"THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"

The Bible tells us that there are nine fruit of the Holy Spirit.  A tree bears  fruit  only  when it matures. A small plant cannot bear fruit. First a tree bears flowers. And only those flowers which can withstand the wind and the storm do not fall off from the tree, but mature and bear fruits. 

Similarly in our Christian life we all have to go through trials and persecutions. And only those Christians who are matured in the Lord - in His word and Spirit can bear fruit. Fruit is more evident and visible in difficult or odd situation.

If the life of a Christian is not based on the word of God, he will not be able to bear fruit. A wind of trial and tribulation can cause the flowers to fall off. 

We cannot bear fruit on our own. We have to remain in Him (John 15:5), i.e. to abide in Christ. The fruit receives the nourishment from the branch which is connected to the Vine. Godly character can be developed when we continually abide in Christ and are led by the Spirit of God. 

The Fruit of the Spirit is the character of Lord Jesus Christ which we cultivate in our own lives as we walk closely with him and grow in him. 

John 15:16 says - 

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you."

                            

The Fruit of the Spirit are divided into nine separate fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience/long-suffering, gentleness/kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance : against such there is no law."

We can further divide these nine fruits into three categories :

Category 1 : Love, Joy & Peace - It is the inward fruit which is experienced in our own heart.

Category 2 : Patience, Gentleness / Kindness & Goodness - It is the outward fruit visible to others

Category 3 : Faith, Meekness & Temperance - It is an upward fruit which expresses our relationship with God and is also visible to others.   

We will begin our journey to find out what actually this fruit is all about...

Let us begin with the first fruit...

1. "LOVE"

Love is the first and most important fruit of the Holy Spirit. All the nine fruit or entire Christianity can be summarized into a nutshell which is “Love” 

The Bible says in book of 1 Corinthians chapter 13:1-3 : If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over  my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

A beautiful description of Love is further made in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.  It says,  Love is patient, Love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast in itself, it is not rude, does not seek after its own good, thinks no evil of anybody, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth, bears all things, hope all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

An epitome of Love is demonstrated by God and it is capsuled in John 3:16 which says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have an everlasting life."

Even Lord Jesus demonstrated this Love towards us by dying a horrible death on the cross. He went through all the pain, rejection, suffering, agony and hatred for our sake. He demonstrated His love by paying the penalty of the sins of the entire world. He shed his pure innocent blood for the remission of our sins and became obedient to the Father God even unto death. Hebrews 9:22 says, "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins." However death could not hold him. God raised him up from the dead on the third day (Acts 10:44). Jesus became victorious over sin and death! 

"JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE WHICH LEADS US TO THE HEAVENLY FATHER."

Oh! How can we reject such deep love of God towards us. 

We cannot fully comprehend this love of our Triune God with our finite minds. It is the Agape Love of God! 

We need to have this kind of Agape Love towards God and towards each other. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts with which we can love others. Romans 5:5 says, "And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Having the consciousness of God's Agape Love which have been abroad shed in our hearts, we can love our neighbor as ourselves. Think of their betterment before our own.

2. "JOY"

Joy is one of the unique fruit of the Spirit. It is not the same as being glad or happy. It originates from the relationship that we have with God. Happiness depends on external circumstances or material things. But Joy is irrespective of the external factors. It comes from within, no matter what the situation. That is why Apostle Paul could encourage the Philippian Church through his letter from a prison asking them to rejoice in the Lord always. 

Nehemiah 8:10 says that .....the Joy of the LORD is your strength. It is truly the inner strength that keeps us going, no matter what the external circumstance.

We get this joy by being obedient to our Lord and serving him faithfully. If we live our life having the consciousness that the Spirit of God dwells in us and we seek to please Him by obeying him at all times (even if it hurts us or costs us) we will have that inner joy which no one can snatch away from us. Joy of the Lord comes by living a sacrificial life pleasing the Father through our conduct, speech and motives. 

For a true Christian, the level of this joy increases when the level of our suffering and persecution for the Lord increases. For the word of God says in 2 Timothy 2:12, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us."

On the other hand, if we live our lives in disobedience to God and live a sinful life, the first attack that the enemy will bring against us is steal our joy.

3. "PEACE" 

This Peace which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit is not the peace that the world gives. It is the peace that Christ gives to our wearied souls. Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." 

