The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Thus far, Paul has contrasted attempting to be justified by the law with justification by faith. He concluded the law brings a curse, but faith delivers a promise. The law’s purpose was to lead humanity to Jesus, but faith’s purpose is to make mankind heirs of the promise. The law is a covenant of bondage, but the covenant of righteousness by faith brings liberty. And faith working through love fulfills the law because there is no law against love. However, if one does not walk by faith, then he cannot walk in the Spirit and will fulfill the lusts of the flesh, which Paul described in detail. Now, he defines the characteristics of the fruit in the believer’s life when he or she walks in the Spirit.

There is only one fruit of the Spirit, but it has many facets or characteristics. Since love fulfills the law, it is the first characteristic listed. Biblical love is doing what is best for another even if it requires personal sacrifice. This kind of love is not reserved only for family and friends, but it is also shown towards those who oppose you. It is interesting to note that the works of the flesh Paul mentioned in previous verses all attempt to usurp love. The sexual sins are man’s attempt to find love from others. The religious sins are man’s attempt love a god of their own creation. The interpersonal sins are man’s attempt to find something worth loving in himself by elevating self and putting others down. And the social sins are man’s attempt to fill the void caused by their failure to receive the love of God. Joy is the second facet of the fruit of the Spirit. It refers to an indescribable happiness that is not based on outward circumstances. It comes from understanding your position in Christ and the blessing of eternal life you have received by grace. The third characteristic is peace. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict. It is understanding everything you experience is God’s design for your greatest good, even in the midst of conflict. He is at work, and you can remain calm because the outcome is in His hands. The fourth facet is longsuffering or patience. This characteristic is only revealed when it seems everything is working against you. There is no need for patience when everything goes your way. Enduring difficulty over a long period of time is not a natural response and only comes as the Spirit bears fruit in you. The next two are similar, kindness and goodness. Kindness displays moral integrity, while goodness is a demonstration of generosity. The seventh characteristic is faithfulness, which is a conviction of God’s calling upon your life to continue on a path without wavering. The eighth facet is gentleness. This describes a meek person, not a weak person. It is power under control. You have the power of God residing in you, and it is best shown in love rather than as a dominating authority. The final characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. It does not refer to controlling yourself for selfish reasons. It refers to embodying self-control on the behalf of others. An oversimplistic example would be refusing to eat the last cookie, not because you are training to lose weight, but because you want someone else to be blessed by eating it.

There are no laws against bearing the fruit of the Spirit, but if you strive to obey every biblical law, you will grow frustrated. However, if you, by faith, walk in the Spirit, then you will exemplify the characteristics Paul lists here. Fruit is the natural byproduct of a branch that abides in a tree. If you abide in Christ, you will inherently produce the fruit of the Spirit.