Walk In The Spirit 3: The Spirit's Fruit

Hello people. How was your weekend? Hope it was a very restful one. It is a brand new week and it is a fresh opportunity to walk in the glory of God’s grace.

We have been considering the sharp contrast between life in the flesh and life in the Spirit and we now arrive at Galatians 5:22 & 23 in this exciting journey:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” English Standard Version

These verses contain a list of godly attributes that characterize people who possess God’s Spirit. These characteristics are inextricably linked with each other and God’s people are energized by His Spirit to exhibit these qualities. A careful look at each of them reveals that the essential nature of the fruit of the Spirit is the reproduction of the life of Christ in the believer because Jesus Christ (while on earth) epitomized each of the attributes listed.

Permit me to say a little about each of them:

• Love: not an emotional affection, physical attraction, or a familial bond, but respect, devotion and affection that leads to willing self-sacrificial service. Love heads this list of virtues because it is the stark opposite of the self-centredness of most of the items on the list of the works of the flesh.
• Joy: happiness based on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities. It is the sense of well-being experienced by someone who knows that all is well between himself and God (1^st Peter 1:8). It is not a result of favourable circumstances (1^st Thessalonians 5:16, Philippians 4:4). Rather it defies the circumstances.
• Peace: in the context of an individual, it refers to an inner calm and unblended tranquility that results from confidence in one’s relationship with Christ (Romans 5:1). It denotes “binding together” or a wholeness not dependent on external circumstances. In a community context, it means the cessation of hostilities- the end of all fights and strife.
• Patience: also termed longsuffering or forbearance. It is the ability to endure injuries afflicted by others, a willingness to accept painful or irritating situations and a positive endurance with unchanging devotion to God and His ways (Ephesians 4:2).
• Kindness: tender concern for others and an active pursuance of their good.
• Goodness: closely linked to kindness. It describes an attribute of moral and spiritual excellence that is manifested in active kindness.
• Faithfulness: loyalty and trustworthiness and faithfully living out our trust in God.
• Gentleness: meekness. A humble and gentle attitude that is patiently submissive in every offense with no desire for revenge or retribution. It manifests as submission to God’s will and teachability (Colossians 3:12, James 1:21).
• Self-control: restraining of passions and appetites. The self discipline of an athlete (1^st Corinthians 9:25).

Just like the list of the works of the flesh, this list is not exhaustive but representational. The ending phrase of verse 23 shows that: “…against such things there is no law.” Colossians 3:12 mentions compassion, humility and forgiveness which are not directly mentioned in this list in Galatians but are implied because like I pointed out earlier, all these attributes are inextricably linked. In fact, 1^st Corinthians 13:4-8 pictures most of these attributes as qualities of love. 

It is imperative to add that unlike the gifts of the Spirit in which each individual believer only has a sub-set of the entire range of gifts according to God’s sovereign will and purpose (see Romans 12:6-8, 1^st Corinthians 12: 28-30, Ephesians 4:11, 1^stPeter 4:10 & 11), the fruit of the Spirit is to be displayed by ALL believers in Christ. In fact, Galatians 5:22 uses the singular term “fruit” and not plural “fruits” and the intention is to illustrate that every believer in Christ should manifest all these characteristics and not just one of them or a few of them.

The Spirit of God bears fruit in our individual lives. If people are to see what heaven is like, they should see it now in the way we as heavenly citizens live our lives together here on earth. What will they see in you? The works of the flesh or the life of Christ? I am not referring to natural dispositions we were born with or family values that we imbibed as we grew up. I am referring to the product of the power of the Spirit of God in our lives.

Remember that for those who belong to Christ Jesus, the flesh with its passions, lusts and desires are crucified (verse 24). If the flesh then is crucified already, why shouldn’t we live in step with the Spirit? Don’t hold on to your old self anymore; let the Spirit have His way not only today or this week, but all through your days. As we yield to His control, depending on His power, we will see visible manifestations of His presence as He produces these godly attributes in our lives in an ever increasing fashion.

My song for the week is “Thrive” by Casting Crowns. Just as the song says, God did not call us to live ordinary lives. We were made to thrive and allowing the Holy Spirit to bear His fruit in our lives is one aspect of thriving in God!

I look forward to sharing more with you on Vignettes of Grace, remember you can always share these posts with your friends and family. Have a lovely day and a beautiful week. 

"Thrive" by Casting Crowns