The book of James puts it in these terms: “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only” James 1:33. John’s first epistle says our love of God and man is proven by our obedience to His Word, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.” 1 John 5:2  

In essence, the critical thing about our life in Christ is not how results are obtained and fruits are produced by how good the results and how good the fruits are. How useful are they to the purposes of God in enriching His kingdom. In other words, the tools God uses to grow the fruits are secondary in importance to the fruits. Just as a rototiller, shovel, rake, and hoe are important instruments in the hands of the gardener yet incidental compared to the purpose for which they are employed for the tool is only to see to it that fruits grow to maturity for the enjoyment and consumption of the ‘gardener’ and his purposes.

The fruits, therefore, are the bottom line of the spiritual life. Without them coming to being and growing to maturity our lives are extensively failures, fruitless and barren. If the peach tree does not have sweet peaches for our eating its reason for being, even if it gives shade, for other trees are better suited for this purpose, is not realized. It is nothing more than an ornamental tree and no glory is given to the gardener who expects sweet fruit to nourish his household and garnish the table of his friends. There are too many “ornamental” Christians who make a good show of being fruitful, but in truth bear no fruit for the Master’s use. Like a peach tree, we were not created for show. We were not given new birth for the sake of the gifts of the spirit, neither for knowledge, great preaching, beautiful writing, or fine evangelizing; but to bring forth the fruits of the spirit. This is most true of the call to brideship. It is the ultimate reason why we have been chosen to live a life in Christ.

As the apostle Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of the angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And thought I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

Without love (the primary fruit, under which all others bow in submission) then all the most wonderful prophecies and sweet-sounding spiritual utterances are just so much racket and clatter. Without the fruits, all knowledge of the Word and every deep revelation of God ends up as just a Brooks Brothers suit by which we dress up our pride. Even faith to heal or to do miracles which have the power to transform vulgar reality into true new reality will result in nothing in the end, unless it is done by the majesty of God’s loving works. Every charitable act and good work, if done apart from love, will profit the laborer nothing at all. Only the fruit of the spirit can make things count, make things eternally real. Without love, Paul contends, we are just a bag of hot air amounting to nothing and being of no profit to God or, ultimately even to ourselves.

The Gifts Are Tools In The Hand Of The Great Gardener
The Gifts of the Spirit, as enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 (along with other scriptures) are tools in the hands of the Great Gardener (The Husbandman) and they should not be despised or discarded any more than a gardener would refuse the use of tilling, watering, pruning and weeding implements. The gifts and knowledge are vital but they are not the end-all. They may look impressive, as they duly are, but they are not what glorifies The Father. Christ when plainly spoke at the Last Supper. The Father He equates to a Gardener and He said He is the vine. “Here in is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” John 15:8 So then, it is not a spectacular show of faith, not the wisdom of Solomon, not compelling preaching in the Church, or even outstanding knowledge of the Word that glorifies God the Father, but the fruits of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance – and the like. We could add righteousness, patience, brotherly kindness, and mercy as other godly fruit. These fruits give glory to God the Father for they prove His love is true, His mercy strong and enduring, His care for Man beyond doubt or reproach. The way to glorify God is to see to it that the fruits have room to grow in our lives and hearts. We must allow the Great Gardener to do His work in us. We must permit the use of His tools such as the gifts of the Spirit, the Word of truth, and fellowshipping with the body of faithful believers as tools for His use in us and for us. Quench not the spirit, we are told. Despise not prophesyings we are warned. Receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save our souls. The word is given to us to make our souls healthy, to reform, transform, and conform our souls into the image of Christ. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves and be sure to share fruit among the body, for the eating and mutual consumption of the works God has wrought in the believer are critical for their continued fertilization, flowering, and fruition.

But, sadly, if we have no godly fruit, which is the only fruit fit for consumption in the household of faith, then we have nothing to contribute to the banquet of the body of Christ. If we do not have the true fruits all we will have are the plastic fruits of hypocrisy or the rotten fruit of disobedience, which is of no use to God’s table. Just as the Father is the true Gardener so Christ is the single Vine from which all other good and fruitful branches must stem.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
   Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
   Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
   Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
   I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
   If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
   If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
   Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” John 15:1-8

Apart from Christ, we can do nothing. In Him, we can glorify God by showing forth the power of Christ’s love in the fruits that are truly exhibited in our lives. Anything else is shear talk and vanity. If a branch does not bring forth fruit for the Master’s use then it will be thrown on the rubbish pile, even the hard woody, gnarled, dead branches from the vine are of no use on the compost pile. They are burned along with the rest of the burdensome debris leftover from the death of a fruitless winter.