The Fruit of the Spirit Explained: What Does It Mean to Live by the Spirit?
Introduction
What is a life that is transformed by God?
In Paul's letter to the Galatians, the Bible provides us with a beautiful answer.
Now the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
Galatians 5:22–23, KJV
These are called the Fruit of the Spirit.
They speak of something that the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer.
Notice that Paul doesn't say "the fruits of the Spirit.
He says that they are “fruit.”
The nine qualities are to be thought of as a portrait of a transformed life.
The Christian life is more than just learning more Bible verses, going to church, or refraining from doing some things.
It has to do with growing in Christ.
And the Fruit of the Spirit reveals what that transformation looks like.
The Fruit of the Spirit: What Is It?
The Fruit of the Spirit is the outward expression of what the Holy Spirit is doing in the believer.
Paul is comparing this fruit to the works of the flesh that he described in Galatians 5.Paul is comparing this fruit with the works of the flesh that he mentioned earlier in Galatians 5.
The flesh produces things such as:
Hatred
Envy
Jealousy
Anger
Division
Selfishness
Immorality
However, the Spirit brings forth:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
The contrast is key.
There are two lifestyles that Paul is demonstrating.
One is controlled by sinful desires.
The latter is more and more filled with the Holy Spirit.
Why is Paul using the term "fruit" for callings and gifts?
Fruit is something that grows.
There is no way to just walk into a garden and give a tree an order:
"Produce fruit immediately!"
As the tree grows and is attached to its living source, the fruit grows.
Jesus used a similar illustration when He said:
As I said, I am the vine, ye are the branches.
John 15:5
A branch won't bear fruit if it's trying to fight on its own.
It stays attached to the vines.
Similarly, spiritual fruit will be born as believers stay in union with Christ and live in the direction of the Holy Spirit.
1. Love
Love is the first quality Paul mentions.
Biblical love is much deeper than emotion.
It is a commitment to look for the good of another person.
Jesus gave the summaries of God's commandments in terms of love for God and love for neighbor.
Even towards some difficult people, Christian love can be shown.
It forgives.
It serves.
It sacrifices.
It tells the truth.
It's not all about what others do to us.
Ask Yourself
Am I bringing the love of Christ to others through my life?
2. Joy
Biblical joy is not the same as a passing sense of happiness.
Things can be a source of happiness.
When there are difficulties, the base of joy is God.
Paul wrote this about joy in the midst of great tribulation.
The joy of the Christian is that God is faithful despite all circumstances.
It is not saying that suffering is not painful.
It is a belief that suffering has no final say.
Ask Yourself
Are there still times I can hold out on my ability to glorify God when things are hard?
3. Peace
Peace is more than the absence of problems.
It's faith in God despite difficulties.
Jesus said to His disciples:
My peace I give unto you; my peace I leave with you: not as the world gives, I give unto you.
John 14:27
Peace is seeming to be defined by the world as being everything under control.
The biblical definition of peace is to trust the One in control.
Ask Yourself
In what areas am I attempting to control something that I need to surrender to God?
4. Longsuffering
The meaning of the word longsuffering is patience, particularly in regard to hard persons and hard situations.
It's not reacting immediately to anyone who upsets or hurts us.
God is patient, longsuffering.
The Holy Spirit helps us to grow in patience toward others as He works in us.
Ask Yourself
What to do when someone continually fails to live up to your expectations?
5. Gentleness
To be gentle is not to be weak.
It is power that is disciplined.
The gentle person can be authoritative, but not harsh.
Jesus said that He was:
In meekness and lowliness of heart.
Matthew 11:29
Gentleness transforms our correction, disagreement and response to criticism.
Ask Yourself
Am I being a blessing or a threat?
6. Goodness
Goodness is taking a positive effort to do what is morally good and beneficial.
It's not just about not doing bad things.
It is synonymous with good action.
Helping someone.
Speaking up for the good thing.
Serving others.
Showing generosity.
Living an upright life in the absence of others.
Ask Yourself
Am I actively looking for opportunities to do good?
7. Faith
The Greek term that is translated as "faith" can also mean "faithfulness.
This is a reference to reliability, trustworthiness and steady.
A true person abides in faiths.
They remain dependable.
They keep on the path of God even in difficult times.
Faithfulness is shown over the long term.
Ask Yourself
Am I to be trusted?
8. Meekness
There is often a misunderstanding about what meekness means.
It does not mean that people can abuse us, that we are weak, or that we are coward.
Biblical meekness is a combination of humility and strong control.
A gentle person doesn't have to take over all the discussions.
They need not prove themselves continually.
They are ready to listen, to learn, to forgive and to be led by God.
Ask Yourself
Is it important that I have to win all my arguments or am I willing to walk in humility?
9. Temperance
Temperance means self-control.
It is the power to direct our desires and not let our desires direct us.
