Fruit Of The Holy Spirit

Unlike the word works (of the flesh), fruit is singular, indicating that the nine characteristics are part of a unified whole and are not separable. In other words, a believer doesn’t have some and not others, though their relative strength may vary.

Love, by which Paul means the love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). The Greek word is agape. This responsive love evokes in us a love for God and a desire to please Him. Worship, wholehearted surrender, and obedience are at the heart of pleasing Him. God’s love also produces in us a love for our neighbor, a servant love that is rooted primarily in the will and acts for our neighbor’s best interest and highest good. As Paul says in Galatians 5:6, the only thing that matters in the Christian life is “faith working through love,” and in Galatians 5:13, “through love serve one another.” This humble, servant love was the dominant characteristic of Jesus’ life and is to be so for His followers. In a very real sense, the other eight characteristics of the Spirit are expressions of this agape love.

Joy flows out of the awareness of God’s gracious favor to us and the hope of living with Him, His Son, and all His children in the world to come. Hope for the future is a key part of the joy and an anchor that keeps us from being blown to and fro by life's many varied circumstances and the hard times that sometimes overtake us. Unlike happiness's worldly and elusive equivalent, joy does not depend on favorable circumstances.

Peace is not simply the absence of conflict but the deep abiding peace of God, the sovereign and almighty King of creation. It is grounded in the assurance of God’s rich mercy and personal love for us, shown supremely in His saving us by grace alone, through Christ alone, and not by our works. This produces a tranquil heart that is at rest in God. It impels and enables us to be peacemakers, to pursue peace with others, including those in our family, community, church, and beyond, and across all ethnic, racial, political, and other barriers that separate and divide people.

Patience, also translated as long-suffering, is chiefly a matter of forbearance with other people and of not being easily offended. This particularly includes people who displease, irritate, provoke, or mistreat us—including those who persecute us. Steadfast endurance with difficult people and circumstances is the idea. Such patience illustrates the patience of God and is a powerful witness to others.

Kindness is an attitude of graciousness and goodwill toward others, especially those who do not deserve it. Kindness is an expression of love that goes above and beyond what is warranted and demonstrates the kindness of God. It resists all harshness and coldness toward others.

Goodness is love and kindness in action, an expression of moral excellence. It gives generously and spends itself to help others without any expectation of return.

Faithfulness is a matter of being trustworthy and reliable to God and others, dependable and true to one’s word and commitments, and someone in whom others can have confidence.

Gentleness is not weakness but strength under control, rooted in humility. Jesus was gentle yet capable of expressing righteous indignation when appropriate. Gentleness is not arrogant, doesn’t bully or force others, but is considerate and exercises mildness in dealing with them.

Self-control engages both mind and body in the business of properly regulating one’s life in all its parts. The scope of self-control ranges from such mundane matters as food and drink to material possessions and one’s thought life, speech, expression of emotions, and much more, but with special attention to sexual matters and the mastery of our passions.