The Fruit of the Spirit
The fruit of the spirit represents attributes or characteristics of God. All nine together, act singularly and form the person of Jesus Christ. It [fruit of the Spirit] is contrasted with the deeds of the flesh – sinfulness, and unrighteousness. A dichotomy of righteousness versus sin and good versus bad.
When we’re saved, by mortifying the deeds of the flesh, we commit ourselves to the control of the Lord, then we take on His characteristics and walk in the spirit. Notwithstanding, sometimes, after we are saved, some of us go back to unrighteous living, indulging the lust of the flesh. But we cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit living unrighteously. This means we are corrupt. The Word says a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Our lives represent the tree, therefore, when we live unrighteously, we bear corrupt fruit. Stagnating our spiritual growth, separating ourselves from the Lord, and making ourselves vulnerable to spiritual warfare. Thus, we must commit to living a godly life to always bear the fruit of the Spirit, representing Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and continue to walk in the Spirit.
In this post, I will explore the nine fruit of the Spirit and their meanings, the works/deeds of the flesh, and the purpose of the fruit of the Spirit. Also, how we can develop the fruit of the Spirit and live under the control of the Holy Spirit.
As we study the book of Galatians, Chapter 5, we see that the Apostle Paul is speaking to the church of Galatia, admonishing them on how to live righteously, after receiving salvation, and “walk in the Spirit.” To embrace their salvation in Christ and never return to the sinful, unrighteous way of living.
“Stand in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Galatians 5:1
The Nine Fruit of The Spirit
The fruit of the Spirit is the nine attributes of the person of Jesus Christ. When we emulate His attributes, it is evident that we’ve renounced sin and the deeds of the flesh, and we are under the control of the Holy Spirit and are walking in the Spirit. And when we express these nine characteristics in our lives, we reflect Jesus Christ.
Love: The love that Jesus has for us is described as agape love, it’s a supernatural, spiritual love that only He possesses because He is God. He loves us so much that He sacrificed His life for us to grant us salvation and the inheritance of eternal life. And He did this although we are undeserving of it. Having said that, Jesus wants us to love one another; of course, it’s not the same type of love as He expresses. Nevertheless, He expects us to love others. He told His followers in one of His teachings, “a new commandment I give you, that you love one another.” Loving one another was so important to Him that He commanded it, it was His last commandment for us. Hence, this is His will and requirement for us.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man laid down His life for His friends.”
John 15:13
Joy: The Word says the joy of the Lord is our strength. Joyfulness is an emotion that we feel when we’re living for Christ and in His will. He never changes; therefore, we will always find joy in Him. Even when we cannot find it elsewhere. And we will always find strength in Him when we need it. Nothing can take away the joy that we can only find in Christ Jesus.
Peace: Only God can give us the peace that passes all understanding. When we put our hope and trust in Christ and rest in His power and control over our circumstances and lives, it gives us peace of mind and alleviates our worries and concerns.
Longsuffering: Sometimes it is necessary for us to wait on the Lord for Him to meet our needs. During the time of waiting, we must have patience and endure for however long we need to until God responds to us. But we must trust Him to prove His faithfulness to us. It’s important to remember, that there was a time when Jesus suffered too and didn’t hear from God right away, He had to wait. This was evident in one of His prayers when He was waiting for the Father to deliver Him. He asked God, “Father, why has Thou forsaken me?” Yet, it was God’s permissive will to let Him wait and suffer to fulfill His purpose in Jesus. He felt the pain, agony and all the negative emotions we feel today. He endured them first. So, He knows every pain and emotion we feel. But we must still wait for His timing. Sometimes we feel the same way when we must wait, that God has forsaken us; however, He uses our pain and suffering to fulfill His purposes in our lives.
Gentleness: This means that we must be tenderhearted, kind, and nice to others. Generally, when we portray positive character traits, people tend to gravitate toward us, and even mirror our attitude in our interactions with them. Therefore, when we are gentle, we get positive feedback through their responses to us. Some people deal with a lot of stress and hardships, and it shows in their attitude toward us. So, it may be difficult for them to express gentleness even if they don’t intend otherwise. It is our job as Christians to always be gentle because we never know what others are going through in their lives.
