Commentary: What Does “Bearing Fruit” Mean?

You may have heard of phrases in the scriptures such as “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” or “bearing fruit.” Have you ever considered what these phrases truly mean? How can we live out these commands as Christians? This passage teaches us how to produce fruit in our lives.

You might think that fully pleasing God and walking in a manner worthy of Him is simply about reading your Bible and praying, either weekly or even daily. While these practices can certainly help you grow in your knowledge of God, living a life that truly pleases Him goes beyond that. 

To please God, we need to bear good fruit. Galatians 5 describes what good fruit looks like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Bearing good fruit involves more than just daily Bible reading and prayer; it also has to do with how you treat others. Are you patient, kind, and gentle? So, ask yourself: Are you producing good fruit or bad fruit? 

Sometimes I find myself wanting to have fun rather than focusing on bearing good fruit or pleasing God. Scripture doesn’t promise that the process of bearing fruit will be enjoyable; it emphasizes the importance of growing in our relationship with God and producing good fruit. 

On my old soccer team, our conversations often centered around gossip and cursing—topics that certainly didn’t reflect the idea of bearing good fruit, but they were entertaining. Eventually, I realized I was drifting away from my goal of pleasing God and instead was more concerned with pleasing my friends and having fun. For these reasons, I decided to quit the team. After removing myself from that toxic environment and distancing from worldly influences, I discovered that bearing fruit became much easier and the fruit became more fulfilling. I finally felt like I was truly pleasing God and producing good fruit. You might not have to quit your soccer team like I did, but we all have areas in our lives that could benefit from better fruit!