Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 WEL But, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

Ephesians 5:9 WEL For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

The Spirit

B1 This is the Holy Spirit. There is one God who is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. One God, not three. One in essence. Three in persons. The essence is the stuff of God, for God is spirit, not flesh.

B2 Some ministries of the Holy Spirit

C1 Convicts people of sin: John 16:8-9 NLT And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world's sin is that it refuses to believe in me.

C2 He is an advocate, helper, one who stands by us to assist and encourage: John 14:16 GNB I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever.

C3 He gives us a new heart when we trust in Jesus: John 3:5 NIV Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

C4 Lives in believers. He is the presence of God with us. John 14:17 NIV the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

C5 He helps our weakness and He assists us in our prayer: Romans 8:26 NIV In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

C6 He frees us from sin and hopelessness. He gives us hope. The devil works hard to take our hope away, but even if our discouragement is overwhelming, the Holy Spirit is still with us: Romans 8:15 NIV The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

C7 Adopted into God’s family. Those who believe are now sons and daughters. Galatians 4:6-7 NIV Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

C8 He plants a garden in our new life, the new heart, the new creation. There is one fruit of the Holy Spirit, and as one commentator wrote that there is one fruit with 9 flavors. The law refers to Mosaic Law. Galatians 5:22-23 WEL But, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

D1 Love is a choice and is seen in its actions public and private. How are we reaching out to those around us? We can listen; we can pray. The motivation for this is a spiritual fruit given by God to show those who are not Christian, what God’s love is like. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 WEL Love is very patient and kind; love is not envious; love doesn't brag about itself, is not haughty, 5 Doesn't behave improperly, is not self-seeking; love isn't easily aggravated, doesn’t keep a list of wrongs, 6 Doesn't rejoice in injustice, but rejoices in the truth, 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

D2 Joy is a deep seated happiness and gladness. Somehow in our darkest situations, the Holy Spirit helps us and doesn’t leave. This joy comes from the love God has shown us, and then we show to others. Joy for the Christian is marked by celebration and expectation of God’s ultimate victory over the powers of sin and darkness [Source]. From the same source, it is written: In contrast, in secular works, joy is defined as the emotion evoked by well-being, success and/or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. The world's definition of joy is virtually synonymous with the definition of “happiness”, for both of these "emotions" are dependent on what "happens." And again: C. S. Lewis got a bit closer to the Biblical meaning when he called joy an “unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” That statement is a bit obtuse but Lewis then goes on to add that joy "must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure". Ultimately Lewis' experienced joy when he discovered that Jesus was the wellspring of all joy.

D3 Peace is a calmness. Even if we are restless and distraught, He can help us find a calm that no one can explain. God wants us to have peace, because He knows the lack of peace is not good for spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical health. No one on earth can be sinless. We still have storms and unrest, but a Christian faces these differently than a non-Christian. The opposite is anxiety. Anxiety is NOT a sin, and all of us have it from time to time some more than others. But, again, a Christian faces anxiety producing situations differently.

D4 Longsuffering is putting up with sorrow from many reasons. It is patience. This is a patience to make it through many sorrows, difficulties, and sufferings. God helps us through it, and hopefully from it. From the same source as above, William Barclay writes: "... as the Greeks used it, usually meant patience with people. It is the ability not to lose patience when people are foolish, not to grow irritable when they seem unteachable. It is the ability to accept the folly, the perversity, the blindness, the ingratitude of men and still to remain gracious, and still to toil on…”

D5 Gentleness is a tenderness opposite of someone who is rough and hurting. From the source listed above, it is written: Barnes writes that chrestotes "is opposed to a harsh, crabbed, crooked temper. It is a disposition to be pleased; it is mildness of temper, calmness of spirit, an unruffled disposition, and a disposition to treat all with urbanity and politeness.

D6 Goodness. Even in suffering, as the Lord Jesus did, He could find goodness in God, who does deliver. It is a special kindness given to others, when you or I are suffering ourselves.

D7 Faith is believing God. It is reasonable, not blind faith. There are reasons and facts that help us. Faithfulness here is the keeping of one’s word, devotion, finishes one’s obligations, being reliable, and trustworthiness.

D8 Meekness is a humble attitude in opposite someone who is an arrogant bastard. It is not weakness. It is not self promotion.

D9 Self-control is a calmness in a panic situation. I’ve not always experienced this, but I know after a situation is over God helped me through it. Aristotle reportedly said, “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.” It is not done in our own ability or strength, but in the ability and strength God gives. So we pray, “God help me.” It is written: By temperance is meant self-control in the broadest and fullest sense of the term. We need to go into training for CHRIST and to keep ourselves spiritually fit at all times, for we never know when a critical test may come or a golden opportunity arise that will call upon our spiritual reserves. To this end we should be prepared to give up whatever mars our witness and hinders usefulness in the Master’s service. Attaining to the best may necessitate abstaining from the rest. The lesser must sometimes be sacrificed to the higher good [Source]

D10 There are no laws against these gifts. The law would be Mosaic Law.

B3 This fruit that we mentioned is completely good, righteous, and true. Ephesians 5:9 WEL For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.