Goodness: We must act in good faith and always have good morals in our dealings with others. God shows His goodness toward us all the time. In His blessings, meeting our needs, and answering specific prayer requests. This is how we should express goodness to each other, just because it is the right and just thing to do.
Faith: Believing in Jesus and His almighty power to do the impossible for us without evidence. We must walk in the Spirit by faith. Without faith, He says, it is impossible to please Him. Having faith in Christ can make the difference between receiving healing for an illness or not. Or expecting some breakthrough in life that you depend on the Lord for. Because it takes faith to believe that when we are prayed for by Pastors, and even our own prayers and supplication, to first believe in God.
Meekness: When we are meek, we are expressing humility. Sometimes in life, we need to be humble and not proud or arrogant. Meekness is not a character trait that proud people can just adopt, it takes prayers and submission to God to become a meek person. And sometimes God creates situations in our lives to humble us. It could be the loss of a high-paying job or an illness. But if He feels that we need humility within ourselves, He will make us humble before Him.
Temperance: This is the self-control that we need in our lives to keep our attitudes, behaviours, and negative emotions in check. Without self-control, we can make the wrong decisions based on those negative emotions. Likewise, lacking self-control can make a substantial difference in our lives and can prove detrimental to us depending on how we handle situations. We need to ask the Lord for wisdom to make the right decisions in our lives and take control of circumstances in appropriate ways.
The Works of the Flesh
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murder, drunkenness and reveling. They which do such things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:19-21
The Apostle Paul teaches us that those who partake in the works of the flesh, will not inherit the kingdom of God. Works of the flesh contradict the fruit of the Spirit and God’s Word. Works of the flesh are of the devil, all are sinful in nature and operate in a fallen, immoral world. A world that Christians are not a part of but live in temporarily. Therefore, we must only engage in things that will honour and glorify the Lord and ensure our inheritance of the kingdom of God. It says in the Word, “by their fruit you shall know them.” Therefore, we bear fruit according to the life we live.
Moreover, when we engage in the works of the flesh, we allow spiritual warfare to enter our lives in the form of sickness and diseases, without even knowing it. As Christians, serving the Lord and engaging in the world, is a paradox that will only keep us in spiritual conflict within ourselves. When we fulfill the lust of the flesh, we separate ourselves from God, hinder our spiritual growth, block our blessings, and prevent our healing when we get sick. This causes us to lack faith and trust in God. Besides, if we profess to love God, we will not want to fulfill the desires of the flesh and the things of the world. Instead, we would be about His business, only engaging in things that will move us forward spiritually and keep us walking in the Spirit.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
1 John 2:15
What is the Purpose of the Fruit of the Spirit?
“Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Titus 2:12-13
The purpose of the fruit of the spirit is to teach us how to live godly and righteously, enabling God’s Holy Spirit to dwell in us. God’s attributes are what Christians should strive to emulate to be like Him and represent Him in this life. This will show others that Jesus Christ is real, and His power is real and unchanging. With our own flawed and imperfect characteristics and our weaknesses and pride, there’s no way we can change into better human beings of our own free will, nor our own strength.
How to Develop the Fruit of the Spirit
Primarily, to develop the fruit of the Spirit, we must live in daily surrender to Christ. By daily surrender, we must pray daily, giving our hearts in surrender to Him to control and abstain from sin and unrighteous living. It is understood that we must first receive salvation from Christ. Then we begin to develop the fruit of the Spirit. Attempting to do good and live godly and righteous lives, in this immoral, sinful world, will definitely require the Lord’s help. Letting go of unpleasant habits and unsavoury characteristics, ingrained in us for so long, is not easy for us to do ourselves. When we commit to righteous living, the Lord will help us because this is His will for us, and it pleases Him because we’re doing it for His glory.
Next, it will benefit us to study the nine fruit of the Spirit individually and understand what each means and see if we manifest them in our everyday lives. By having an awareness of our social interactions and how we go through life in general and handle challenging circumstances, we will determine what attributes are detrimental to us as Christians. For instance, when you encounter disappointments in your life, how do you react? Do you get angry and lose self-control, or do you accept it with grace and humility and take it to the Lord in prayer for Him to work things out for you? Taking inventory of our lives this way helps us to evaluate areas that need improving and help us develop God’s good characteristics.
