Bearing the Fruits of Faith

Exploring the True Meaning of the Spirit’s Fruits and Our Call to Live a Transformed Life

Reflection

We often talk about the “Fruits of the Spirit” and explore what it means to live a “fruit-bearing faith.” However, it is important to truly ponder this image and consider what it means in our lives.

As Christians, we belong to a faith that calls us not only to be assured of our salvation but also to live as if that assurance has transformed our spirit. Our faith journey is filled with examples of receiving, but when push comes to shove, we often struggle to identify the fruits born from our witness. As a faith community, we often emphasize “souls saved” or lives brought to Christ. However, the clear directive for our assured life often lies in different places.

Paul’s words from Galatians 5 outline what this life beyond assurance can bear, both in us and as we witness and express our faith to others:

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25)

Beyond Paul’s naming of fruits, the letter of James calls us to action, saying:

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” — James 2:18

In my run coaching, we often ask the kids in our group to run a mile time trial or encourage them to enter races throughout the season. These opportunities serve as a chance for them to show off all the work they have done. We begin our season with a mile time trial to establish a baseline and end our season with another to hopefully see growth. We are essentially asking them to put all they have learned, both physically and mentally, to the test. We are asking them to “prove it.”

In the same way, our faith serves similarly. However, our “prove it” moments are much less structured than starting a stopwatch. Faith is developed through spiritual practices. In those transformational times of spiritual development, we learn what is needed in life and what is being asked of us. We are then called to take this transformed and revitalized image of humanity into the world and live according to that transformational grace.

It is this life and these works that bear the fruits of the Spirit of God. We bear the fruits that Paul lists as we grow and develop spiritually, and those around us can develop those fruits as we live as a spiritual presence in their lives. None of this, of course, is required for our salvation, but it shows others that our assurance of salvation has truly transformed us.

Your Turn

1. How can you identify and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in your daily life, and in what ways have you already seen them manifest through your actions and relationships?

2. Reflect on a time when your faith was put to the test. How did your spiritual practices and growth help you respond, and what fruits were borne from that experience?