The Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The fruit of the Spirit is found Gal. 5:22-23. Contrary to superstitious, religious ideas, this fruit is not the result of Spirit of God superseding our spirit, soul and body in some mysterious way. The Spirit "dwells" within the saint when the word of Christ "dwells" in him/her "richly in all wisdom." Simply stated, to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the word of Christ. It is with the renewed mind that has been throughly washed by the word that we are able to "prove the will of God" with "reasonable service" as we think with "the mind of Christ" out of an inner man fortified by sound doctrine. The godly "fruit" of such spiritual understanding is what Gal. 5:22-23 is referencing. It is not mystical at all. It is the natural product of being "led by the Spirit" through the doctrine given for our growth. By time we arrive at Galatians, we should have already come through Romans. In Romans, we are given doctrine that produces every component of the fruit of the Spirit. The question then is: Are these doctrines "dwell[ing] in you richly" (Col. 3:16)? If not, (to borrow an expression from the Lord), "Go ye and learn what that meaneth."
- Love - Rom. 12:3-8
- Joy - Rom. 12:9-16
- Peace - Rom. 12:17-18
- Longsuffering - Rom. 12:19-21
- Gentleness - Rom. 13:1-5
- Goodness - Rom. 13:6-14
- Faith - Rom. 14:1-4
- Meekness - Rom. 14:5-13
- Temperance - Rom. 14:14-15:3
Published by Joshua Edwards
Joshua Edwards is an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ who is dedicated the to the communication of sound doctrine as set forth in the pages of God's word. He desires to have all men to be saved by believing the gospel of the grace of God, and thereafter to come unto the knowledge of the truth by establishment in the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery (Romans 16:25).