Iconic Imitation: The Attributes and the Fruit of the Spirit
note: below is an excerpt from Iconic: Being God’s Image in Your World, by Mike McGarry (New Growth Press, 2025) and is republished with permission from the publisher. Iconic is written to help youth and young adults discover their identity in Christ by rediscovering what it means to be created in the image of God. This article includes affiliate links which provide a small financial benefit to the author.
Logan is a new Christian but none of his friends are. They already mocked him for attending youth group. What would they say now that he’s confessed faith in Jesus Christ? And how should he respond? Logan wants to grow in his new identity in Christ and he wants to honor God, but he’s not sure what that means for his friendships. Should he distance himself from them because of their negative influence or hit them hard with their need for Jesus, too? What counsel would you offer him?
New Christians often face many of these kinds of questions. This is a common scenario and there isn’t one universally true answer for these situations. But the Bible does give us wisdom to navigate these kinds of questions as we learn how to live according to our new identity in Christ.
No one becomes holy by simply being told, “Hey, be holier!” Much of this book has focused on setting a biblical foundation for what we are as human beings who are created in the image of God. This chapter’s emphasis gets more grounded and practical. I want to help you see what it looks like to bear God’s image in your world.
You Are A New Creation
No one becomes a Christian because they want their life to stay the same. If you don’t want to change, then you don’t actually want Jesus. You probably just want a free ticket to heaven after you die… and that’s not Christianity. True saving faith in Jesus involves two types of confession: confession of sin (admitting the truth about your need for God) and confession of Christ Jesus as Lord (admitting the truth about who God is and what he’s done to adopt you as his son or daughter by faith). These confessions acknowledge that we are sinners who need the grace and power of God to save us, change us, and make us holy. Sometimes new Christians experience radical transformation and freedom from addictions or longstanding temptations; but most of the time there is a simple and steady change that leads us to grow in godliness over the long haul.
The Bible describes the Christian’s new life in a few different ways:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:28-29)
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:9–10)
Iconic invites youth and young adults to discover how their identity as image-bearers shapes their whole lives and makes them more like Jesus. Order Here, or wherever you prefer to buy books.
When the Bible says you are “a new creation,” it doesn’t mean that your life before Jesus is erased and irrelevant. It’s not that you are literally new in every area, but that you have a new nature. Your sin has been forgiven, the Holy Spirit has moved in. You’ve received a new heart, a new identity, and new desires. This journey of becoming holy is called sanctification. That’s a fancy word that’s based on the Greek word meaning, “to make holy.” I like to describe it as God “holy’izing” people. God saves sinners, declares them holy, and then he makes them so.
Sanctification empowers us to bear God’s image the way we were created to. Where indwelling sin has corrupted us to find our identity by following our heart, we rediscover our true identity through the Word of God. Where we used to indulge in sin because we thought it was the best way to enjoy life, now we find pleasure in obeying God’s commandments and in serving others. And while we used to think that being praised for our accomplishments was the greatest reward for a job well done, now we want our lives to lift people’s eyes to behold the glory and power of God. Sanctification makes us faithful icons of Christ Jesus.
The Attributes of God and the Fruit of the Spirit
What should the life of a healthy and maturing Christian look like? The Apostle Paul addressed that question by listing what he calls “the fruit of the Spirit.” This is what the Holy Spirit produces in Christians as they grow in godliness. Interestingly, the Greek word translated into English as “fruit” is singular. That means that together, these are the result of God’s work in the Christian. Here’s what Paul writes:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22–25)
Where did Paul get this list? Did he just choose random traits that would be good for Christians to pursue? Godliness and the Fruit of the Spirit are anchored in what it means for us to be image bearers. They are grounded in the nature of God, which is the very heart of what it means for us to bear God’s image.
This is an important aspect of bearing God’s image that we briefly touched upon in chapter one. An attribute of God is something that is always and forever true about God. This is why “wrath” isn’t an attribute (even though it is accurate to say “God is wrathful”), because God wasn’t wrathful before sin entered into creation, and he won’t be wrathful after his final judgment when sin has been judged. The “communicable attributes” of God are attributes that God and people have in “common.” Hence, they “communicate” between God and people. Whereas we bear these attributes in imperfect and incomplete ways, they are perfect and holy in God. These include love and holiness and wisdom, among other things. There are also “incommunicable attributes” that describe characteristics that are unique to God, like his omnipresence and omniscience and self-existence.
As we explore the question “What does a maturing Christian look like?” it’s helpful to dig into the Fruit of the Spirit while recognizing the ways they are anchored in the communicable attributes of God. This will enable us to see how the Fruit of the Spirit describes what it means for us to be new creations who are conformed to the image of Christ.
Note: the remainder of this chapter explores each Fruit of the Spirit and shows how that fruit true of us because it is true of God. In the book, I make it clear that I doubt Paul had this theological parallel in mind. I’m simply highlighting that the Holy Spirit led Paul to describe Christian sanctification in a way that conforms them into the image of God, which is anchored in what theologians have labeled the communicable attributes of God. Hence, this parallel is theologically and pastorally helpful.
