What is the Fruit of the Spirit
Tags: God, Jesus, Christianity, Bible, Christian

The Nine-Part Fruit

The Spirit-fueled development of Christ-like character is liberating, because it brings us closer to being the people we were designed to be, the people our Spirit-renewed hearts want us to be. — Tim Keller

The Fruit of the Spirit is listed in Galatians 5 — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities make up the Fruit. There are not nine different fruits — it is a nine-part Fruit. The Fruit is like an orange, and inside the orange, there are numerous slices. So, imagine that each slice of the orange is one of the aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit.

The original Greek word for “Fruit” in Galatians 5 is karpos, and one definition means “a result of something.” When the Fruit of the Spirit is displayed in our lives, it is a sign, or result, that we are being led by the Spirit of God. Just like the branches of a grapevine have to be connected to the vine in order to bear grapes, the Fruit of the Spirit is evidence of being connected to Christ.

Why was the Fruit of the Spirit even mentioned? Because of the five verses preceding it. They mention sinful acts including sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, and drunkenness. You see, we have this thing called the flesh, and it is all of our human desires. Our flesh wants things that prevent God’s Holy Spirit from leading us fully. In fact, Galatians 5:17 says, “the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” Bottom line: you can be led by the flesh, or you can be led by the Spirit of God, but you can’t be led by both — they are in constant conflict.

Probably the most beautiful part of the passage in verse 23 is that we are told there is “no law against them.” In fact, it would be true to say that we can exhibit the Fruit without any limits or restrictions. We can never show too much love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Now, that’s a goal to strive for!

As we grow in our understanding, we’ll recognize how the Fruit is manifested in our lives and in the lives of others as well.

The Fruit and The Gifts

If the light that is on you is brighter than the light that is in you, the light that is on you will destroy you. — Christine Caine

The nine-part Fruit listed in Galatians 5 shouldn’t be confused with spiritual gifts that are mentioned in the Bible. Gifts such as leadership, wisdom, pastoring, encouragement, knowledge and prophecy are given by the Spirit for the purpose of building up believers. The Fruit, however, is produced by the Spirit and is developed and displayed in us when we yield ourselves to God’s Spirit.

If we want to know how we’re growing as Christ followers, we shouldn’t focus on how gifted we are or how well we use our gifts. No, it’s the evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives that shows our spiritual maturity. Not that our gifts aren’t valuable or vital — they are. It’s just that we can operate in our gifts while we are gratifying our flesh because they are beyond us. Exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit is a manifestation of a transformed life by the power of God.

It isn’t uncommon to see men and women operate in their spiritual gifts but then immediately act in a sinful way. Why? Because God will use whomever He wants, whenever He wants, and however He wants. Maybe you’ve seen someone preach the most powerful sermon at a church or conference only to see them spew hatred to others at a later time. Or perhaps a person may give generously of their time to impact those less fortunate but then turn around and be incredibly impatient and rude with their own children.

The converse is also true. There are people all over the world who are continually exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit in their daily lives. They may be serving behind the scenes, visiting someone in the hospital, or offering their time by just being with a friend in need. Their contribution to building up believers may not be flashy, but their character is deep because they have chosen to deny their flesh and walk in the Fruit of the Spirit.

The gifts receive far more attention and accolades than the quiet, almost hidden Fruit of the Spirit. Yet, it really doesn’t take tremendous effort to operate in our gifts. The Fruit, on the other hand, involves the difficult task of dying to self everyday. The Fruit may not be shouting for attention but rest assured, we always know when the Fruit is present in our lives and when it is not.