One of the most important questions anyone can ever ask is this: How can I know that I am truly a Christian? Equally important is another question: How can anyone else recognize genuine faith in my life?
The answer is both simple and very profound.
No one can look into another person's heart. Only God sees the heart. I cannot see your faith, and you cannot see mine. God alone knows those who are His. Yet while faith itself is invisible, its transforming power is not. Genuine saving faith always leaves unmistakable evidence.
Jesus explained this very clearly:
"Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions" (Matthew 7:20 NLT).
A healthy tree naturally bears healthy fruit. Likewise, a heart that has been transformed by God's saving grace will gradually produce a Christlike life. We are not saved by our fruit, but genuine salvation always produces fruit.
A profession of faith alone cannot prove that someone belongs to Christ. Words may impress people, but only a transformed life demonstrates the supernatural work of God. The evidence of authentic conversion is the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual Fruit Grows Like From A Living Tree
God never intended spiritual maturity to happen overnight. Fruit develops slowly. Roots deepen before branches flourish. God patiently shapes His children over months and years.
Sometimes we become discouraged because we cannot see our own growth very clearly. Asking, "Have I become more like Jesus since yesterday?" is a little like watching your own children grow. Their growth is happening every day, yet because you see them constantly, you hardly notice it.
Then someone who has not seen them for several months says, "They've really grown!"
Spiritual growth often works the same way.
Faithful friends, family members, pastors, and fellow believers may notice changes before we do. They begin to see greater humility, patience, kindness, joy, peace, forgiveness, and Christlike love. Those changes are not self-improvement; they are evidence that the Holy Spirit is faithfully doing His work within us.
Jesus Himself declared:
"You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name" (John 15:16 NLT).
Notice that Jesus did not merely save us from judgment. He saved us for a purpose: to produce fruit that lasts for eternity.
The Beautiful Fruit of the Holy Spirit
The Apostle Paul perfectly describes that fruit in Galatians 5:22-23.
The fruit of the Spirit.. is love. Everything begins with love.
A growing believer develops an increasing love for God and an increasing love for people.
Jesus said,
"If you love me, obey my commandments" (John 14:15 NLT).
Obedience does not earn God's love. Rather, obedience demonstrates that we already love Him. The Holy Spirit continually reminds us of God's truth and gives us the desire and power to obey Him.
Jesus also declared,
"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:35 NLT).
WORKS OF THE FLESH VERSUS FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.
THE WORKS OF THE FLESH. GAL 5:16-21.
16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20. Idolatry, whichcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21. 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.
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. GAL 5:22-26.
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24. And they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26. Let at us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. kjv
OUR CHARACTER REVEALS OUR SOURCE
* Is SELF your main source that you trust in?
1 PRIDE
2 SELFISHNESS
3 ANGER
4 JEALOUSY
5 WORRY
6 HATRED
7 GREED
8 DISHONESTY
9 FEAR
10 LAZINESS
11 IMPATIENCE
12 HOPELESSNESS
* Is our 1 God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) your main source that you trust in?
1 LOVE
2 JOY
3 PEACE
4 PATIENCE
5 KINDNESS
6 GOODNESS
7 FAITHFULNESS
8 GENTLENESS
9 SELF-CONTROL
10 GRATITUDE
11 FORGIVENESS
12 HUMILITY
LISTEN UP, SPORT, THE ROOT OF YOUR LIFE DETERMINES THE FRUIT OF YOUR LIFE.
The Apostle Paul lets us know liberty is not license. “By love serve one another,” he says. We fulfill the law when we live in love (Rom. 13:8–10). The Christian who says, “I have liberty to sin!” understands nothing of the cross or of God’s grace.
II. The Spirit, Not the Flesh (5:16–26)
Paul’s first admonition was “Stand fast!” Now he says, “Walk in the Spirit!” Our standing in Christ determines our walk in Christ. The words “flesh” and “Spirit” are each found ten times in chapters 5–6. Those who live according to law depend on the energy of the flesh; those who live by grace depend on the power of the Spirit. To “walk in the Spirit” means to have our daily lives under His control, and this means under the direction of the Word of God. To be “led of the Spirit” means to be delivered from a life of bondage to legalism. The elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) lived in bondage and had no joy in his walk or service. How many Christians are like him!
“The flesh” refers to the fallen fleshly nature still with the believer. The body itself is not sinful; appetites are not necessarily sinful, but the tendencies of the old nature are downward. In Romans 6, Paul tells us that the old man has been crucified and that we can overcome the flesh by reckoning ourselves dead to sin and by yielding ourselves to God. Here in Galatians, Paul spells out the conflict between the believer’s two natures. Immediately after conversion, new Christians enjoy several days or weeks of wonderful victory; then temptation and defeat come, and they become discouraged. Somebody should have told them that the old nature would rise up again! The last phrase in v. 17 does not teach that the believer cannot get victory. The phrase should be translated, “so that you may not do what you would.” That is, mere determination on the part of the Christian will never control the flesh or produce the fruit of the Spirit. Paul amplifies this theme in Rom. 7, where he shows that the believer’s determined attempts to please God in his own strength are destined to fail.
What a contrast between works and fruit! Fruit is the result of a living union; a machine may produce works, but it can never produce fruit. Even the Law produces works, but God calls them dead works (Heb. 6:1). The Law could never produce the gracious fruit described here. Read this list of “flesh works” in a modern version to get the full import of their meaning. What a terrible catalog of sins! How many of them are found even among Christians!
Christian character comes from within, by the power of the Spirit. The Spirit seeks to transform us into Christ’s likeness (2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:29 and 12:1–2). We could meditate for hours on the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit! Note especially that love heads the list. Paul clearly states that no law could ever produce this kind of character. When will people learn that making resolutions will never sanctify them!
“If we live in the Spirit” (this is salvation, being made alive by the Spirit), “let us also walk in the Spirit” (this is sanctification, allowing the Spirit to command and control our lives). Compare Eph. 5:18–24 with Col. 3:15–19 and you will see that to be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Word of God, for the results are identical. “Walking in the Spirit” is not some emotional experience, detached from everyday life. It is the daily experience of the believer who feeds on the Word, prays, and obeys what the Bible says.
In closing, note that Paul uses three pleas as he beseeches these Christians to live lives of holiness by the grace of God: God the Father has called them (v. 13); God the Son has died for them (v. 24); and God the Holy Spirit indwells them (vv. 16–23). Each Person of the Trinity is assisting us in our battle against the flesh.
Living by the Spirit’s Power Sure beats living by any other power. I just love how the NLT speaks about all this:
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.”
The fruit of the Spirit is God's kind of charity".. and what comes after that describes God's kind of love.
Christlike love becomes visible, especially toward difficult people, irritating people, and even those who oppose us. Such love does not originate in human strength. It flows from the Holy Spirit, who continually reminds us how deeply Christ has loved and forgiven us.
As we walk with Christ, the Spirit increasingly produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The Message beautifully describes this growing character:
Things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart
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