Galatians 5:22-23 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Fruit results from growth which relies on the right conditions. Paul’s image of the fruit of the Spirit draws many of his key ideas together. There is no imperative (command) in these verses. This is more descriptive of what happens as a result of walking in obedience to the Holy Spirit (vv. 16, 24). Producing fruit is the goal of many plants. It is in the fruit where the seeds are developed, which leads to the next generation of the plant. Likewise, bearing this spiritual fruit should be the goal of believers. This fruit results from the transformation of the Holy Spirit who guides our development and helps us to shift our focus from self and the flesh to living by faith in Christ. Many of these fruit are what people seek after when they follow the “works of the flesh.” The problem is that instead of finding these fruit, they find cheap imitations that often lead to heartache and pain. The genuine fruit bring satisfaction to our deep longings and needs. Blessings await those who experience the work of the Holy Spirit.
Love as the first fruit listed is primary and sets the direction for all the others. All the other fruit are reflections of love worked out in relationships with God, others, and self. Love is the result of when we follow the Spirit’s guidance. Love is one of the primary characteristics of God in the Bible (1 John 4:8). Since we have been created in God’s image, we should expect, therefore, that God’s Spirit will grow this within us. This is at the heart of Christlikeness.
Joy is a deep sense of well-being, that all is well. Many times, it is connected to happiness as an emotion. Christian joy is often expressed in praise and song. Joy is not dependent upon what is provided in this world, because things of this world can quickly be taken away but our joy is eternal. Each of the fruit of the Spirit are deep needs and longings of humans. People just seek them in the wrong places and wrong ways.
Peace is closely related to joy in that it results when things are going well. Outward peace can bring joy, and joy can bring inward peace. The peace of a believer comes from the God of peace, therefore it is not dependent upon any outward condition. God may grace us peaceful situations in which we can experience calmness, but there are times when our situation is not peaceful and God wills till give us inner peace. God gives peace through the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
Patience is an important quality in relationships that comes the peace that God gives. A person who is peaceful is also patient. Patience is supported by forgiveness. People will wrong us and also go against our thoughts and plans. This creates friction between us and them. If this friction is not resolved with the peace of God, it may explore into anger or cause a person to act harshly to another person. Patience brings stronger relationships and healing of the brokenness of which many people suffer..
Kindness is closely related to patience. A patient person acts in kindness. Kindness can be passive, in not acting out in harshness, or active, it doing acts of compassion or generosity. We often experience kindness through good manners, but it goes deeper than learned cultural traits. It comes from a changed heart that has learned how to express love in ways that benefit others.
Goodness is a quality that acts in positive ways that helps others. Goodness has a moral sense to it that imitates God’s response to our needs. Goodness puts the needs of others ahead of oneself. In the flesh, we seek to please self, usually resulting in some expression of sin. By seeking the goodness of others, we lift them up and find ways to do something useful and beneficial to them.
Faithfulness comes by learning to trust in God and God’s promises in Jesus Christ. It is the essential quality of a Christian. Our faith grows over time. Tests and trials especially help faith grow because we realize that we cannot always find the answers within ourselves or the world. We see that there is a greater resource in God, for both spiritual and physical needs. When we are faithful to God, we will be faithful to others. The result is integrity and reliability in word and deed.
Gentleness is a word particularly for relationships. It can be translated also as humility. It takes humility to be gentle because of the way we fight for our rights and jockey for positions of honor and authority. Humility brings gentleness by seeing others not as objects to be used but as treasures entrusted from God to help build up and become like Jesus. Every person we meet is a potential disciple. Our gentleness will draw people to Jesus. Our pride and selfishness will push them away.
Self-control is show by keeping our emotions and responses appropriate for the situation. An out-of-control person follows the way of feelings, usually what feels good or benefits the person. A lack of control can lead to other responses, like anger and rivalry. Self-control comes as a result of crucifying the old self and allowing the Holy Spirit to grow within us a new identity. This will become evident in other fruits like patience, kindness, and gentleness. Self-control is a broad and inclusive fruit that is one of the most evident signs of a deeper peace that comes as we walk with the Spirit.
Paul ends his list by connecting the fruit to God’s law. These fruit will be the evidence of the obedience of faith. Evidence of these in a person’s life will prove that he or she is a believer. God’s law is not against these but points to them. When people have these in their lives, they will be fulfilling God’s laws. Rituals like circumcision or special holidays will not bring the kind of change that the power of the Holy Spirit will bring.
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