Ephesians 5:9 For the fruit of the Spirit consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
Now not many people know this, but in the original Greek text, as well as all the oldest Greek manuscripts to date does not use the word Πνεύματός (Pnuematos) here which we translate as Spirit, but the word φωτὸς (phōtos), and φωτὸς (phōtos) means LIGHT or FIRE, not Spirit.
You can actually look this up for yourselves by just reading the previous verse, Ephesians 5:8, in which you will find the same word φωτὸς (phōtos) being used twice where Paul wrote, 'For you were formerly darkness, but now you are LIGHT in the Lord – walk as children of LIGHT!' Ah you see, φωτὸς (phōtos)!
φωτὸς always speaks of a light or a fire, and that's what Paul said we are in the Lord, as he even said we are children of the Light!
But do notice that Paul did not say we were formerly IN the darkness and now IN the light, no no no, because Paul was talking about our identity here, who we WERE vs who we ARE after coming to faith in Christ.
This is why the fruit he mentioned here are the result of those who live in Jesus' light!
Most people are familiar with the fruit of the Spirit Paul described in the Galatian letter, but what he was explaining in the Ephesian letter was a different fruit - the fruit of our identity being rooted in Christ's light.
Just as we know that the fruit of the Spirit and His work in us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, we ought to know that in Christ's light, goodness and righteousness and truth will be the core fruit of our identity.
Now before anybody comes to faith in Christ, the fruit of their identity will be the opposite of goodness and righteousness and truth, but when we come to faith in Christ, His light enlightens us, and the result is we bear the fruit of His goodness, His righteousness and His truth.
Another reason Paul used this simple yet astonishing metaphor was because everybody way back then knew that without light, no tree could live and surely not produce any fruit.
The fruit of the φωτὸς (the light) thus reflects who gives us life, and it makes known our identity in the light of His light, and the result of it is the fruit we bear, His goodness and righteousness and truth.
For in Christ and Christ alone, lives get changed from darkness to light, from barren to fruitful!
Amen