Hello everyone.
We will pick in verse 22 of Galatians 5, as Paul continues to show the contrast between life devoted to the flesh and life given by the Spirit. Take a look at Galatians 5:22-23:
22 On the other hand, the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility and self-control. No law prohibits things such as these.
Just like the works of the flesh, this, too, is not an exhaustive list. What is a fruit of the Spirit? I think that it would be anything that the Spirit produces in us. Wisdom, for example, seems like a fruit of the Spirit to me, but is not listed here. In Ephesians 5:17 Paul tells us that God gives us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may know Him better. So, wisdom and revelation (the ability to know God better) are fruits that the Spirit produces in us, as well.
Anyway, Paul lists these nine fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.
Note: πραΰτης, (prautēs) is usually translated as gentleness. I have translated it as humility. The Lexicon defines it as: "the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance: gentleness, humility, courtesy, considerateness, meekness." The word is translated as gentleness in some places in the New Testament, and humility in others, depending on context. I think either one fits this context.
Works vs. Fruit. In Paul’s comparison we see works, something that you do, compared to fruits, something that is produced in you by the Holy Spirit. In one, it is my own flesh that is at work, and in the other, it is the Holy Spirit that is at work. So, it is important to realize that I do not produce these things in me, The Holy Spirit does. I mean, I can be a loving person and not believe in God, but The Spirit will produce more and greater love in me, than I can ever produce on my own. Thomas Schreiner explains it well. "Believers are not called upon to summon up the strength within them, for their new way of life is supernatural, stemming from the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.” (Schreiner, 348-349.) Plus, we understabd that obedience to the Law cannot produce these fruits in us. In fact, it seems that no matter how hard I work to bear these fruits, I make little headway. I am relatively powerless on my own. Better that the Spirit works in me to produce His fruit.
Just like the works of the flesh, I am not going to go through each word and explain, but do want to talk about the first one on the list: love. 1 John 4:8 tlees us that 'God is love.' We know from John that God is not only a loving being, He is love. If any one quality defines Him, it is love. The first and foremost fruit of the Holy Spirit is love. Many of the others, patience and kindness for example (1 Cor. 13:4), spring from love.
Continuing that thought. In Col. 3:12-14 - Paul lists a number of attributes that God’s people possess, including compassion, humility, forgiveness and others, but ends with love, as it “binds them all together in perfect unity.” Love seems to the centrpiece of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and produce His fruit, we become more like God, making more like love.
Another thought on love: Jesus tells us that the whole of the Law rests on two commands to love. (Matt. 22:40.) So, the real intent of the Law was to lead us toward love. But we understand that the Law does not and cannot really lead us there, because you cannot legislate people’s hearts. So, the Spirit enables us to fulfill the intent of Law, which is to love.
A quick thought on self-control: It is interesting that Paul finishes this list with self-control, as he finishes the other with behaviors that are a result of a lack of self control (drunkenness and wild partying.) The Spirit leads to be self-controlled, not out of control.
Paul discussion here on the fruits of the Holy Spirit is finished with the phrase, “No law prohibits things such as these.” Paul has spent a major part of his letter to the Galatians talking about the Law. I think that it is no coincidence that he adds this phrase here. His point: 'If we are filled with the Spirit, we don’t really need the old law., because we will live a life full of these fruits and would give no one an opportunity to complain.'
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