The Fruit of the Spirit

| BY SEAN CAVENDER |

Paul uses a powerful agricultural metaphor in the letter to the Galatians. He refers to “sowing and reaping” to the Spirit in Galatians 6:8. In keeping with the agricultural metaphor in Galatians 5:22-23, he refers to the “fruit” of the Spirit. 

Agricultural metaphors are commonly used throughout the Scriptures. Jesus and the apostles all used similar descriptions. A seed is typically used to describe God’s word (Mark 4:3-4, 14; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9). In Galatians, Paul states that when the Galatian Christians were first converted to Christ, they did so through the hearing of the gospel (Galatians 3:2, 5) and they were obedient to the truth (Galatians 5:7). They “received the Spirit” (Galatians 3:2) when they heard the gospel and obeyed the truth. Therefore, when Paul speaks about sowing and reaping of the Spirit (Galatians 6:8), he refers to the conversion to Christ along with the moral transformation that accompanies that conversion. Paul continues to use the metaphor of “fruit” to describe that moral transformation that Christians undergo. 

Paul admonishes Christians to live and walk by the Spirit and to oppose the appetites of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-26). He lists several things that are in opposition to walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:17-21). The fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of the gospel’s transformation in our lives. It proves our justification and that Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). 

The fruit of the Spirit is…

• Love – the Christian’s life is to be centered around a love for God and a love for neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). A person who has not submitted themselves to keeping God’s commandments does not genuinely love the Lord (John 14:15). 
• Joy – a Christian can find plenty of reasons to have joy in their life, even when things are not always easy. Paul rejoiced even while he was imprisoned (Philippians 1:18). Salvation from God is a beautiful gift that causes us to have a genuine joy (Acts 8:39).
• Peace – before we were justified and sanctified, we were enemies with God (Romans 5:10). Yet, God loved us in spite of ourselves and our sin. He sent His Son to die for us so that we could have peace and reconciliation with Him (Romans 5:1). 
• Patience – Christians must learn the virtue of patience in dealing with others. If we can be slow to anger then it will help us avoid temptations to backbite, grumble, and complain (Galatians 5:15; Philippians 2:14). Good things come to those who wait. Particularly, the ultimate and final home with God. We must learn patience if we are to survive this world (James 5:7-11). 
• Kindness – while many people like to think of themselves as being kind, we have examples of extraordinary kindness. People like Tabitha, who were selfless and befriended people who are sometimes forgotten, like widows (Acts 9:36-39). 
• Goodness – goodness is a generic word used to describe what is ethically good. Paul often admonished congregations to be good (2 Thessalonians 1:11; Romans 15:14). God will commend those who are good and faithful (Matthew 25:21, 23). 
• Faithfulness – we ought to demonstrate faith, fidelity, and allegiance to God. Faithfulness should be evident in being loyal workers in the kingdom (Matthew 25:21, 23), honest people who keep our word (James 5:12), and who keep their confidence in Christ firm until the end since God is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). 
• Gentleness – Christians must learn the characteristic of gentleness. This does not mean we cannot be firm or take a strong stand for the truth. However, gentleness means that when we must take a strong stand, we will do so in a humble way (Galatians 6:1). 
• Self-control – of all the virtues that the Spirit is to produce in our lives, perhaps this is the most challenging. With self-control, we will learn to avoid giving in to the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:17-21), we will learn to resist the devil while submitting to God’s rule in our lives (James 4:7). 

If you are a child of God, the fruit of the Spirit ought to be evident and seen in your life. Some of these characteristics might even be found in your neighbor who is not a Christian — someone who is a “good, moral person” — someone like Cornelius (Acts 10:2). While they might display some of the good qualities that we would expect from someone who has been transformed by the law of the Spirit, this ought to remind us that all of us have been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). These virtues — even when practiced by people who have never obeyed the gospel — remind us that we are all capable of repenting and obeying the gospel, which then allows God to transform us into a new creation. 

Nevertheless, the fruit of the Spirit must be found in each and every Christian. If we expect to reap from the Spirit eternal life, we need to be busy producing the fruit of the Spirit in our relationships with God, within the church, and our neighbors.