometimes I think God holds back from answering a prayer quickly because He wants us to wait for Him. The longer we wait, the deeper our roots grow. God’s kind of patience is often defined in decades, not days. We think we are being patient when we remain calm for the traffic light to turn. I suggest the fruit of patience is better seen in those that have prayed for something more than 20 years without losing confidence that God will bring it to pass in His time. The fruit of patience is seen in people who don’t get caught up in the world’s trends. Christians being led by the Spirit should not be surprised to sense an inner dissatisfaction with the world–a “groaning” of sorts–because the Spirit creates longing for our future transformation out of these corrupt bodies (Romans 8:23) and the fruit of patience reminds us it will be worth the worth the wait. 

Kindness  

God desires the fruits of kindness. The spiritual fruit of kindness must be spiritually wrought. “Random acts of kindness” are good, selfless practices of a healthy culture, but I would not automatically say such acts are the demonstration of the spiritual fruit of kindness. Many people do random acts of kindness from a distance–not because they care about certain individuals, but because they want to feel good about themselves. I know a lot of people who are naturally kind and this may well be a sign of a spiritual fruit, especially if God is glorified by that person’s kindness. But it would seem more like a spiritual fruit if the kindness popped out when it was least expected. In our culture, we are growing less and less considerate of others. We are more isolated and reclusive. We have become defensive and reactive, and have built up walls within our minds that keep us from getting into other peoples’ shoes. Spiritual fruits of kindness are manifested in the ones who are willing to come out of their fortresses and meet people where they are. They listen to the Spirit’s promptings and do intentional acts of kindness. People in society today are genuinely surprised when someone gives them a thoughtful complement or buys their lunch. What an impact the church could make if it had more spiritually-inclined people, who listen intently to others, who are led by the Spirit’s promptings to say a considerate, intentional word in the right moment, like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11). What a nice spiritual fruit of kindness that golden apple would be.

Goodness

God desires the fruits of goodness.  Like kindness, we would say there are a lot of good people who do good deeds, and we praise them for that. These may very well be works that God does through those good people. If He received praise for the good, then that would be obvious that these good deeds were spiritual fruits of goodness. We must take care, for not every work we construe as “good” is truly good in God’s eyes. Man’s corrupt heart ensures that most of the stuff he comes up with has some ulterior motive. On the surface it may appear good, but in reality it seeks vain, selfish ambition that glorifies the tree rather than the One who planted it. True good works are wrought in God (John 3:21). John writes, “the one who does good is of God” (3 John 1:11) so by definition, the kind of “good” we’re talking about here is only manifest by those who are “of God”. They are called out, unique, of a different nature. Christians are reborn into Christ’s resurrection for the express purpose of doing God’s good works. And these aren’t just any good works. They are works that He prepared before those Christians even existed (Ephesians 2:10). Let us not confuse run-of-the-mill works we manufacture on our own with the sacred, holy works God wants us to do. What will these spiritual fruits of goodness look like? Perhaps a myriad of things, but one way in particular that a fruit of goodness will show up is in the overcoming of evil (Romans 12:21). Have you ever seen a kid being mocked by his peers and felt a holy wrath against those bullies, speaking up on the kid’s behalf? Or perhaps you hear a friend making light of his unfaithful habits, do you sense the Spirit’s prompting to speak a rebuke?  Or maybe you know of a family who is struggling to make ends meet, working long hours. Do you sense the Spirit’s call to do good in some way, maybe offering to babysit or pick their kids up after school. Whatever the good work is, if it is wrought in God, then it is a spiritual fruit of goodness manifesting itself in you. 

Faithfulness

God desires the fruits of faithfulness. To be faithful (Gr, pistos) is to be steadfast in affection or allegiance, firm in adherence to promises or in observation of duty.  God desires husbands to be faithful to their wives, not only in a visible sense, but in an invisible sense as well. Such a husband does not let tempting thoughts of an easier life with a younger woman own him. He is not tricked into thinking life would be better with her. He understands this would be treachery of the worst kind because he has a “remnant of the Spirit” (Malachi 2:14-15). He also understands that the only viable way to growth, maturity, contentment, peace, and happiness is on the road he walks with his wife. After 35 years of marriage, he sees the spiritual fruits of faithfulness ripe and full all around his branches. He is content with his wife. He remembers she is the “wife of his youth” (Proverbs 5:18) and thinks grateful thoughts, cherishing her companionship.

