Fruit or Gifts

One aspect of the subject of spiritual gifts which is of very great importance is their relationship to holiness. So the question arises, Do spiritual gifts help toward holiness? Do they demand holiness before they can be bestowed? Are they evidence of holiness? Does the personal holiness of the individual affect their exercise? Are the gifts worth troubling about since holiness is of such supreme importance? As we speak of holiness, I speak of holiness in the sense of Christ-likeness in character: that positive result of salvation by which the very life of Christ is being lived out again in and through the life and character of the believer. There are many outward graces that mark such a character, and foremost among them we may certainly place that beautiful list for what Paul calls in Galatians 5:22-23 “the fruit of the spirit.” The list is as follows: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”

It is necessary to clearly understand the fundamental difference between these two terms. Fruit is the natural outcome, by a process of steady growth, of a principle of life within.Fruit takes time to develop and is brought to perfection by the assistance of much outside, such as sunshine, rain, soil, etc. Gifts on the other hand, may be given by the generous action of someone without. They are usually complete as given, though their exercise by the recipient can become more perfect by use.

Fruit comes gradually from within, while gifts come immediately from without. The fruit of the Spirit will thus be seen as the manifestation and outcome of the divine life put within the believer at regeneration; perhaps appearing almost instantly in same features, but more generally appearing gradually by a process of growth in grace. Its development will be helped by such outward means of grace as Christian fellowship and ministry, circumstances and, above all, communion with God. There is room for such fruit to grow throughout the whole course of a Christian’s life; and holiness when viewed from this angle should be steadily progressive. The progression of John 15 is that God desire for us to bear fruit, bear much fruit, to bear much more fruit. It is the pruning and the cut away of God that brings about the process of greater fruitfulness. Gifts of the Spirit on the other hand, can be bestowed suddenly at any point in the believer’s experience.

The bestowal of gifts of the Holy Spirit thus appears to be more or loess independent of a believers maturity of growth in grace, except, of course, as the Lord may mark the fitness of the individual. They do not seem to spring from the life within but are the sovereign acts of the Great Giver. There must be a balance between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is for character and holiness and the gifts of the Spirit are for power.

Have you ever known those in the church who love to indulge themselves in sin on Saturday night and prophesy in the church on Sunday morning? Their lifestyle does not line up with the will of God for their lives. Why does the Lord allow His gifts to flow through them? Shouldn’t they lose the gift? Scripture says the gifts and callings of God are without repentance (meaning they are irrevocable). There is no guarantee that the men and women using these gifts will be faithful and honorable in using them. The Lord will deal with these individuals as He sees fit. We must pray for them. If we want the gifts of the Spirit to flow freely through us, we must allow the fruit of the Spirit to be manifested in our lives. We must learn how to "walk in love".

1 Cor. 13:1 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

If the fruit of the Spirit is not present in our lives, and we prophesy in church on Sunday morning, our words will sound like clanging cymbals to the congregation. Would the sound of clanging symbols cause those present to be edified, or would it just give them a headache? We must be spiritually in tune with the Holy Spirit. We must not bring reproach to the Lord by the way we live our lives outside the four walls of the church. We must "get right" with the Lord. If we choose not to repent of sin, we are deceiving ourselves. Many have been playing church, but God is going to judge the sin that is rampant in our midst. God hates sin, because sin separates us from Him.