Fruit of the Spirit

INTRODUCTION

After a year immersed in a study on the fruit of the Spirit, I can honestly say I am no closer to the perfection they exude than when I first began. Thus is the nature of the divine attributes of God and any attempt of the finite to traverse the infinite. What I did gain was a better understanding of what the fruit of the Spirit is and how to at least induce the birthing process in my life.

Throughout this intense study the most alarming observation I had was how painful it truly is to attempt to birth these nine fruits in a nature prone to sin and the desires of the flesh. My soul groaned with the pain and sorrow that plagues her origins as she fought to bring life to the seeds God planted. Frustration hounded my every endeavor to turn out the fruit.  Contractions of resistance wracked me to my core. I cannot pinpoint the exact moment the realization came to me, it was a process. I realized that I was never intended to cultivate the fruit on my own. I have a partner, one who walks by my side, one who coaches my breath simultaneously whispering encouragement to my spirit, one who holds my hand and bears down with me, one who intimately knows the pain and grief of childbirth. The pain and sorrow at that point eased, the labor did not. Labor has always been part of the process; pain and sorrow came later. There is still pain - during the moments when my sin nature prevails and my spirit resists. But I push forward, delighting in the labor that characterizes my humanity as created in God’s image and recognizing the existent pain that is not part of His design.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 

We decided to address the various fruit of the Spirit in the order of their appearance. As our study progressed the recognition of intentionality in order marked our perspective.  We cannot know whether or not Paul realized this at the time of his writing or whether it was pure inspiration of the Spirit. I begin where we began - with love. 

LOVE

Love is the firstborn of the fruit. Through the course of study it became increasingly apparent that each fruit of the Spirit is most clearly seen through the words and character of Jesus Christ. As the begotten Son of the Father through the power and work of the Holy Spirit it makes perfect sense then to see the fruit of the Spirit as analogous to the life of Christ.

In observation of the love Jesus spoke of and exemplified in every action, the very contemplation of bearing such a fruit is overwhelming. Would I sacrifice my life for others? Would I sacrifice my life for anyone??!! Do I follow the most basic commandment to love God with all my heart, soul and strength? (Deut. 6:5) An immediate conviction arose from the truth that loving others was impossible without first loving God. I may profess my love for another, I may pay homage by going through the motions, but sincere and genuine love can only be expressed out of a love that originates from above. In the words of John the Evangelist, “Love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8) Awareness of God’s love for us becomes the initiator for the remaining fruit of the Spirit. John takes recognition of love a step further and does not allow us to stop at just loving God. The fruit is evidence of our relationship with God, so that if we do not have love for others our devotion to God is called into question. Bearing the very first of the fruits already appears a daunting and impossibly long process. And you would be right if it were a labor to be tackled alone, but it is not. The empowerment of the Spirit makes it possible.  

As will be seen through the analysis of each fruit, the world is capable of mimicking and counterfeiting the fruit of the Spirit. It is the task of the believer in Christ to exercise wisdom in discerning the true fruit from that which merely looks like fruit. The manner in which we do this is to pursue knowledge of God as has been revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and through our relationship with Him. The more we know Christ the more we know true love. The world tells us that these specific words or those particular actions will show others that we love them, but if God is not at the very center of one’s affections it cannot truly be love. This is a hard truth, an uncomfortable truth - nay - a painful truth, but a truth nonetheless. The first step in cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, love, is to abide in God and in His love. I recommend reading carefully through 1 John (5 short chapters) for a better understanding of God’s love and its impact on our relationships with others. Much more can be said and will be said about love as it is an integral part of each subsequent fruit.

Upcoming fruit: Joy