In John chapter 15, Jesus said if we abide in him, we will bear fruit. To abide in Jesus, we must first acknowledge we are sinners, and we cannot become righteousness by our own works. Next, we must recognize Jesus Christ has been provided by God’s justice and grace to be our Savior from sin. Finally, based on taking these two steps, we take a third step of offering our lives in full consecration to serve God.  

We then need to live and obey the teachings of Jesus. He summarized his teaching in John 15:12-14,16-17, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you…You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.”

The Apostle Paul further elaborated on the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” We are to grow in these godly character traits as well as crucify our fleshly desires. 

What are the deeds of the flesh? The fleshly behaviors that we need to crucify include, “immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” Galatians 5:19-21 (NASB).

So, let us pray to the Lord for grace to help us grow righteous fruitage and to thereby become more Christlike.

Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
5-part series: “Do I Walk in the Spirit or the Lusts of My Human Nature?”