Legalists assume that one can obey God’s commandments without salvation and/or in his own strength. Both ideas are false. Prayerful action…in the power of the Spirit is required for change to be biblical; all change that pleases God is the fruit of the Spirit.
Preaching With Purpose, Zondervan, 1982, p. 147. Get this book!
We are responsible to clothe ourselves with Christlike character, but we are dependent on God’s Spirit to produce within us His “fruit.”
Transforming Grace, NavPress, 1991, p. 116. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights reserved. Get this book!
At the day of Doom men shall be judged according to their fruits. It will not be said then, Did you believe? But, Were you doers, or talkers only?
As Christians grow in holy living, they sense their own inherent moral weakness and rejoice that whatever virtue they possess flourishes as the fruit of the Spirit.
The Sermon on the Mount, Baker, 1978, p. 71. Get this book!
As the apple is not the cause of the apple tree, but a fruit of it: even so good works are not the cause of our salvation, but a sign and a fruit of the same.
A Puritan Golden Treasury, compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 127.
Obedience is the fruit of the new birth. When a person has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, then God expects something of that person who is now His son. He expects us to be surrendered. He expects us to abide in His love. He expects us to constantly abide in His love. As we do, God changes us. Christianity is a lifelong process of growing from glory to glory into the image of Christ. We are never going to be finished, until we get to Heaven. Until then, when we yield, when we surrender, when we abide, the natural result of that is going to be fruit. The natural result of a branch yielded to the Vine is a changed life, a fruitful life.
Abiding in Christ, Chapter 7, Used by Permission.
All the fruits of the Spirit which we are to lay weight upon as evidential of grace, are summed up in charity, or Christian love; because this is the sum of all grace.
The Works of Jonathan Edwards.
Remember, it is God living and acting in our hearts that enables us to live in a way that pleases Him. Our godly fruit is the result of salvation, not the source of salvation. Although a true Christian is far from perfect, patterns of godly thoughts, words, and actions are evidence of a regenerated heart. And conversely, a lack of good fruit is usually an indication of a heart that has not been transformed by God.
Growing Up Christian, P&R, 2005, p. 39. Used by Permission. Get this book!
It is inconceivable to think that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead would come into our lives and then do nothing. Where the Spirit is at work, our love and its "fruits of righteousness" abound "more and more" as we mature in our dependence upon Christ (Phil. 1:9-11).
The God of Promise and the Life of Faith. Crossway Books, 2001, p. 216.
When the Holy Spirit comes into the life of a saint, He infuses His divine character into that person. Thus, a life devoid of that character, which is the fruit of the Spirit, is simply not a Christian life.
To God be the Glory, Crossway, 2000, p. 38.
Nothing in Scripture teaches that the filling of the Spirit is accompanied by ecstatic experiences or external signs. To be sure, being filled with the Spirit does bring the believer tremendous exhilaration and joy, but the New Testament epistles reveal that being filled with the Spirit brings forth the fruit of the Spirit, not the gifts of the Spirit.
Charismatic Chaos, Zondervan, 1992, p. 316.
The genuine evidence of the Holy Spirit’s influence in a person’s life is not material prosperity, mindless emotionalism, or supposed miracles. Rather, it is sanctification: the believer’s growth in spiritual maturity, practical holiness, and Christlikeness through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit (as He applies biblical truth to the hearts of His saints). A true work of the Spirit convicts the heart of sin, combats worldly lusts, and cultivates spiritual fruit in the lives of God’s people.
Strange Fire, Copyright © John MacArthur, 2013, p. 56.
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When we consider the New Testament epistles, where believers are given prescriptive instruction for church life, we find that being filled with the Spirit is demonstrated not through ecstatic experiences but through the manifestation of spiritual fruit. In other words, Spirit-filled Christians exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, which Paul identifies as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). They are “led by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:14), meaning their behavior is directed not by their fleshly desires, but by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.
