Galatians 5:22-23 Podcast
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
In today's text we are given the “fruit of the Spirit.” The Apostle uses the words "fruit of the Spirit" so that we would not mistake who produces these godly qualities. These are not our production; these are His fruit. These are what we realize when we walk by the Spirit. This is the Spirit’s initiative and enablement to realize the expression of God’s culture in our lives in the here and now.
The first three fruits are habits of the mind.
The first fruit is love, agape in the Greek. This love is a sacrificial choice to meet the needs of another expecting nothing in return. It is motivated by our will, not by feeling or emotion.
You will remember that in v.13-14, Paul elaborated on this characteristic where he wrote, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself."
The second fruit is joy which is a deep seated gladness regardless of our circumstances. It is a deep and abiding inner condition. In Nehemiah 8:10 that the joy of the LORD is our strength.
The third fruit is peace which is an inner rest or quietness even in the face of bad circumstances.
The next three fruits are attitudes toward others.
The Greek word used for Forebearance can be translated patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, slowness in avenging wrongs.
The Greek word for kindness is translated, goodness, good, and gentleness. It portrays the idea of moral goodness, integrity, or kindness.
The Greek word used for goodness describes active goodness or virtue.
It is the quality of a person who is ruled by and aims at what is good.
The last three fruits are graces that guide our actions.
Faithfulness is fidelity rather than an act of faith. It also means confidence in God and in all His promises even when circumstances turn against us.
Gentleness means meekness or controlled power. It denotes a submissiveness to God and tenderness toward others under our influence.
Self-control is temperance or controlled passions.
Have you ever wondered why the Holy Spirit is always symbolized as a Dove in the scriptures?
A dove has 9 main feathers on each wing, empowering its’ flight. There are 9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:7-10) and 9 Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)… 9 for each wing. The Gifts and Fruit keep us lifted for our Godly journey.
The dove is unique from other birds in that instead of its wings pointing downward (toward its tail); the wings curl upward toward its head. The Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself, but points believers to Christ.
Life lived in the flesh even under the law produces the works of the flesh. Life lived in the Spirit realizes the fruits of the Spirit. God gave us these qualities through the Holy Spirit because we can not produce them. And, when we grow in our fellowship with the Father and the Lord Jesus, we will realize the expression of these fruits in our lives.
This is why the Lord Jesus said, "Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The rest of which He speaks is the life that He produces in and through our yielded lives.
