Paul Details the Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Galatians
5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law. KJVPaul now uses the primary particle “but” to express the antithesis or the exact opposite of the “works of the flesh” (which are all independent of one another) to the fruit of the Spirit (singular) because they all are connected to one another as one cluster of grapes would be picked off a vine. Human nature is born to produce the “works of the flesh” naturally just like tiger is born to hunt and kill in order to survive. However, the manifestation of the “fruit of the Holy Spirit” does not come built in or born into the heart of man, but it is only poured in by God the Holy Spirit when the “natural man” (1 Corinthians 2:14) is converted or spiritually reborn, regenerated, and resurrected from the death of trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-10). This cluster consisting of nine (9) attributes are the result of supernatural infusion as a modifying element to the previously corrupt soul of every man before receiving Jesus Christ as Lord, Master, and Savior. This is why the Apostle Paul has been so rigid, fixed, and unbending in his denunciation of the Judaizing teachers of the Mosaic Law and circumcision, because Paul knows from the truth of the Word of God and from his own personal experience that no amount of rule keeping can make a man or woman bear or bring forth these character traits.
The “old nature” can only produce “dead works” (Hebrews 9:14) or the “works of the flesh” as we learned in the last study, but only the “new nature” we received when we were born again can bear fruit from the Spirit of God being in control. This is the desire of our Heavenly Father that He be Glorified through our renewed, redeemed, and resurrected lives from spiritual death through Christ Jesus our Lord. The fruit of the Spirit here has to do solely with Christian character (that produces Christian conduct Glorifying to Christ) and this is by virtue of the graces of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also produces “other fruit” through our new lives “in Christ” i.e. Romans 1:13 (When the Gospel is preached and lost souls are born again (Romans 1:16); Romans 6:22 (As sanctification increases in the life of the believer holy living is the result or fruit); Romans 15:26-28 (The desire placed in the heart to give financially to meet the needs of struggling believers in other parts of the world); Colossians 1:10 (Living in a manner that pleases our Lord Jesus Christ going about doing good as He did (Acts 10:38); Hebrews 13:15 (Offering up to our Heavenly Father thanks giving with the praise of our lips for His saving us and keeping us in His love and care daily). The cluster of fruit that God the Holy Spirit is responsible for bringing forth in the believers life can be categorized in these three (3) ways: 1) Love, Joy, and Peace are Godward fruit. 2) Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness are Mankind ward fruit. 3) Faith, Meekness, and Temperance are Self ward fruit.
Love, Joy, and Peace: Let us first acknowledge the obvious and that is that all these character traits flow out from the first one love or the Greek word agape which means a love feast for God the Father pouring back or offering up His very own love He has poured into our hearts when we were regenerated (Romans 5:5). This love or agape is not our own human manufactured love it is God’s own love (a pure untainted moral love) given to us that we would freely give it back to Him. Search out and investigate for yourselves that there is not one reference to the Greek word eros which is sensual love in the entire New Testament. Joy is the immediate result of receiving such an unexplainable or indescribable love (1 John 3:1). This English word joy is translated by the Greek word chara which means to be full of cheer or to be cheerful and to have a calm happiness or calm delight; to be like a sealed container filled with liquid under high pressure ready to burst at any and every moment (John 15:1-11). Peace is the result of the weight of sin lifted and removed “in Christ” and the assurance that nothing seen or unseen can change or reverse that truth for any of us who are truly “in Christ” having right now already eternal life (John 5:24). This English word peace is translated by the Greek word eirene and is from a primary verb which means to join in quietness, rest, or to be set at one again (Romans 5:1).
Longsuffering, Gentleness, and Goodness: Longsuffering is what God has shown and is showing to rebellious man since Adam disobeyed in the Garden of Eden. The English word is translated by the Greek word makrothumia which means forbearance or to have a long enduring temper patiently bearing continual wrongs or trouble (2 Peter 3:9). Gentleness is translated by the Greek word chrestotes which means usefulness, that is moral excellence (in character or demeanor), gracious, kind (Matthew 11:29). Goodness is the essence of who God the Father truly is and this English word is translated by the Greek word agathosune which means beautiful, morally good, valuable, and virtuous, honest, and worthy (Ephesians 5:9) as Paul prayed for the Thessalonians in this manner, “With this in view we constantly pray for you, that our God may deem {and} count you worthy of [your] calling and [His] every gracious purpose of goodness, and with power may complete in [you] every particular work of faith (faith which is that leaning of the whole human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness).” (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
Faith, Meekness, and Temperance: Faith here is translated by the Greek word pistis which means complete acceptance and persuasion of God and His Word as being the only truth; complete moral conviction of Christian truth and of the truth of God as Paul declared with these words to the Roman believers, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17). Meekness is translated by the Greek word praotes which means gentleness or by implication humility; it is strength under the control of God the Holy Spirit somewhat as a 2,000 lb horse is under the control of its human rider; it is a teachable spirit as the Apostle Peter declared with these words, “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” (1 Peter 3:4). Temperance is translated by the Greek word egkrateia which means self-control.
It is not happenstance or coincidence that the order of this cluster of fruit begins with love and ends with self-control, for only God the Holy Spirit can bring rebellious man’s spirit under the authority of Heaven. There are no Heavenly laws or man-made laws required or needed for the man or woman living under the leading control of God the Holy Spirit. Despite the reality that no laws are required to restrict, rebuke, or restrain the believer living by the direction and leading of God the Holy Spirit, the manifestation of these character qualities in the outward life of the believer does not come automatically, but instead requires the believer to conscientiously cultivate this cluster of fruit through regular prayer time with God the Father confessing sins and being cleansed (1 John 1:9), daily reading and meditating on the Word of God fully accepting it as our only authority, praise and worship to God the Father (internal and external), learning and speaking out loud the Word of God into our circumstances daily, You and I must cultivate and develop a fear (moral reverence) of the Lord Jesus Christ and be continually filled with the Holy Spirit!, and we must fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ for the “fruit of the Holy Spirit” to make continual work in our inner man or inner woman.
My own Personal Note: In the Bible, the mind of Christ and the mind of God in Christ, are made known to us fully. Our great privilege as Christians is that His Spirit reveals the mind of Christ to us. Perhaps the most important responsibility of a true disciple is growing in the knowledge of Christ. It is only through a more intimate knowledge of Christ that we can then live as true disciples should live. Throughout the New Testament, we see the Holy Spirit inspiring all the Apostles to pray for and exhort us to grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Excerpt from my Book entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”
“‘The fruit of the Spirit,’ says Paul, not the fruits, as we might more naturally have expected, and as the phrase is most often quoted; all this rich variety of graces, of conduct and character, is thought of as one. The individual members are not isolated graces, but all connected, springing from one root and constituting an organic whole. There is further to be noted that the Apostle designates the results of the Spirit as fruit, in strong and intentional contrast with the results of the flesh, the grim catalogue of which precedes the radiant list in our text. The works of the flesh have no such unity, and are not worthy of being called fruit. They are not what a man ought to bring forth, and when the great Husbandman comes, He finds no fruit there, however full of activity the life has been. We have then here an ideal of the noblest Christian character, and a distinct and profound teaching as to how to attain it.” Alexander MacLAren
“It is possible for the old nature to counterfeit some of the fruit of the Spirit, but the flesh can never produce the fruit of the Spirit. One difference is this: When the Spirit produces fruit, God gets the Glory and the Christian is not conscious of his spirituality; but when the flesh is at work, the person is inwardly proud of himself and is pleased when others compliment him. The work of the Spirit is to make us more like Christ for His Glory, not for the praise of men.” Warren Wiersbe
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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