Gentleness

God desires fruits of gentleness.  The conservative believer who fiercely contests any opposing view needs this. He reviles at any contradiction. His fury rages when his liberal children argue against him. For such a man, it would be a true fruit of the Spirit when this man surrenders his old view to the Lord and instead manifests an uncanny spirit of gentleness in the hour of need. He responds gently, not in rage. He calmly asks questions rather than giving the familiar, unwanted commentary. The Spirit enables him to fulfill the wise saying of God, “a gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). This kind of gentleness is a pleasing fruit indeed.

Self-Control

God desires fruits of self-control. I think it’s really hard to discern what is my role and what is the Spirit’s role in producing fruits of Self-Control. For example, exercise, healthy eating, regular quiet times of prayer and reading are all good disciplines. Is it me that’s putting these into practice? It sure seems like that’s my responsibility. How is self-control a fruit of the Spirit, then?

I like to think of it with an analogy of the Titanic. It had two gigantic, reciprocating turbines capable of 30,000 horsepower plus a single low-pressure turbine of 16,000 horsepower to move that thing. My Highlander gets about 256 hp by comparison. But none of those turbines would start spinning unless the captain engaged the throttle. Massive amounts of power were available with just a little movement requiring very little energy by comparison. Our part in self-control is minute, but important. Willingness to be self-controlled must be present before the actual fruit of self-control can be produced.

Fruits of self-control come when we orient ourselves to living out God’s principles in the power of the Spirit. We read, “Whoever keeps his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble” (Proverbs 21:23), and when the attitude of our heart is to comply with that, the Spirit can work to make it happen. He will either flag it when we make some rash comment, or He will put a stop on our tongue Himself. We will be aware of the urge to speak out, but the Spirit in our inner conscience will be there to hold it back. In this way, compliance will seem effortless.

Men must discover this fruit in how they manage their sexuality, a topic I will cover in the “purity” section.

The fruit of self-control is not just for men. Mothers, some spiritual self-control may be necessary to keep you from hovering over your teenagers too much. Wives, some spiritual self-control may be necessary to hold your tongue so as not to bring shame on your husband, as unsuited for honor as he may be. Young women, some spiritual self-control may be needed to select an outfit that hides your beauty rather than expose it.

There are other lists of virtues. Hebrews 12:11, Philippians 1:11, and James 3:18 tell us that righteousness is also a fruit. So is truth according to Ephesians 5:9, as is purity according to 2 Corinthians 6:6. These are interesting passages because they suggest there is an element of obedient application that precedes them. We don’t bear these fruits without first exercising faith. 

Righteousness

Righteousness is a fruit that is born in the mature heart of a believer who forgoes selfish ambition and instead is peaceful, reasonable and merciful in his dealings (James 3:18). Righteousness is born in those who humbly persevere through some form of discipline (Hebrews 12:11). However, even in these cases, we cannot say the fruit is sourced from anything within ourselves. The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:11), so once again, this fruit is not of our making. Righteousness is a fruit that is seen when Christ is working in our work. The person who has abandoned self-determination and married himself to the risen Christ experiences this fruit. His own morality was manageable and his reward was the recognition of men. But this constant quest for approval wearied him. His routine acts of charity were somehow unfulfilling. Until one day he learns of God’s righteousness, the righteousness that is found from the outside, not within. He hears of disciples picking grains of wheat on a sabbath but being approved by Jesus by the simple fact that they were with Him, a righteousness by proximity as it were. He realizes his efforts are trivial compared to the presence of the living Christ in his heart. For the first time he realizes he is righteous not by effort but by association. Jesus is not just encouraging him to be righteous, He is his righteousness. And this is a freeing thought indeed. As a result, he makes it a regular practice to crawl onto the altar, metaphorically asking to be put to death like a bull offering. He is the grain of wheat that dies to itself and thereby bears much fruit (John 12:24). He considers his religious practice as worthless and instead empties himself, nailing his agenda on a post and allowing the Almighty free reign within him. This man has found true freedom that is in God’s righteousness. He works, but Christ is leading his work. He is bearing the fruit of righteousness, a fruit that is very pleasing to the Father.