Strange Fire, Copyright © John MacArthur, 2013, p. 204.
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Fruit-bearing is not a matter of being strong or weak, good or bad, brave or cowardly, clever or foolish, experienced or inexperienced. Whatever your gifts, accomplishments, or virtues, they cannot produce fruit if you are detached from Jesus Christ. Christians who think they are bearing fruit apart from the Vine are only tying on artificial fruit. They run around grunting and groaning to produce fruit but accomplish nothing. Fruit is borne not by trying, but by abiding.
Abiding in Christ, Grace to You.
Salvation is not verified by a past act, but by present fruitfulness.
Matthew 1-7, Moody, 1985, p. 70.
Bearing fruit is not a function added to a plant but is an integral part of its design and purpose. Even before it is planted, a seed contains the genetic structure for producing its own kind of fruit. When a person is born again through saving faith and is given a new nature by God, he is given the genetic structure, as it were, for producing moral and spiritual good works.
John MacArthur James, Moody Publishers, 1998, p. 139.
Do not confound work and fruit. There may be a good deal of work for Christ that is not the fruit of the heavenly Vine.
Leadership, v. 8, n. 4
If at any point in one’s Christian life, all of the nine manifestations of the fruit are not present, then that is evidence that that person is not Spirit-filled.
Charismatic Challenge by John Napier, Providence House Publishers, 2003, p. 138. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
When the fruit of the spirit becomes characteristic of the church’s daily life, it becomes painfully clear whenever one person violates that spirit, and the body itself will work to take care of the irritation (Marshall Shelly).
Ministering to Problem People in Your Church, Bethany House Publishers, 2013, p. 130. Used by Permission.
The mentality behind the fruit of the Spirit is the mentality of faith depending upon grace. People who bear the fruit of the Spirit know they are worthy only of condemnation. They know that the only pay they can earn is the wrath of God. Therefore, they have turned away from self-reliance and look only to mercy in Christ who “loved us and gave Himself for us” (Gal. 2:20). They do not expect anyone to be their debtor because of their worth. Any satisfaction will be a free gift of grace. They bank on the mercy of God and entrust themselves to his Spirit for help. And out of that mentality of faith depending on grace grows not “works” but “fruit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…
Walk by the Spirit! August 7, 1983, Used by permission. www.DesiringGod.org.
Meekness, gentleness, longsuffering, faith, patience, are all mentioned in the Word of God as fruits of the Spirit… Never do these graces shine so brightly as they do in the sick room. They enable many a sick person to preach a silent sermon, which those around him never forget. Would you adorn the doctrine you profess? Would you make your Christianity beautiful in the eyes of others?
Sickness.
The Spirit never lies dormant and idle within the soul: He always makes His presence known by the fruit He causes to be borne in heart, character, and life.
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 50.
The Spirit is compared to the wind, and, like the wind, He cannot be seen by our bodily eyes. But just as we know there is a wind by the effect it produces on waves, and trees, and smoke, so we may know the Spirit is in a man by the effects He produces in the man’s conduct. It is nonsense to suppose that we have the Spirit, if we do not also “walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25). We may depend on it as a positive certainty, that where there is no holy living, there is no Holy Ghost.
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 50-51.
