The expression “The Fruit of the Spirit” is taken from Galatians 5:22-23. This “Fruit” is listed as: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But before he gets to the Fruit, Paul is helping his readers learn that there is a difference between following the law and following God’s desire. Without grasping this contrast, we can’t fully understand the power of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Living according to the rules leads to stress and frustration. You end up justifying everything you’re doing to try to prove you’re doing what God wants you to do. But, allowing God to guide you through life, leads to freedom and fruitfulness.
At the beginning of Galatians 5, Paul warns the church that it’s possible to go through the motions without truly engaging with God. Our actions can be rooted in legalism rather than relying on God’s Spirit. We can force ourselves to do all the right things, follow the rules and abide by the law to justify our relationship with God. For example, we can spend 15 minutes in prayer, sing a worship song and read a chapter of God’s Word every day, but not really know and love the Lord. Paul teaches us about this reality through the example of circumcision (v 3) which was a significant deal to the Galatians.
Then, Paul proceeds to warn the Galatians that they can overemphasize their freedom in Christ as well. This is the opposite of being legalistic. Having freedom in Christ doesn’t mean we can sin all we want – which is just following our own desires for physical and emotional gratification. But Paul proclaims that we are to be loving bondservants, which means our bodies and minds belong to Christ (Galatians 5:13). Life in the Spirit means that we will not fulfill the lusts and desires of the flesh (or body).
Demonstrating the Fruit of the Holy Spirit Verse
After making this distinction, Paul identifies the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5: 19-21) as well as the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). A person who abstains from the lusts of the flesh demonstrates the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in his or her life. They will be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, dependable, gentle and self-controlled.
The attributes of God’s fruitfulness are not gifts of the Spirit. Instead, they are graces that will beautify your life while you’re living under the Holy Spirit’s control. The Fruit is the evidence you may expect when God’s Spirit reigns over you. So let’s look at those fruit a little deeper:
- “Love” is an outgoing, self-giving action. It’s not necessarily an emotion. This action was characterized by God himself when he loved the world that he gave his only Son (John 3:16).
- “Joy” is to have favor, delight or gladness. It’s deeply rooted in God’s favorable grace.
- The essence of “peace” is rooted in being joined together as a whole. Quietness and rest can only be experienced when all the essential parts are tied together.
- The word “patience” is often replaced by the words long-suffering or forbearance. Perhaps a better synonym would be long-passion. Patience is waiting a sufficient time before expressing anger. God’s character is slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness.
- “Kindness” is about meeting real needs, in God’s way, not our own. It’s about His timing and fashion. Only through His excellence can we experience such goodness and uprightness.
- “Goodness” is the translation from the Greek word that includes the idea of generosity.
- The word “faith” usually refers to trust or confidence in someone or something. However, the word can also refer to what causes trust and faith, namely faithfulness and reliability.
- “Gentleness” is often translated as mildness or meekness. But more accurately, it implies power with reserve. God has the power to do anything, yet He uses His power to restrain with a gentle Spirit.
- The final fruit listed is translated “temperance” which is the Greek word for self-control. This is having the ability to hold oneself in, to keep oneself in check. It’s significant that the Spirit is said to be the one responsible for this fruit.
Need for the Fruit of the Holy Spirit Verse
Each word depicted and proclaimed in Galatians 5:22-23 directly connects to God’s ability to fulfill the meaning. That means the Greek words specifically selected for this list are all associated with the need of the Spirit. We cannot act out of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control on our own. But, He can. Therefore, when they are in our lives, they are evidence of our willingness to rely on the Spirit. They are evidence of a Spirit-lead life. They are a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through our faith and reliance on God. Therefore, the qualities of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit prove that legalism and following the law cannot and will not produce fruitfulness. The Fruit of the Spirit cannot originate from legalism or strict obedience. They can only be present when the Holy Spirit controls our life.
