WHAT ARE YOUR FRUITS?

A tree can look healthy from a distance. Its leaves may be full, its branches may look strong, and everything about it may seem right. But eventually, you look for one thing: fruit. Jesus used this same picture when He taught that a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:16–20).

One precious thing we learnt this Sunday is that true Christianity cannot be separated from the Holy Spirit. Every person who belongs to Christ has the Spirit of Christ. Paul says plainly, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Romans 8:9). The Spirit is not an optional addition to the Christian life. He works in us, gives us understanding of the Gospel, and produces the character of Christ in us.

This is why Galatians 5:22–23 speaks of the fruit of the Spirit. The question, then, is not simply, Do I call myself a Christian? The more important question is: What is my life producing?

This should make us careful about counterfeit Christianity. A counterfeit can look remarkably like the real thing. Someone can know Christian language, attend church, carry a Bible, profess faith, and still have no genuine relationship with Christ. Jesus warned that some would say, “Lord, Lord,” yet He would say, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21–23).

The warning is not that a genuine Christian will never struggle with sin or fail to show the fruit perfectly. It is that there should be evidence of the Spirit’s work. Where Christ truly lives, He changes the person. There is repentance, growing obedience, increasing love for Christ, and a life that increasingly reflects His character.

So this week, don't only ask whether you believe the right things or whether you look like a Christian to others. Ask what your life is producing. Is the Spirit of God at work in you? Is there evidence of His fruit? Do you have a relationship with Christ, or have you only become familiar with the appearance of Christianity?

A counterfeit may look real, but fruit reveals the tree