In addition, by reading and studying the Word, we get great insights into who our Lord and Saviour is. Our sovereign God. We learn more about Him, His character, His goodness, mercy, and all the things He loves and hates. The Word shows us how to be good and just and it is the standard by which we must live as Christians. Encouraging us to always check ourselves and ensure we are measuring up and aligning with His Word.
“He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee? But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”
Micah 6:8
Living Under Control of the Holy Spirit Enables Us to Manifest the Fruit of the Spirit
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:24-25
Paul tells the Galatians to walk in the spirit as they have “crucified the flesh,” by renouncing their previously sinful lives and accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Thus, when we renounce the world and sin and submit our hearts and lives to Christ, we live under the control of His Holy Spirit, and therefore, walk in the Spirit. In addition, living under the control of the Holy Spirit enables us to manifest the fruit of the Spirit. It proves that we live righteously and have developed God’s character as. When we are led by the Spirit, manifesting the fruit, He comes into our hearts and dwells and our spirit connects with His Holy Spirit. Then He works in us and through us to perfect all that concerns us in life.
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
Romans 8:16
Moreover, after we adopt the characteristics of Christ, we begin to see things through His eyes and handle our situations based on how He, through His wisdom, would want us to handle them. He reveals things to us. We begin to love the things He loves and hates the things He hates. We gladly live in His will and obey His Word, including, His last commandment: “love one another.” By loving one another, we forgive them of wrongdoing against us, and we avail ourselves to those who come to us for help in their time of need. Bearing each other’s burdens, we sincerely care about their circumstances and pray for them in their distress. Taking up the characteristics of Christ, when we sin against Him, we quickly confess and repent. Also, we handle life’s challenges with grace and humility, and faith to overcome.
As a consequence, if you are not espousing the fruit of the Spirit, nor walking in the Spirit, and your life is not aligning with God’s Word, you are not living under the control of the Holy Spirit. Remember, by their fruit, you shall know them. If you’re not bearing good fruit, you must be bearing bad fruit. Only one or the other, no in-between. In this case, you must be honest with yourself and acknowledge that you are living unrighteously, seeking after the flesh. The Word says that going back to a sinful life is like a dog going back to its vomit – disgusting! Once you begin to feed that part of you again, that carnality, it will want more. You will continue to indulge the flesh and become a prisoner to it.
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh…So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Romans 8:5;8
Further, having one foot in the world while serving God, cannot work. That concept is a contradiction that serves no good purpose to you. Good and evil conflict with each other. Righteousness and sin conflict with each other. If you attempt to live your Christian lifestyle this way, there will always be a conflict within you because you will always feed one part of you more than the other. We all have good and bad in us; and because we were born in sin, we will always have sinful propensities in us. And if we do not walk in the Spirit, and resist temptations, we leave ourselves vulnerable for the sinful part to overtake us. And give the good part of us which represents God the bare minimum of what He deserves from us. Remember though if you live unrighteously will not inherit the kingdom of God. And if you love the world and the things of the world, then the love of the Father is not in you.
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived.”
1 Corinthians 1:9
To conclude, the nine fruit of the Spirit represents God’s attributes, His characteristics that act singularly, and makes Him who He is. It teaches us how to live godly and righteously, enabling the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. When the fruit of the Spirit resides in us, we learn how to become better human beings and Christians. Emulating His ways, we handle our relationships with others and life’s circumstances based on how He would want us to handle them according to His Word.
Finally, the fruit of the Spirit evident in us proves that we have given our hearts and lives over to the control of the Holy Spirit. It means that we have died to our old sinful habits and characteristics that don’t serve us right, that we have mortified the deeds of the flesh and are now walking in the Spirit. When we choose to live under the control of the Holy Spirit, there is no more conflict within us. Choosing righteousness over sin, allows us to inherit the kingdom of God. Living in His will gives us peace and joy because we can rest in the power, control, and authority He has over our lives.