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A Study of the Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22). The kind of “peace” taught in this passage is both inward and outward. A person who has allowed himself to come under the teachings of the Spirit and who has internalized those traits into his thinking and behavior will find tranquility within himself and will demonstrate that tranquility toward God and others. In Christ, we have the peace that passes all human understanding because we know the everlasting hope that belongs to the faithful—it is a peace within our soul. As well, we demonstrate that peace toward others as we interact with them in our daily activities. This peace is set in contrast to the divisive, factious spirit that the apostle has just condemned under the works of the flesh. With real peace, those negative qualities go away; and we exist harmoniously with our fellow Christians, the church operates harmoniously, and we maintain a peaceful relationship with God. A Study of the Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22). “Joy” means delight or gladness, especially when associated with the inner feeling a Christian has in realizing God has given him or her the opportunity of being of service in this life and of receiving the eternal reward in the next. Indeed, the word “joy” runs like a thread throughout the gospels as well as the epistles. And, interestingly enough, it isn’t always associated with pleasant situations. At one point, Jesus tells His followers to rejoice in the day when men hate them, revile them, and speak evil of them because of their devotion to Him. But the positive reasons for feeling joy far outweigh the unpleasant ones. Christians have an overwhelming number of reasons for rejoicing when they think seriously about Jesus—remembering that by His sacrifice, He paid the price for our sins and opened the doors of heaven to us. That is a reason for real joy. A Study of the Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22). Having identified several characteristics that God does not desire His children to exhibit, Paul here begins to enumerate those qualities that God desires in His children. Paul calls these qualities “fruit,” communicating that a person who has been taught by the Spirit through the revealed Word will demonstrate these qualities. First among the Spirit-taught qualities is love, identified not only here but also in the first Corinthians letter as the greatest of Christian attributes. True love is not just a word—it is evidenced devotion. Included in this attribute is love for God, love for Christ, and love for our fellow man. God’s love for man had its greatest expression in the gift of Jesus as our sacrificing Savior. The greatest expression of our love for God and for Christ is in obedience to their commands. Then we are demonstrating the depths of our love for them and our devotion to them. A Study of the Works of the Flesh
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, “Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, “Envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). In attempting to encourage Christians in Galatia to let go of the Law of Moses and to embrace a spiritual life in Christ, Paul comes to this section where he emphasizes the liberty they have in Christ. But he says this liberty does not free them from all restrictions, just the restrictions of the Law of Moses. They still must avoid the pitfalls of the works of the flesh and allow themselves to walk in the Spirit—that is, to follow His direction in the Word—so they can manifest the fruit of the Spirit. To accomplish this goal, Paul has taught them against four groups of sins they must avoid. The first group is against the seventh commandment: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and licentiousness. The second group is against the first and second commandments: idolatry and sorcery (witchcraft). The third group includes sins against neighbors, beginning in verse 20 with hatred and concluding in the next verse with murders. The fourth group includes sins against self: drunkenness, revelries, and like sins. If one is led by the Spirit, his faith will be fortified so that he or she can withstand the temptations of the flesh laid before him as well as the temptations of those who would like to entangle him again in the bondage of the Law of Moses. |
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September 2023
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