Identifying Fruit We have these two trees that were tiny when we first moved in several years ago, but have grown far above the house now and need to be trimmed. When I’ve called to have someone come take care of them for us, they ask what kind of trees they are. I do have an idea, but it would be much easier to be sure if they just had some kind of fruit - an apple, lemon, or an orange. Now, in the backyard, my wonderful wife planted two peach trees that confirm every spring what they are by their blossoms and their fruit. There is no uncertainty with them. The identity of the tree is directly related to the fruit it bears. The only way this can be altered is when a branch from one species is grafted into another species. A cut is made, and the source of life that brought identity to the original branches can bring life to another type of fruit. In Christ, we’ve been grafted into a new Tree of Life, that itself is known by its Spirit’s fruit. The change, though, isn’t just an adjusted source for the same fruit we used to bear in the world. We are now known by the tree we’ve joined. As His life flows through our members, the reality of our identity will have no uncertainty in the fruit we bear. To look into the perfect law of liberty is to behold love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Our identity with Christ will not be just an internal one with no outward evidence. Transformation into the bearing of each of these fruits is the certainty for everyone who abides in and remains fixed on the exposure of His glory in His Word and by His Spirit. Notes Identity requires fruit Matthew 7:15-20 (NLT) 15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. Serving alone isn’t fruit. Matthew 7:21-23 (TLB) 21 “Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil. Identity with Christ will be much more demonstrated in the fruit we bear than the claims we make and the poses we take. In Christ, we’ve become grafted into Him as branches with a new identity needing transformation. Romans 11:17 (TLB) 17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree, some of the Jews, have been broken off. And you Gentiles who were branches from, we might say, a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you, too, receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God’s rich nourishment of his own special olive tree. So, if bearing fruit is essential and not just something we can claim, how do we bear fruit and do the works that please God? By beholding in Him the fruit our new nature bears. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NLT) 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. By intentionally imaging the fruit of the Spirit in the beholding of Christ that transforms us. James 1:25 (NLT) 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” What does the fruit look like in the image of Christ? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22–23 Love: The Foundational Fruit Love is listed first because it’s the core nature of God. 1 John 4:8: “God is love.” The fruit of love is not just emotion — it’s evidence of transformation. Love reveals that the Spirit is at work within us and that we are operating from our true identity in Christ. Love is not learned behavior — it’s a spiritual byproduct of being connected to the Source. Romans 5:5: “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Love as Identity, Not Activity Too often, we treat love as something we do, rather than something we are. But in Christ, love is not an act — it’s an identity. Ephesians 5:1–2: “Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children and walk in love…” Because we are loved, we love. Because we are sons and daughters, we bear the fruit of the family we belong to. You don’t have to force fruit; you just stay connected. The vine produces through the branch. Characteristics of Love (1 Corinthians 13:4–8) Paul describes what the fruit of love looks like in daily life: Patient — secure in who we are in Christ, not needing to rush results. Kind — gentle, reflecting the goodness of God to others. Not envious or boastful — confident in our identity, not competing for worth. Not easily angered — anchored in peace. Keeps no record of wrongs — walking in forgiveness as we’ve been forgiven. Every one of these traits flows from knowing who we are — beloved and accepted in Christ. Love Is the Proof of Placement If you ever question whether you’re in the right place spiritually, emotionally, or relationally — look at the fruit. John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” How to bear the fruit of love in an identity with Christ – imaging His love for us. 1 John 4:7-12 (NLT) 7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. Overview: Identity Requires Fruit A tree’s identity is confirmed by the fruit it bears (Matthew 7:16–20). Serving, performing, or claiming religion isn’t fruit (Matthew 7:21–23). True identity with Christ is evidenced by transformation, not activity. Grafted into a New Source In Christ, we’ve been grafted into the Tree of Life (Romans 11:17). Our old nature is replaced by His life flowing through us — we don’t produce worldly fruit anymore, but Spirit fruit. Transformation Through Beholding As we behold the Lord, we are transformed into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18). Remaining in Christ — in His Word and Spirit — ensures fruitfulness (John 15:5). The more we gaze at Him, the more His nature is reflected in us. Love: The Foundational Fruit Love is not something we do, it’s who we are in Him (1 John 4:8). God’s love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) becomes the root from which all other fruit grows. “It’s not that we loved God, but that He loved us” (1 John 4:10). Love proves our placement — our connection to the Vine (John 13:35) Prayer: Father, thank You for who You are in the love You’ve demonstrated for me, giving me Your own Son while I was still far from You. Now, as I have been drawn into Christ by that love, let my life be a continual bearing of that fruit for all those I encounter. Let it be clearly known that I am in Him by the love that is shed abroad from my heart, and from this same identity may all the Spirit’s fruit be abundantly demonstrated through me for Your glory. Declarations: I am grafted into the Tree of Life — Christ Himself. His life flows through me, producing fruit that reveals His nature. I am not striving to be loving; I am loved, and love flows from me. The Spirit of the Lord is in me, and where He is, there is freedom. I am transformed daily as I behold His glory. My identity is not in my performance, but in His presence. I bear good fruit — fruit that remains. It’s not that I loved God, but that He loved me and made me a vessel of His love. I am rooted, nourished, and flourishing in Christ. The world will know I belong to Jesus by the love that overflows from my life.