Purity

In 2 Corinthians 6:6, Paul lists fruits the Spirit has manifested in him despite his hardships. These include knowledge, patience, kindness, and genuine love–all spiritual fruits to which we are accustomed.

He also adds “purity”. We do not often associate purity as a fruit of the Spirit, but Paul’s inclusion of purity with other commonly-known fruits of the Spirit should cause us to reconsider. Can purity be produced by submitting one’s self to the Spirit? Can the Spirit work in the heart of a believer to produce purity where it otherwise cannot exist? Can the Spirit perform a miraculous manifestation of purity that far exceeds humanly-imposed screen guards and accountability groups in its effectiveness? I believe the answer is a resounding “yes”.

Paul ministered in Corinth, a cesspool of depravity and sensuality in his day. Temple prostitutes were commonly sought by the populous. It was an expected thing, in the same way worldly psychiatrists suggest masturbation is normal and expected behavior for men. We can assume Paul was well aware of these temptations, for he had warned the Corinthians believers about taking part in his first letter (1 Corinthians 6:12-18). His mention of “purity” as a spiritual fruit informs us that though temptations were all around, Paul faithfully entrusted his body to the Holy Spirit, seeking to bring glory to God in his body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and as a result, the fruit of purity was perfectly manifested in him, a small miracle in light of the depraved environment in which he lived. He walked by the Spirit, which enabled him to resist the desire of his flesh (Galatians 5:16).

Human restraints like screen guards and accountability groups are necessary and helpful for a time, but I encourage young men everywhere to consider purity a spiritual fruit. Too often, we reduce purity to an outcome of our effort to avoid sin. Sin avoidance is not purity. Purity is the result of the Holy Spirit crucifying lust within the heart of a weary but determined believer who cries out for His help (Romans 8:13). Purity of this kind is a fruit of sexual contentment. It does not demand sexual relief. It can live and even thrive without sex. It is immunity to temptation. The believer with the fruit of purity knows temptations are out there, but finds that the Spirit is so effective in putting lust to death, he somehow has no desire to follow it.

Truth

God desires the fruit of truth (Ephesians 5:9). Truth is a fruit of the Light which is synonymous with a fruit of the Spirit. Both terms represent the occupation of the Lord in the submitted heart of the believer. Truth manifests itself through a transparent believer who is confident in the external righteousness provided by Christ. Where he once was guarded, he is now honest to his own hurt, impartial and unafraid of man’s opinion of him. There are no longer any hidden motives, no secret lifestyle, no attempt to deceive, no façade, no trickery, no scheming. He speaks the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). What you see is what you get. When the Spirit of truth is guiding this one, things of the spirit seem clearer (John 16:13). 

Closing Thoughts

I think it may be a worthwhile cause to seek fruit, not that which comes easily to us, but fruit that is nothing short of miraculous, fruit that comes only through God’s power.  I’m not sure I can ask the Father to produce a specific good fruit in me, but I imagine He would not be opposed to that. After all, He desires good fruits in us and He receives glory from fruits He produces. So I will pray that God will produce good fruits in me that He will like.

For example, I’ve noticed that when my kids bring up a belief that is contrary to my own, I get defensive and argumentative in a flash. I quickly begin formulating my counterpoints. The words that come out of my mouth are never what I intended, always condemning and contemptuous.  I would love it, and I think the Lord would too, if the words that came out of my mouth–nay, my entire disposition–were gentle instead.  I would think that would be a real spiritual fruit of gentleness if my conduct and nature were calm and composed; my words, not combative but refined and gracious.  I think the Father would be pleased and glorified with this. So I will pray that the Spirit will do His work, crucifying whatever defensive spirit is within me and filling me with His peaceful, poised presence. Then, with my heart’s soil well-prepared to obey the Spirit’s promptings, there may be signs of the spiritual fruit of gentleness. I look forward to that fruit. It will be a tasty morsel.

Fruits that God wants are those He manufactures in us, by His Spirit, through our willing and humble submission in our heart and mind. God’s fruits will be obviously His work. They will help those God wishes to help. They will glorify Him. The bearer of His fruits will stand out in a dark world, not to be seen but to be a witness to the God that controls him. He doesn’t so much as seek the fruit; he seeks the Lord, investing time, attention, and obedience to God’s word. He appeals to God to put to death the misdeeds of his bad heart so that the fruits of the Spirit can be manifest in him.