The Bible has a lot to say about fruit, both literal and figurative. Here is an overview of some key Bible verses about fruit:
Fruit in Genesis
In the creation account in Genesis, God creates fruit trees and gives mankind dominion over them:
“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:11-12)
“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'” (Genesis 1:29)
Fruit in the Promised Land
When Moses sent spies to explore the Promised Land, they returned with samples of its abundant fruit:
“They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.” (Numbers 13:26)
The Promised Land was described as “a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant” (Deuteronomy 6:10-11).
Fruitfulness as Blessing
Bearing fruit is seen as a sign of prosperity and God’s blessing. For example, God promises:
“I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.” (Genesis 17:6)
“You will still be fruitful in old age, fresh and green, to declare the Lord is upright.” (Psalm 92:14-15)
Cultivating and Harvesting Fruit
The Bible contains agricultural imagery of cultivating, pruning, and harvesting fruit:
“My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2)
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
Fruit of the Spirit
The Bible also refers to spiritual qualities as “fruit of the Spirit”:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
Cultivating these qualities is expected for believers.
Bearing Fruit for God
Jesus taught that bearing fruit for God should be the aim of believers:
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
Every Tree Known by its Fruit
Jesus also used fruit as a metaphor to indicate that actions and character reveal the true nature of a person:
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-17)
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33)
The Fruit of Righteousness
Doing what is right and just is described as bearing godly fruit:
“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” (Isaiah 32:17)
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)
Persevering to Bear Fruit
Scripture encourages perseverance through hardship in order to produce character and hope:
“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)
“Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” (Colossians 1:11-12)
The Firstfruits of the Harvest
In the Old Testament, the first agricultural produce that ripened was to be offered to God:
“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.” (Exodus 34:26)
This honored God as the ultimate provider. Jesus is called “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20), indicating his resurrection inaugurates the greater resurrection to come.
A Harvest of Righteousness
Doing good to others is likened to planting seeds that will reap a bountiful harvest:
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously…for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6,7)
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
The Fruit of the Lips
Speaking good, edifying words to others is called the fruit of our lips:
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)
This stands in contrast to evil words and deceptive speech.
Producing Fruit in Keeping with Repentance
Genuine repentance produces actions and attitudes that reflect God’s heart and character:
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Luke 3:8)
“Prove by the way you live that you have repented.” (Luke 3:8)
Producing a Crop
In several parables, Jesus talked about producing a spiritual crop. For example:
– The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9) – The seed is the word of God, falling on various soils (people’s hearts) and producing different levels of fruit
– The Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29) – The kingdom of God is like seed that sprouts and grows, producing a crop
– The Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-41) – tenants of a vineyard fail to properly care for it and provide the owner his due fruit
The Vine and the Branches
Jesus described himself as the vine, and believers as the branches. Just as a branch depends on the vine for life and nourishment, believers depend on Jesus and must remain connected to him:
“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.” (John 15:5)
A Tree and its Fruit
Jesus emphasized the direct connection between the condition of a tree (or person’s heart) and the quality of fruit it produces:
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33)
Striving to abide in Christ impacts the “fruit” we bear in our lives.
The Fruit of the Womb
Children are considered a blessing and “fruit of the womb” in Scripture:
“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” (Psalm 127:3-5)
“He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.” (Deuteronomy 7:13)
The Fruit of Wisdom
Wisdom is considered a beneficial fruit to cultivate:
“Blessed are those who find wisdom…She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.” (Proverbs 3:13,18)
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.” (Proverbs 11:30)
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17)
The Fruit of the Light
Allowing God’s light to shine in our lives produces goodness:
“The fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.” (Ephesians 5:9)
This stands in contrast to deeds produced in spiritual darkness.
Partaking of the Fruit of the Spirit
Paul encouraged the Roman Christians to live in harmony and bear the fruit of the Spirit:
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:5-7)
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” (Galatians 5:13-15)
The Fruit of Christ’s Sacrifice
Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross produced life and salvation for mankind:
“The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19-21)
“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15)
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
The Unfruitful Works of Darkness
Sinful deeds arising from the spiritual darkness of unbelief are considered unfruitful works:
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)
Believers are exhorted to turn from these to walk in the light of Christ.
The Fruit of Unrighteousness
Wickedness results in damaging fruit being borne in people’s lives and in society:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:7-8, KJV)
This corruption stifles abundant life and leads to death and destruction.
The Pruning and Purging of Fruit
God is portrayed as a gardener who prunes vines and trees to make them more fruitful. This involves cutting off unproductive branches and removing hindrances to growth:
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:2)
Painful trials also serve to purge and refine our lives, boosting spiritual fruitfulness.
The Fullness of Fruit
Mature believers and church communities demonstrate the comprehensive fruit of the Spirit, reflecting Christ’s fullness at work in them:
“Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)
This fruitfulness comes through abiding in Christ and stems from God’s Spirit working in our lives.