What does a changed life look like? In Galatians 5:16-26, the Apostle Paul describes what God's Spirit produces in a believer's life — the "fruit of the Spirit." Dr. Toby Holt explains how this fruit grows and why it matters.
Our good works do not save us, but they show that we have been saved. Paul contrasts the "works of the flesh" — anger, jealousy, selfishness — with the "fruit of the Spirit" — love, joy, peace. The key word is "practice": there is a difference between a life defined by sin and a believer who stumbles but is grieved by it. Bad, dead fruit points to bad, dead roots.
Questions this study answers:
1. What is the "fruit of the Spirit"? The character God's Spirit grows in a believer: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
2. If works don't save us, why do they matter? Because they are the evidence of real faith. A changed life does not earn salvation, but it shows God has truly changed the heart.
3. Can you tell a true believer by their fruit? Over time, yes. A life increasingly marked by the Spirit's fruit reflects a heart God has made new. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." — Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)
Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.