Personality Isn’t Fruit: Discerning the Difference
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”— John 15:5 (ESV)
Many people observe I get a lot done. It’s true—I’ve learned to work hard, stay disciplined, and push through so I don’t get stuck feeling overwhelmed. But that drive can also lead to a restless, relentless pace. And it makes me wonder: is this Spirit-produced fruit, or just my wiring and habits?
Jesus’ words in John 15 give us the answer. He doesn’t call us to impress others with productivity or polish our personality traits. He calls us to abide in Him. Real fruit isn’t self-generated—it flows from staying vitally connected to Christ.
This is freeing but humbling, because it means some of what I think is “fruit” may actually be self-reliance. Galatians 5 isn’t about polishing our temperament—it’s about Christ’s life flowing through us.
Personality: Natural or God-Given?
Our personalities are part of God’s good design. Scripture says He knit us together in our mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13–14). He made some of us disciplined, some calm, some cheerful. These are gifts to be received and stewarded, but they don’t necessarily reveal whether our hearts are trusting God or living for His glory.
These personalities can also be developed. For me, I’ve worked hard to hone my discipline through habits and routines. My parents encouraged this, so I kept doing it. While that may look like the spiritual fruit of self-control, is it?
Not necessarily, because fruit is more than habit; it’s transformative. Personality may reflect God’s creativity, but fruit reveals His Spirit at work. My organization and diligence aren’t automatically fruit—they may simply be how I’m wired.
In contrast, spiritual fruit is supernatural, produced by the Spirit and always oriented toward God’s glory. Without abiding in Christ, my productivity can be little more than self-reliance dressed up as godliness.
When Personality Falters Under Stress
One way I see the difference is in seasons of stress. Personality can look impressive in calm conditions, but it doesn’t always hold when life presses in. Calmness can look like peace. Boldness can look like courage.
For me, productivity can look like faithfulness. For someone else, it might be calmness that looks like peace, or boldness that looks like courage. But when we’re under pressure, what looks like fruit can often turn into self-reliance—workaholism for me, withdrawal or harshness for others.
When I’m tired or overwhelmed, I don’t lean back into the Spirit. I lean on my own wiring. I double down. I try to get as much as possible done, tightening my grip, until I burn out. Or sometimes I’m serving not because I love the Lord, but because I crave the praise of people.
That’s not fruit—that’s my heart seeking approval, motivated by self-protection or self-promotion. And when it fails—and it will—I spiral into shame, hiding because I feel I have nothing to show for myself.
So, personality can falter under stress. Fruit, however, endures and even grows under testing because it comes from abiding in Christ (John 15:16).
The Cost of True Fruit
Here’s the hard truth: fruit always costs something. Jesus says the Father prunes every branch that bears fruit so it can bear more (John 15:2). And pruning is painful.
With my daughter Anah, all the things that defined me collapsed. I couldn’t keep up the efficiency and productivity. I felt depressed and ashamed because I had nothing to lean on anymore.
Though it hurt, I now see it was God’s kindness. He cut back what I thought was strength, exposing how much I had relied on myself. And in that painful process, He grew something deeper. Love. Patience. A sacrificial care that went against every natural inclination in me.
Pruning looks different for each of us—loss, waiting, unwanted change—but the Father’s goal is the same: to make us more like Christ and bear more fruit. It also strips us of our pride, forcing us to release control. But in the Spirit’s hands, those losses become space for new fruit to grow.
Repenting Where Personality Masquerades as Fruit
It’s easy to deceive ourselves here, which is why we must ask God to search our hearts. Sometimes these areas look good and “fruitful” on the outside. When we see that we’ve relied on ourselves instead of the Spirit, we repent—not with shallow apologies but godly sorrow. This is an act of humility, but also one of maturity.
This doesn’t mean productivity is wrong. Far from it! But instead of being productive to feel good about accomplishments, I’m learning to see productivity as stewardship of what God has entrusted to me—for His glory, not mine.
True Fruit Goes Beyond Personality
As I learn dependence on Christ and abide in His grace, something else happens: I begin to see qualities flourish that I never thought possible.
For me, that’s looked like a supernatural love for Anah that is clearly not from me. My natural wiring would have checked out long ago (and I’ve tried that). But the Spirit is producing something better—something that points to Him.
That’s the beauty of fruit. Personality may impress, but fruit blesses. Personality draws attention to us, but fruit glorifies God. Personality may collapse under stress, but fruit endures and multiplies. Personality is natural, but fruit is supernatural. Fruit even reproduces itself in others. When they see God at work in us, it stirs faith and obedience in them too (John 15:8).
This is the life Jesus calls us into: abiding, pruning, bearing fruit. Not relying on ourselves, but living out of His life in us.
Maybe you, like me, have relied too heavily on your natural strengths—or even mistaken busyness for godliness. Don’t lose heart. The Father is patient, His pruning is purposeful, and His goal is always your growth.
So let us abide in the Vine—slowing down to seek Him in prayer, receiving His Word with surrendered hearts, and entrusting the outcomes of our work to Him. And in His time, the fruit will come—not because of our personality, but because of His power.
