What does it mean to bear fruit in the Bible?

In Christianity, what does it mean to bear fruit? How do we bear fruit? What is the difference between good fruit and bad fruit?

In the Bible, to bear fruit is a spiritual metaphor which refers to the visible and tangible results of a person’s faith and spiritual growth. Our faith in God and our Christian beliefs will be demonstrated in how we think and behave and how we are impacting the people around us.
So if we genuinely believe in Jesus Christ and have received Him as our Lord and Saviour, there will be a transformation in our life which demonstrates through our lifestyle and character that we are indeed followers of Christ.
Therefore if we are true followers of Christ, then we will bear good fruit. In Matthew 3:8 and Luke 3:8, John the Baptist emphasized that we should “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance”.

Bearing Good Fruit

Galatians 5:22-23 gives an example of the types of good fruit that Christians must bear.
In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul writes: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law

One of the purposes of being a Christian believer is to become more like Jesus Christ in nature and character.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians are the 9 qualities or characteristics which are produced in a Christian’s life. Bearing good fruit means that Christian believers must learn to express these 9 qualities as a daily lifestyle through guidance from the Holy Spirit.
By expressing the fruit of the Spirit as a lifestyle, Christians are also demonstrating the nature of Jesus Christ.

Therefore in order to bear good fruit, we must be born again. We must have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
In John 15:1-7 Jesus mentions that if we are to bear good fruit, then we must have a genuine relationship with Him.
In John 15:4-5 Jesus says: “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Bearing good fruit also requires that we meditate on God’s word. We need the word of God in order to grow and bear fruit. When we know the word of God, we have knowledge of how to obey Him and understanding of how God wants us to live.
Psalm 1:3 says that a person who meditates daily on the word of the Lord “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Bearing Bad Fruit

In the context of false prophets and false believers, Jesus spoke about bearing fruit when He said the following:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-20)

Bearing bad fruit refers to the negative consequences that result from one’s sinful or unrighteous behavior.
In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus likens false prophets to people who bear bad fruit. They bear bad fruit because they are not genuine believers or followers of Christ. Their hypocrisy dishonors God and misleads others. Their unrepentance and hypocrisy leads to bad consequences and spiritual deception.
Therefore Jesus says that a bad tree will bear bad fruit and that we will recognize a false prophet or false believer by the kind of fruit they bear.

Conclusion

So the type of fruit we bear is a reflection of our inner character and relationship with God. If we are genuine followers of Jesus Christ, then we will bear good fruit.
However people who are false prophets or false converts will unrepentantly bear bad fruit, because Jesus Christ does not live in them.