“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11
The Bible is clear that we cannot produce the fruit of righteousness on our own.
“There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10-12
But when we receive the gift of salvation, we are given the righteousness of CHRIST.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
When we are born again, our soul and spirit has the righteousness of GOD—not our own. The proof we are born again is in the fruit of HIS righteousness being produced in our life. Again, just to emphasize—this is the fruit that HE produces—NOT that WE produce by some form of self determination. Our part is to love God so much that we make Him the center of our life. When we do, His Spirit produces the fruit of righteousness and it is manifested in all we do.
What does this fruit look like?
The Bible explains:
“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
“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.” James 3:17-18
Where does the fruit of righteousness come from?
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “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 15:4-5
Branches do not produce fruit on their own. Jesus must be our most important source of nourishment. If we are primarily feeding our soul with the things of this world, we will never produce His fruit. The goal of the fruit of righteousness is “praise and glory to God.” (Philippians 1:11) When others see our good deeds they should “glorify [our] Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) If our salvation is real, the fruit of righteousness will be evident in our lives. (Matthew 7:16–20)
So what are the benefits of the fruits of righteousness?
Well, the benefits of righteousness are BOTH eternal AND temporal. If every aspect of our life is reflecting the fruits of God’s righteousness, it is a light to everyone around us about the Gospel of grace. To share the Gospel and bring even one soul to salvation is an eternal gift. But, that does not mean our life here on earth is miserable. Absolutely not! The gifts of God’s righteousness—love, joy, peace, wisdom, strength, etc., are our constant companions while we are about His eternal works of righteousness.
Living in the benefits of God’s righteousness produces the most rewarding and satisfying life!