Self-control applies to:
Anger
Speech
Sexual desires
Money
Food
Entertainment
Technology
Ambition
Social media
Christian liberty does not allow us to do whatever we want.
It implies the freedom from the control of our desires.
Ask Yourself
What has the greatest control over my choices?
A Fruit is a Picture of Jesus
An awesome way to get a grasp of the Fruit of the Spirit is through Jesus.
Jesus demonstrated:
Love toward sinners.
Joy in the midst of suffering.
Peace during storms.
Patience towards His disciples.
Mildness towards the fractured.
Kindness towards the needy.
Faithfulness to the Father.
Divine authority and yet meekness.
Self-control during temptation.
The purpose of the Christian life is not just to commit to memory Galatians 5:22-23.
It should become more and more like Christ.
Fruit Takes Time
It does not take a tree one day to grow the fruit it is going to bear.
But spiritual transformation does not occur in an instant.
However, some Christians will be frustrated when they continue to be unable to overcome anger, impatience, fear or temptation.
Growth takes time.
If you've ever encountered a situation where you ask yourself,
"Am I perfect?"
What about:
"Am I growing?"
As believers walk with Christ, the Holy Spirit will transform the lives of believers little by little.
The fruit of the Spirit vs. Spiritual Gifts
Fruit of the Spirit is not to be confused with the gifts of the Spirit.
Spiritual gifts are the gifts that God gives to us to help us to serve others and to help the church grow.
The Fruit of the Spirit is used for character.
One may be a wonderful person with poor character.
God is interested in our gifts and in our character.
Talent should never be sacrificed for character.
How Can We Grow in the Fruit of the Spirit?
1.Maintain a relationship with Christ.
Jesus said:
“Remain in me and I will remain in you.”
John 15:4
Spiritual fruit is the result of a relationship with Christ.
2.To be led by the Spirit.
Paul says:
Therefore, I say to you, "Walk in the Spirit, and you will never do the things of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16
The Spirit's walk is a surrendering of our thoughts, choices, desires, and actions to God, over and over again.
3. Study Scripture
God's character and the way that we are to live are revealed in the Bible.
The greater our knowledge of God's Word, the more clearly we see what Spirit-led living is.
4. Pray
Prayer makes us rely on God and not on ourselves.
Please pray for God to build you up in your weaknesses.
5. Do What God Teaches
To grow spiritually, one must be obedient.
It does not help to know the importance of patience if we don't possess even more patience.It is not enough to know that patience is important if we don't have even more patience.
Patience comes as a result of things that we have to wait for.
At what cost do we fail?
All of the believers will perish.
We're going to have times we lose our cool.
The times we are being selfish.
The times we are not patient.
This is not a time for us to give up.
It is repentance.
Confess your failure.
Ask God for forgiveness.
Learn from it.
Get back up.
Walk in the Light of Christ.
Failure is not the sign of a lack of spiritual maturity.
It is learning to go back to God when we have made mistakes.
A simple test to see if you are a child of the Spirit;
Take a moment and honestly examine your life.
Love
Am I really concerned about others?
Joy
Is it possible to be positive in a challenging situation?
Peace
Can I have faith in God when things aren't in my control?
Patience
What do you do with hard people?
Gentleness
Do my words make people feel safe or threatened?
Goodness
Am I proactively seeking ways to support?
Faithfulness
Do you believe me?
Meekness
May I humble myself when I am in error?
Self-Control
Is it possible to deny myself?
These questions are not condemning questions.
They're a call to development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Bible refer to "fruit" and not "fruits"?
The nine qualities are listed in a single line to give a picture of Spirit-produced character.
Is it true all Christians have the Fruits of the Spirit?
The Holy Spirit does His work in the believer(s) in order to bear spiritual fruit, but the degree of maturity and the expression of fruit may differ as they grow.
Am I the fruit of the Spirit or do I have to do something to be it?
The Christian life is an active obedience but the fruit of that obedience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
When does spiritual fruit come?
There's no set schedule.
Spiritual development is an ongoing journey.
Reflection
The Fruit of the Spirit is not a list for us to use to make ourselves look religious.
It is a picture of a life being changed by God.
The question is simply:
How many verses of the Bible can I name?
It is:
Am I getting to be more like Jesus?
Is there love in the world increasing?
More patient?
More peaceful?
More faithful?
More gentle?
More self-controlled?
Sometimes the work of the Holy Spirit is hard to trace day by day, and is often slow to show.
Eventually, however, the fruit shows up.
As a life is united with Christ, it should become more like Christ.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You, Lord, for your gift of the Holy Spirit. Transform my life so that it is characterized by Jesus, in me. Grow Your fruit in me—love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. Help me not to be religious on the outside, but to be Christ-like on the inside.
If I fail, teach me to repent and to go on walking with You. As I grow, make me humble. Let the fruit of my life become a blessing to the people around me and bring glory to Your name.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
