What Does the Fruit of the Spirit Mean? Verses & Good Fruit
Galatians 5:22-23 names the fruit of the Spirit. Matthew 7:16-20 is where “good fruit” and “by their fruits ye shall know them” come from.
The fruit of the Spirit is the list in Galatians 5:22-23. In the King James Version, that fruit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. A related saying, “good fruit,” comes from Jesus in Matthew 7:16-20, including the line “by their fruits ye shall know them.”
The fruit of the Spirit Bible verses
These verses are from the King James Version, quoted from Bible Gateway. The King James Version is in the public domain.
Galatians 5:22: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”
Galatians 5:23: “Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
The sentence uses one word, “fruit,” and then names nine. In the order the verses give them, they are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Galatians 5:23 ends the list with “against such there is no law.”
Those are the King James words. Galatians 5:22 says “faith.” It says “longsuffering,” “gentleness,” and, in the next verse, “meekness” and “temperance.”
The nine fruits
- love
- joy
- peace
- longsuffering
- gentleness
- goodness
- faith
- meekness
- temperance
The list is the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. The verse does not number them. It names them in that order, under the singular “fruit.”
Good fruit, and “by their fruits ye shall know them”
“Good fruit” in this sense is Jesus’s wording in Matthew 7. These verses are also from the King James Version, from the same Bible Gateway passage. Matthew 7:15 is included because the next verses say “them,” and verse 15 names who that is.
Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Matthew 7:16: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”
Matthew 7:17: “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”
Matthew 7:18: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”
Matthew 7:19: “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
Matthew 7:20: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
The familiar line “by their fruits ye shall know them” is Matthew 7:20. Matthew 7:16 says the same idea in the other order: “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:17 uses “good fruit” for what a good tree brings forth, and “evil fruit” for what a corrupt tree brings forth. Matthew 7:18 says a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, and a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit.
Galatians 5:22-23 and Matthew 7:16-20 are different passages. One names the fruit of the Spirit. The other says a tree is known by the fruit it bears. People often read them together because both use “fruit.”
Fruit of the Spirit shirts, and how believers wear their faith
People look for a “fruit of the Spirit shirt” because the list is short enough to remember. THE ANSWER IS... does not sell a fruit of the Spirit shirt, hoodie, or design. Its clothing prints a different sentence: “The Answer Is...” on the front and “Jesus” on the back.
That is the line on the men’s shirt, the women’s shirt, and the unisex youth shirt, and on the men’s hoodie, the women’s crop hoodie, and the youth hoodie. You can see it on the Jesus shirts, the Christian shirts, and the hoodies. The full collection is in the shop.
Wearing that sentence is one way believers let faith show on an ordinary day. It does not claim the wearer has produced the fruit Galatians 5 names. The verses do that work. The garments only print “The Answer Is...” and “Jesus.” Another short line people wear, WWJD, is explained in what WWJD means.
Sources
King James Version text of Galatians 5:22-23 and Matthew 7:15-20, via Bible Gateway. The King James Version is in the public domain.
A few common questions
- What does the fruit of the Spirit mean?
- In the King James Version, Galatians 5:22-23 says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. The verse uses the singular “fruit,” then names that list.
- What are the nine fruits of the Spirit?
- Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine words: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Those are the King James words, in that order.
- What is the fruit of the Spirit Bible verse?
- Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” and Galatians 5:23 says, “Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
- What does “good fruit” mean in Matthew 7?
- Matthew 7:17 says a good tree brings forth good fruit and a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. Matthew 7:18 says a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, and a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit.
- What does “by their fruits ye shall know them” mean?
- Matthew 7:20 says, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:16 says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” The verses follow Matthew 7:15, which warns about false prophets.
- Does THE ANSWER IS... sell a fruit of the Spirit shirt?
- No. The shop does not sell a fruit of the Spirit shirt, hoodie, or design. The Christian shirts and hoodies print “The Answer Is...” on the front and “Jesus” on the back.