The Fruit of the Spirit

Paul, at this point in his letter to the church in Galatia, contrasts a life that gratifies the desires of the flesh with a life spent walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26). He shows how these two pathways manifest themselves, particularly in the life of a believer. The apostle understands that the Christian church members in Galatia have not yet experienced total victory over the vices that gratify the desires of the flesh. And, of course, this is also the condition of the Christian church today, which is why this passage applies to members of the body of Christ in the twenty-first century.

THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH

The apostle Paul uses the word “flesh” in a narrow sense when comparing it to the Holy Spirit. In this passage, Paul uses the word “flesh” to mean the sinful, corrupt human nature, mind, and soul of the “old self” (Eph. 4:22). He refers to their depraved condition before their regeneration by God through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit. Satan dominates the old self Paul mentions and is the condition of the soul that makes the individual incapable of not sinning.

Even after a person is regenerated (See John chpt. 3) and converted to belief in Christ, the believer still carries within their soul a trace of the fleshly corrupt nature that all believers must fight with the assistance of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Christ dominates the believer as Lord and master of their life. Nevertheless, they still have to battle Satan and his evil influence over the remnant of the old self that remains.

In this passage, Paul lists certain vices that afflict Christians. The vices Paul listed have in common that they are acts that go against God’s will. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, but Paul felt these fifteen vices needed to be mentioned. Of course, this is not the only time Paul has presented similar lists (Rom. 1:28-30, 13:13; 1 Cor. 5:11; etc.).

Paul says walking in the Spirit avoids all these vices. He also gave a warning to the Galatians when he wrote that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (v. 21). The works of the flesh, such as those Paul listed here, are wrong and are acts in opposition to God’s will, and committing these vices, as the apostle wrote, will bar the wrongdoer from entrance to the kingdom of heaven.

Anyone who continues to commit one or more of these sinful acts and the like cannot expect to be one of God’s children. A person who has expressed belief in Christ but continues in these vices is not walking in the Spirit and obeying God. Paul clarifies that they are not members of the body of Christ. So, when a person makes a true profession of faith in Christ, they will not continue in a life of sin in the old self.

However, this does not mean that a person who has made a valid profession of faith regarding their belief in Christ Jesus will never sin. The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians in chapter 3, verses 1-11, about the believer’s goal of seeking the righteousness of Christ through faith (C.f., Matt. 5:6). He followed this section of his letter by urging believers to be “straining forward” towards this goal. Paul admits that he has not obtained the righteousness of Christ or the perfection that Jesus commanded believers to attain (Matt. 5:48). He acknowledges that he cannot do this on his own, but he presses on in Christ. The believer should always focus on the goal and utilize the indwelling Holy Spirit and the revealed word of God in their sanctifying journey through life so they may develop the character that reflects God’s character in us.

When we, on occasion, stumble in sin, we must ask God’s forgiveness to continue our fellowship with God (1 John 5-10). But remember, if a person who is a professed Christian leads a life in sin as an ordinary state of affairs, then this person’s character does not reflect the character of God. Therefore, they should reconsider the validity of their profession of faith.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Paul used the fruit metaphor to describe the behavior and character manifested in each believer through their walk in the Spirit. These nine qualities of a Christian that Paul writes of are the qualities produced by the Holy Spirit in the soul of each believer (Rom. 6:22; Phil. 1:11). “Jesus promised that believers who draw life from Him, as branches united to the vine, will bear fruit that glorifies His Father (John 15:1-8).”[1]

The apostle Paul wrote this way to the Galatian church about the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26

We should note that in verse 22, Paul refers to these qualities as the “fruit” of the Spirit. He uses the singular form of fruit because the fruit here is not a selection of fruits or qualities one believer possesses; another Christian has another as it is with the gifts of the spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-11). The fruit of the Spirit refers to those characteristics that must be found in all believers. All these qualities must be found in every faithful Christian.

Love

The Greek language uses three words to express “love,” namely phileo, eros, and agape. However, the New Testament, written in Greek, uses only two words: phileo and agape.

Phileo is used to refer to the affection among friends, the so-called “brotherly love” (E.g., Philadelphia; phallos [love] and adolphos [brother]). Eros refers to a sort of erotic love found in romantic relationships. Phileo and eros describe passive emotional feelings toward one another. They are not volitional actions but affections that come upon us (e.g., we fall in love). These two kinds of love are found in all humans and have to do with a person’s self-interest.

The Agape (Gr. ἀγάπη) love that is recorded in Galatians 5:22 and elsewhere in Scripture refers to a completely different kind of love. Agape is an active and selfless affection motivated by care and concern for others. It is a characteristic not found in all people. This kind of love arises from the soul of the individual. Agape love is the preeminent fruit of the spirit and reflects the character of God in the believer’s character. Paul describes this sort of love in 1 Corinthians 13.

Where phileo and eros can be unstable and erratic feelings and emotions that can change, agape is the kind of love that God has for us. It is not a mere self-interested emotional attachment but an active love that is a steadfast, faithful, and enduring commitment to the concern and care of others and how we respond to them.

Joy

The secular joy of the world is that emotion arising out of a feeling of well-being, good fortune, happiness, or pleasure. A joy like this, which comes from circumstances in a person’s life, is produced by something people desire and makes them happy.

