Spiritual Fruit

Let’s pick up our study in Galatians 5:18, “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” In other words, if you consent to the teachings of the Holy Spirit, it will free you from the constraints and the punishment of the Law.

Notice vv.19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Here we see what someone looks like who is walking in the flesh. The first thing I noticed in these verses is that the first four all have to do with sexual sins. Is it any wonder why our society is so driven by sex?

Notice vv.22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Here we see what someone looks like who is walking in the Spirit. It’s been said that God wants spiritual fruit and not religious nuts. The question for us is, “I have all of the Holy Spirit, but does He have all of me?” The way to know is the spiritual fruit that results. The best way to see if some really is a Christian is to look at their fruit. Jesus said in Matthew 7:17-18 “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”

The bottom line is that good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit. It is not possible for the good to produce bad nor the bad to produce good. The writer James further addressed this issue when he said in James 3:11-12, “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” No my friend, it is simply not possible to be both good and bad or salt water and fresh at the same time. You are simply one or the other. Which one are you?