The Fruit of the Spirit
Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.
The metaphor ‘fruit’ here is translated in many Bibles as light, instead of Spirit. It means divine influence, as in Ephesians.
Eph 5:9 For the fruit of the light consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth.
There can be no pretensions of having the indwelling of the Spirit, the fruit are evident to whether we do or not.
Mat 7:16-20 From their fruits ye shall know them ; do men gather from thorns grapes? or from thistles figs? so every good tree doth yield good fruits, but the bad tree doth yield evil fruits. A good tree is not able to yield evil fruits, nor a bad tree to yield good fruits. Every tree not yielding good fruit is cut down and is cast to fire: therefore from their fruits ye shall know them.
John 15:5 `I am the vine, ye the branches; he who is remaining in me, and I in him, this one doth bear much fruit, because apart from me ye are not able to do anything;
John 15:8 `In this was my Father glorified, that ye may bear much fruit, and ye shall become my disciples.
John 15:16 Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Rom 7:4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
Col 1:10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Psalms 1:2-3 Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the LORD, and they study it day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.
LOVE: The first fruit and the reigning principle. Love will bind all the others together and render the system complete and consolidate the whole.
Col 3:14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
'Love' is the bond which knits and cements us together, so that we are perfectly joined together and are of one mind and one heart.
Eph 3:19 I want you to know all about Christ's love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.
JOY: This ‘joy’ arises from an comprehension of Christ in you, and is peculiar to those who have the Spirit.
1Peter 1:8 You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express,
PEACE: The calm, quiet, and order that comes from the indwelling of Christ.
James 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers! For they shall be called the sons of God.
LONGSUFFERING: This is long-endurance or patience, it is that quality which enables a person to bear adversity, injury, and reproach.
James 1:3-4 knowing that the proving of your faith works patience. But let patience have its perfective work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Luk 8:15 "But the [seed] in the good ground, these are such who with an upright and good heart, having heard the word, hold [it] fast and bear fruit with patient endurance.
KINDNESS: Also gentleness, it is a mildness of temper and calmness of spirit. An unruffled disposition and a desire to treat all with politeness and courteous.
Pro 19:22 That which maketh a man to be desired is his kindness; And a poor man is better than a liar.
FAITH: This is trustfulness as in fidelity or the quality of being loyal. It becomes evident, if a man is faithful to his word and promises to others.
1Tim 1:19 with faith and a good conscience. By ignoring their consciences, some people have destroyed their faith like a wrecked ship.
Rom 10:17 So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ.
Heb 12:2 We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete…
MEEKNESS: Not easily provoked, a softness of temper, gentle, submissive, and having self-control.
1Peter 3:4 but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, the meek and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the sight of God.
2Cor 10:1 Now I Paul myself entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you:
SELF-CONTROL: Temperance and self-restraint over the stronger passions and the natural appetites, as in eating and drinking, so as not to be excessive.
1Cor 9:25 And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
2Tim 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
I have been studying these 'fruits of the spirit'.
If anyone has something to add, please do.
mercy, peace, and love
Kat