However, the joy mentioned as one of the elements of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 is a joy that comes from the grace of God (Rom. 15:13). It is an internal joy from God rather than a joy arising from a believer’s circumstances. This gracious joy that is an element of the fruit of the Spirit may occur in trying times as well as happy times and events (Rom. 12:15; 2 Cor. 7:4, 8:2; Heb. 10:34, 12:2).

Joy from God is an inner gladness and satisfaction of assurance and confidence in one’s soul that follows either tribulation or blessing where the grace and glory of God prevail.

Peace

In general, we could define peace in the secular world as a state of tranquility without strife. This kind of peace often involves avoiding conflict. But that is not entirely what the Scripture is referring to here in v.22. Paul uses the word peace not merely as the absence of strife but as the presence of God’s blessings.

Peace as an element of the fruit of the Spirit is a natural product of love (Ps. 119:165). As used here, peace is a condition of harmony that the believer has with God and others, resulting in a relationship of well-being under the blessings of God.

In this passage, peace is used as more than a feeling or attitude. It is the inner contentment and quiet confidence drawn from God’s character that is unaffected by circumstances.

Patience

The Greek word makrothymia (μακροθυμία) is translated as patience or longsuffering. Patience refers to someone who calmly endures adversity and provocation while refraining from retaliation even though they may have the power to avenge. We have examples of the patience of God (Rom. 2:4, 9:22) and of Christ (1 Tim. 1:16). John Calvin wrote of patience (or longsuffering) as “gentleness of mind, which disposes us to take everything in good part, and not to be easily offended.”[2]

Kindness

The Greek word chrēstotēs (Gr. χρηστότης), translated as kindness, refers to a virtue of moral excellence in character or demeanor[3] of a sympathetic or helpful nature. Strong’s further describes this virtue as follows:

This word refers not to a virtue of a person that encompasses only to a person’s words and countenance, it refers to the virtue that pervades and penetrates the whole nature, that mellows anything harsh and austere. It is that virtue that is gentle, charming, and calm, suited to the company of all good people, attracting their friendship, delightful in encouragement and moderate in manners.[4]

Goodness

In v. 22, the Greek word agathōsynē (Gr. ἀγαθωσύνη) is translated into English as “goodness.” The apostle Paul uses this word to mean “a regenerate person.” He used this word similarly elsewhere in Scripture (Rom. 15:14; Eph. 5:8, 9; 2 Thess. 1:11).

We should note that goodness does not necessarily refer to a gentle quality. This term also includes the more severe form of goodness. Sometimes, the situation requires a harsher manner of doing good for others. We see Christ’s sterner version of goodness in cleansing the temple (Matt. 21:12, 13) and denouncing the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 23:13-29).

Faithfulness

In a secular sense, faithfulness is a position of loyalty to another. It is a volitional position of willingly following or supporting another. This faithfulness is a human feeling of support for someone or something.

Paul is using faithfulness in a broader, more ethical sense. Faithfulness in v. 22 is a believer’s state of mind and character trait from the Holy Spirit. Leon Morris writes that the “ability to serve God faithfully through the years and the temptations of life [and] is not something we achieved by heroic virtue. It comes from the Spirit.”[5]

Christian faithfulness is born of faith in Christ and yields trust and reliance on the things of God and the gospel truth. Faithfulness is a character trait from the Holy Spirit, an essential element of the fruit of the Spirit, and crucial to all Christians.

Gentleness

The Greek word prautēs (Gr. πραΰτης) is translated in v. 23 as ‘gentleness.’ And gentleness is sometimes replaced by the word “meekness.” Meekness is often used to describe a person who is weak, timid, or even cowardly person. However, the word prautēs or gentleness does not suggest pusillanimity, and the apostle does not use it here to mean this.

Paul is using gentleness to denote someone who patiently, obediently, and humbly submits to the authority and will of God, who accepts the will of God without question or opposition in a spirit of humility and who also is gentle and courteous to others and not easily provoked to anger (Ti. 3:2).

This gentleness is an inward grace from God through the Holy Spirit, and it is toward God first that the believer directs their gentleness. This character of gentleness is also exercised not only among other Christians but also among other people, including evildoers. Christians are commanded to show gentleness toward all people (Tit. 3:2).

The gentleness of spirit in the believer leads them to forgive the pernicious offenses of others rather than seek revenge for them. However, gentleness of spirit may find the believer responding to the transgressions of others on occasion but always in a calm and measured manner with their passions under control. Regarding this characteristic of gentleness, we pattern our character after Christ. Jesus referred to Himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29).

Self-control

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines self-control as restraining one’s impulses, emotions, or desires. This secular definition is similar to what Paul refers to here as self-control. Another word that can help define this virtue that believers receive from the Holy Spirit is “temperance.”

As Paul used in v. 23, self-control refers to moderation or restraint of actions, emotions, or desires. It means to moderate one’s urges, lusts, and pride to be consistent with the Christian faith. This virtue makes the believer master of his impulses, longings, and passions.

---

[1] R.C. Sproul, gen. ed., The Reformation Study Bible, Galatians, n. 5:22, (Reformation Trust Publishing, 2015 (ESV)), 2083.

[2] John Calvin, John Calvin’s Complete Commentaries: Galatians, Trans. William Pringle, Kindle (1847-1850).

[3] James S. Strong, The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Red Letter Ed., Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, no. 5544 (Thomas Nelson, 2001), 273.

[4] Strong, no. 5544, 273.

[5] Leon Morris, Galatians: Paul’s Charter of Christian Freedom (InterVarsity Press 1996), 174.