Fruit of the Spirit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there
is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
The Bible at times likens people to fruit trees or grapevines and
portrays God as the owner of the orchards and vineyards. The Master
knows our character by our spiritual fruits, just as "a tree is known
[identified] by its fruit"—either good or bad (Matthew 12:33).
God's number one concern is for all fruit to be good—"the
fruit of righteousness" (James 3:18). In fact, Jesus warned, "Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and is thrown into the
fire" to be destroyed (Matthew 7:19).
And what is good? Only God has the supreme authority to define
good and evil. Jesus went on to say, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord,
Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will
of My Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21, emphasis added throughout).
And what is God's will for our lives? It is revealed throughout His
Word and is summarized by the two great commandments and the Ten Commandments
(Matthew 22:36-40; 19:17).
We must aim high to reach the highest goals. To produce the best fruit
requires work, time, patience and perseverance (James 5:7-11).
Fruit of the Spirit article series
Christ's
Command to Us: Bear Good Fruit and Much Fruit
Jesus Christ taught important spiritual lessons regarding the "fruit" of
our lives. What are those lessons, and how well are we applying them?
Our eternal life depends on this understanding!
God's
Spirit: The Power to Transform Your Life
Jesus Christ is cultivating supernatural "fruit" in the lives of His
disciples. To understand that miraculous effect, we must first understand
the awesome cause and ultimate source—the Spirit of God.
Love:
The Ground From Which Spiritual Fruit Springs
When God's Spirit is at work in a person, amazing things happen. The
person's whole life blossoms and bears beautiful fruit. And the most
wonderful fruit of all is the giving and receiving of true love.
Joy:
Foundation for a Positive Life
Jesus said to His disciples, "These things I have spoken to you, that
My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).
That sounds almost too good to be true! How can we experience this fullness
of joy?
Peace:
The Hunger of Human Hearts
The apostle Paul, locked in a depressing prison cell, wrote, "I have
learned in whatever state I am, to be content." He reminded his readers
that they also could have "God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding." You
too can have this unique contentment and peace!
Longsuffering:
A Fusion of Patience and Power
The popular impatiens flowers are so named from seeming to be highly
impatient! When their seed pods mature, they explode when touched, sending
seeds several yards away. See how this picture illustrates the need
for longsuffering, an important fruit of God's Spirit!
Kindness:
From the Heart to the Helping Hand
God's nature is that of incredible loving-kindness toward all people.
And He will kindly help His followers cultivate the much-needed fruit
of godly kindness.
Goodness:
God's Character and Man's Potential
The spiritual fruit of goodness enables sinful human beings to
do good and to be good—good in the truest sense of the word. Goodness,
after all, is the essence of the nature of God.
Faith
and Faithfulness: Fundamental to Relationships and Responsibilities
Do you trust God completely? So much so that you live accordingly—to
the point that He is able to trust you? When Jesus Christ returns, wouldn't
it be wonderful to hear Him say approvingly, "Well done, good and faithful
servant"?
Meekness
and Gentleness: Strength With a Tender Touch
The biblical qualities of meekness and gentleness are misunderstood
and undervalued in today's society of extremes—where all too often
people tend to angrily overreact or passively underreact.
Self-Control:
Governing Your Life by the Power of God
In this series of articles on the fruit of the Spirit, we have come
to the last of the nine virtues—self-control. Of all the things
we have to govern in this life, self is often our greatest challenge!
A
Crucial Factor in Producing Fruit: Eradicate the Weeds of Sin
Victory requires understanding the enemy. In our spiritual warfare, the enemy
is us! Raw human nature is like a field taken over by noxious weeds. We must
eradicate the weeds and replace them with God's Spirit so we can produce much
good fruit!
Abundant
Fresh Fruit: To Serve God and Share With Others
We can become like God by having His Spirit dwelling in us. As we grow spiritually,
we should see more and more evidence of that miracle—more and more "fruit
of the Spirit." And with more and more fruit, there is more and more to give
to others!
The
Perfect Example of the Fruit of the Spirit: Jesus Christ
It's vital that Christians bear fruit in their lives—the fruit
of the Spirit. What exactly does that fruit look like? In Jesus Christ
we have the perfect example of what God's Spirit should produce in our
lives!
Bible Study
- The Fruit of the Spirit
The fruit of the Spirit reflects the goodness, faithfulness and self-restraint
inherent in God's nature. If His Spirit is in us, these traits that
are the Spirit's fruit should also become fundamental characteristics
of our nature.
Transforming
Your Life: The Process of Conversion
We will examine the Bible's teaching on conversion. Contrary to what many think,
it is not just a one-time event. Instead the Scriptures reveal that it is a
process.The process begins with God's calling, followed by the key steps of
repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit—finally climaxing
with the return of Jesus Christ, when the dead in Christ are resurrected to
immortality and given eternal life. That is the ultimate transformation, being
changed from a mortal to an immortal being!
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