The Fruit of the Spirit
Read
Gal 5:13-26
In the context of scripture Paul contrasts the works of the flesh vs the Fruit of the Spirit. If we take a close look, it seems Paul is actually contrasting the works of the flesh vs Love.
Read again vs 13-14
Gal 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Gal 5:14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The whole Law is fulfilled in one statement….”Love”..Jesus hinted at this in the gospels
Mat 22:37 And he said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
Mat 22:38 This is the greatest and first commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
Love is the cornerstone of all that is Christian. Paul here says we are not to devour one another, in contrast to Love
Gal 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Compare this with the words of Jesus in
John 15
Joh 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.
Joh 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.
Joh 15:11 I have spoken these things to you in order that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be made complete.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment: that you love one another just as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 No one has greater love than this: that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Joh 15:15 No longer do I call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I have heard from my Father I have revealed to you.
Joh 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and your fruit should remain, in order that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Joh 15:17 These things I command you: that you love one another.
What is interesting about this is, before Jesus spoke of Love, he spoke of Fruit….because He is the Vine and we are In Him.
Think about this a moment. Every tree produces 1 kind of fruit. A vine here could refer to a common fruit in the region of grapes..So the grammar has Fruit, a singular noun. Grammatically Fruit can refer to a group of fruit of the same kind. However, when referring to a group of fruit of different kinds the plural Fruits is appropriate.
Jesus is referring to One Fruit, Love as was Paul.Paul uses the singular Fruit.
The Biblical Press commentary notes the punctuation could read “Love:” followed by a list of attributes of Love.
Another way to punctuate this is “love” followed by a colon (love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). It is thus possible to read the eight characteristics following “love” as defining love
Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Ga 5:22). Biblical Studies Press.
This “Love” is from the Greek word Agape, which Paul used in 1Cor
1Co 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a ringing brass gong or a clashing cymbal.
This sort of Love is not a physical attraction but one of high esteem for others. Louw Nida says
to have love for someone or something, based on sincere appreciation and high regard—‘to love, to regard with affection, loving concern, love.’ V 1, p 293 ἀγαπάωa: ἐντολὴν καινὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another’
Jn 13:34; γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει ‘for he will hate the one and love the other’
Lk 16:13; ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν υἱόν ‘the Father loves the Son’
Jn 3:35; ὅτι αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς ‘for he loved us first’
1 Jn 4:19.
ἀγάπηa: ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει ‘love does not fail’
1 Cor 13:8; ἡ ἀγάπη τῷ πλησίον κακὸν οὐκ ἐργάζεται ‘a person who loves doesn’t do evil to his neighbor’ Ro 13:10.
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, pp. 292–293). New York: United Bible Societies.
How superior is Love? Jesus calls it a New Command
Joh 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another—just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another."
So superior that it should be the Hallmark of being His disciple.
John wrote about this in two letters
1Jn_2:7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the message which you have heard.
In 2John, which John wrote to a female believer, he elaborates on the “old commandment”
2Jn 1:5 And now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but one that we have had from the beginning), that we should love one another.
2Jn 1:6 And this is love: that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
Interesting to note is the word commandments. Does he refer to the whole Law of Moses? That would be impossible since that law also included offerings and sacrifices that Jesus fulfilled. As well,
Acts 15 takes care of other issues of the law. Perhaps he means moral aspects of the law?
Let’s look again at Galatians
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law.
Gal 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh together with its feelings and its desires.
Gal 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Notice vs 23…”Against Such, there is no Law”. Earlier Paul said
Gal 5:14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
If you follow the law of Love you are fulfilling the whole Law. Looking again at what Paul wrote, he contrasts the Law of Love with the works of the flesh. One OT prophet said God would write His laws on our hearts (
Jeremiah 31:33). We are not free to live immorally, rather belonging to Christ and having the fruit of Love, we crucify the flesh, the immoral deeds. In this, we fulfill the moral commandments.
So sure of the preeminence of Love, Paul said that if he does not have love, he is nothing
“And if I have the gift of prophecy and I know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
While it may be Paul defines Love here with the following attributes, notice how he defines Love in 1 Cor with the following Actions
1Co 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, it does not boast, it does not become conceited,
1Co 13:5 it does not behave dishonorably, it is not selfish, it does not become angry, it does not keep a record of wrongs,
1Co 13:6 it does not rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth,
1Co 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1Co 13:8 Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will pass away. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will pass away.
Notice how Paul defines Love?
So how did this Love fest start? It started with God, who showed us how to Love.
Rom 5:8 but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while* we were still sinners, Christ died for us
In fact, one might say that not only did God demonstrate it that way, but by coming Himself in human form, he showed us how to love in Jesus
It is said that the word Christian means a follower or a disciple of Christ. So then what is a disciple of Christ? Do we have to emulate every aspect of Christ?
A Disciple, according to Jesus is one that Loves, that has the fruit of Love.
Joh 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another—just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another."
Joh 15:8 My Father is glorified by this: that you bear much fruit, and prove to be my disciples.
Joh 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.
Joh 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.
Joh 15:11 I have spoken these things to you in order that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be made complete.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment: that you love one another just as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 No one has greater love than this: that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Since a disciple is a student of a teacher or one who disciplines themselves after the teaching of another then we Christians should be ones who seek to mature or grow in Love, the Fruit of the Spirit.We should discipline ourselves to be more loving or fruitful, growing to full maturity. This was actually the message of Paul to the Corinthians. Let us strive to be mature through Christ in true Love..not merely a love of words but also of Action.
How can we grow in the fruit of the Spirit and be more mature?
In what ways do we express Love to others besides speaking? What Actions?
In what areas do you need to improve? James says Jas 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much
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