We Will Know Them by Their Fruits

What Tools Does the Bible Give Us to Measure Ourselves and Those We keep Fellowship With as to Being Authentic in Following Jesus?

In the journey of faith and recovery, we often ask, “How do I know if someone is truly walking with God?” Jesus answered this very question in Matthew 7:16 when He said, “You will recognize them by their fruits.” Just as a tree is known by the type of fruit it bears, so too are people recognized by their fruits in their lives. A healthy tree produces good fruit. Likewise, a life transformed by Christ will reflect His love, grace, and truth in very identifiable ways.

During your recovery, this truth becomes especially important. Many people claim to have faith, but words alone aren’t proof of salvation. A person who has truly surrendered and submitted to God will begin to change,,, not overnight, but steadily. The fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, begins to grow. You will notice how they treat others, how they respond to stress, and how they deal with temptation. There will be evidence of humility, a willingness to make amends, a need to tell others about Jesus, a desire to serve rather than be served, and they won’t gossip – you can trust them. These are not the marks of someone trying to look good, but of someone who is being made new by Jesus Christ.

This isn’t about judging others harshly; it’s about discernment kicking in. Always pray for God’s wisdom, understanding, and discernment on a daily basis. In the recovery world, we often meet people who talk a good game but still live in denial or rebellion. Jesus warned us to be wise and discerning. He wasn’t telling us to go around pointing fingers, but to be honest about what we see and who we are. A fig tree won’t bear olives. A person walking in the Spirit won’t consistently produce the fruit of the flesh, such as bitterness, rage, deceit, or selfishness. When we see someone who consistently bears good fruit, especially during challenging time, we can be encouraged that their faith is genuine and active.

The same standard applies to you and me. What fruit is your life producing? Is there evidence that we belong to Christ? In recovery, we don’t just want to escape the destruction of addiction; we want to become living testimonies of God’s power to change our lives and others. The proof is not in how loudly we speak about God, but in how closely our lives align with His commandments. When there is peace where there used to be chaos, forgiveness where there was once bitterness, and love where hatred lived, then you most probably have a real relationship with Jesus.

Let us not settle for surface-level religion which doesn’t work. Let us press into the kind of faith that transforms us from the inside out. At the end of the day, God and the world are watching. And as Jesus said, they will know us, not just by our words, but by our fruits.

Bible Verses to Meditate on

Galatians 5:22–23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Verses About Knowing True Believers by Their Fruits:

Matthew 7:16–17
“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

Matthew 12:33
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”

Verses About Bearing Fruit in Christ:

John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:8
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

Colossians 1:10
“That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Verses About What Kind of Fruit We Should Bear:

Romans 6:22
“But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

James 3:17–18
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Verses Warning About Bad Fruit:

Luke 6:43–45
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit… For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Hebrews 6:7–8
“For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it… receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.”

Self-Reflection Coaching Questions for Your Journaling

What kind of “fruit” is currently visible in my life… especially in my relationships, choices, and attitudes?
(Are these fruits of the Spirit or works of the flesh?)

When was the last time someone noticed a positive change in me and mentioned it? What was it?
(What does this say about the direction I’m headed?)

In what area of my life is God calling me to grow more fruit?
(Is there a fruit that’s missing or underdeveloped right now?)

Am I more concerned with looking like a believer or actually becoming more like Christ? Why?
(What do I need to surrender to make that shift real?)

What kind of fruit do I notice in the people I trust and look up to spiritually?
(What can I learn from the way they live their faith?)

Is there any hidden area of my life where I’m still producing “bad fruit”?
(What steps can I take this week to begin weeding that out with God’s help?)

How can I remain connected to the Vine (Jesus) each moment of every day so that good fruit can keep growing in my life?
(What practical habits or changes can help me stay spiritually rooted?)

Have a blessed rest of your day examining fruit!

Our Online Biblical Recovery Center where you recover once… and be free for life, is located at RecoveryRoom7.org