A Partial Inventory of Spiritual Fruit. A desire and ability to: 1. Pursue God’s glory (1 Cor. 10:31). 2. Mature in Christlikeness (1 Pet. 2:2). 3. Be kind to others (Eph. 4:32). 4. Restore relationships (Mt. 5:9). 5. Rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 4:4). 6. Persevere through trials (Jas. 1:2-3). 7. Suffer persecution for Christ (2 Tim. 3:10-11). 8. Delight in God’s commandments (Psm. 119:47). 9. Read, study, memorize, listen to and meditate on the Bible (Jos. 1:8). 10. Share your faith (2 Tim. 4:5). 11. Be patient with others (1 Thes. 5:14). 12. Contribute to church unity (Eph. 4:3). 13. Desire goodness (2 Thes. 1:11). 14. Pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17). 15. Faithfully prioritize church (Heb. 10:23-25). 16. Prefer others (Rom. 12:10). 17. Surrender fully to Christ (Lk. 9:23). 18. Act faithfully (Gal. 5:22). 19. Serve in the church (1 Cor. 12:7). 20. Experience true peace (Gal. 5:22). 21. Be a committed marriage partner (Col. 3:18-19). 22. Love God and others (Mt. 22:37-39). 23. Guard your heart (Pr. 4:23). 24. Manifest a tempered spirit (Tit. 2:2). 25. Exercise self-control (Gal. 5:23). 26. Grow in the knowledge of God (2 Pet. 3:18). 27. Repent of known sin (Lk. 13:5). 28. Develop biblical wisdom (Eph. 5:15). 29. Examine yourself (1 Cor. 13:5). 30. Practice hospitality (Rom. 12:13). 31. Be humble (1 Pet. 5:6). 32. Work hard with integrity (Col. 3:23-24). 33. Act with gentleness (Gal. 5:23). 34. Manage your home (1 Tim. 3:4). 35. Instruct and discipline your children biblically (Eph. 6:4). 36. Listen more than you speak (Jas. 1:19). 37. Want Christian fellowship (Ac. 2:42). 38. Speak wholesome words (Col. 4:6). 39. Encourage others (1 Thes. 5:11). 40. Be an example for others (1 Tim. 4:12). 41. Forgive others (Mt. 6:12). 42. Fast (Mt. 6:16). 43. Hate evil (Rom. 12:9). 44. Be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). 45. Support missionaries (3 Jn. 1:7-8). 46. Engage in spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:13). 47. Sacrifice with your finances (2 Cor. 8:3-5). 48. Experience hope (Heb. 6:11). 49. Sing spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). 50. Develop biblical convictions (Jas. 4:17). 51. Commit to pure doctrine (Tit. 2:1). 52. Desire God’s will (Jn. 4:34). 53. Be thankful (Col. 3:15). 54. Submit wherever necessary (Eph. 5:21). 55. Prioritize spiritual things (Col. 3:1-2). 56. Long for our Lord’s return (Rev. 22:20). Note: Our hearts must always be examined as much of this can be produced in the flesh.
Let Christians remember, that in a season of revival as well as in a season of coldness, the evidence of piety is to be sought in the fruits of the Spirit. And let sinners remember that no degree of attendance or means, no degree of fervor, can be substituted for repentance of sin and faith in the Savior
Where there is no fruit, there may be no root.
The Lordship Salvation Debate, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission.
The fruit of the Spirit grows in the womb of adversity.
Author Unknown
Although good works cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgment, yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith; insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by its fruits.
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 91.
What, then, is fruit? In the New Testament we find that fruit is all the things that we may reasonably expect to follow upon our knowing Christ. The good works and godly attitudes that spring form our salvation are our fruit. And the Spirit who fills us is their author. Paul gives us a partial list in Galatians 5:22-23.
Christian: Take Heart! By Permission of the Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle, PA. 1987, p. 63.
There are so many stony ground hearers, who receive the Word with joy, that I have determined to suspend my judgment till I know the tree by its fruits. I cannot believe they are converts until I see fruit brought back; it will never do a sincere soul any harm.
I am glad you know when persons are justified. It is a lesson I have not yet learnt. There are so many stony ground hearers, who receive the Word with joy, that I have determined to suspend my judgment till I know the tree by its fruits. That makes me so cautious now, which I was not thirty years ago, of dubbing converts too soon. I love now to wait a little, and see if people bring forth fruit; for there are so many blossoms which March winds you know blow away, that I cannot believe they are converts till I see fruit brought back; it will never do a sincere soul any harm.
Quoted in: Jim Ehrhard, The Dangers of the Invitation System, Christian Communications Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org, 1999, p. 11-16.