We all have to carry a heavy load of burden everyday. Issues which we cannot handle on our own, problems for which we do not have solutions. But when we cast all our burdens and cares onto the Lord in prayer, we will receive an inner peace in exchange which we cannot comprehend with our mind. Lord Jesus Christ is the "Prince of Peace". One of the names of God is "Jehovah Shalom" which means God our Peace. 

Secondly, when we are in the center of the will of God, we will always have a peace within us. In other words, peace is one of the indicator that we are in the will of God. This Peace in our heart will also guide us in the decisions that we make, as per Colossians 3:15. If we are deviating away from the will of God, we will have an unrest in our souls. It is an indicator from the Holy Spirit that God is not in the decision or situation and we have to go back to God and seek his counsel.

4. "PATIENCE / LONG-SUFFERING"

Patience is one important Fruit of the Spirit which leads us to perfection and maturity in our Christian life. We have to cultivate this fruit when we go through various kinds of tests and trials in our life, and our faith is being tested. We have to be patient or long-suffering towards others as well as with God. Just as God is patient with us and does not treat us as our sins deserve. 

A matured Christian will not be restless when he goes through trials or has to wait for answers to his prayers. He will know deep within that his faith is being tested because God wants him to cultivate Patience and trust in him at all times. 

James 1:2-4 beautifully explains that we have to count it all joy when we go through trials of various kinds because it is through trials that God tests our Faith and gradually produces patience in us. Patience when fully developed perfects its work in us. Ultimately it is God himself who is making us perfect and complete lacking nothing.

5. "GENTLENESS (KINDNESS)" 

Gentleness is unique Fruit of the Spirit. Gentleness and Kindness go hand in hand. Our attitude and approach towards people must be gentle and kind. We have to be merciful and kind towards others so that we too may obtain mercy from the Lord. It can be described as the soft attitude of a mother towards her new born child. She will take care of her baby very gently with utmost love and care and provide all the nourishment that is required for the child to grow. 

Gentleness and kindness is reflected in our speech, behavior and actions. Proverbs 15:1 says that a gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. Love and Gentleness also go hand in hand. As a believer we have to be gentle with all people and especially with new born again Christians and help them grow in the Lord as a mother does for her new born baby.

6. "GOODNESS" 

Goodness originates from God. Our God is a Good God. That is why he shows mercy even to the wicked. He showers his rain and gives sunlight both to the just and also the wicked. 

The Bible says in Romans 2:4 that the Goodness of God leads us to repentance. This is reflected in the parable of the prodigal son. His Father was so good that he did not want to forcibly hold back his son by denying to give him his portion. He wanted his son to voluntarily love him, realize his mistake and come back to him. In like manner the son remembered the goodness of his father and his love towards him. The goodness and love of his father led him to godly repentance and he returned back to his father. 

Our Heavenly Father is also the same. He waits for sinners with patience and shows them mercy and kindness in spite of them being rebellious and wicked; because our God is a Good God!  He wants mankind to realize this and lead them to repentance so that they will be saved.

Proverbs 3:27 says, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it."  Also Ephesians 2:10 says, " For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." 

Thus we should never stop doing good to people. Keep others first and see their betterment before ours.

7. "FAITH" 

Without Faith it is impossible to please God. When we come to God we must have Faith that he exists and He rewards all those who diligently seek him. When we pray we must have faith that He hears and answers our prayers. Although we have not seen God with our natural eyes, it is through Faith we believe that He exists. Each one is given a measure of faith which keeps growing.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). God puts us into situations or brings such circumstances in our life in form of trials and sufferings that we get the opportunity to show our faith and trust towards him; in spite of the odd circumstances. 

Christian life is a life of faith. We live by faith and not by sight.  Every Christian has to cultivate and grow in this fruit of the Spirit. We grow from one level of faith to another level. 

8. "MEEKNESS" 

A meek person is a humble person. The best example is our Lord Jesus Christ himself. He said in the book of Matthew that he is meek and lowly in spirit and we have to learn from him to be like him. 

Being meek does not mean that we are weak. It means we are depending upon God and accepting His Will for our lives and not considering ourselves as independent from God. 

The book of Matthew says that the meek shall inherit the earth. Meekness is a condition of our heart and it reflects in our behavior and speech. Being meek is a strength in itself. A meek person is a very strong person. He has his power and strength under control and uses it only when it is required. Just like our Lord. He is both the Lion and the Lamb. Although He was God, the Lion of Judah, he humbled himself and went to be slaughtered like a Lamb without uttering a word; with total meekness and humility in obedience to His Father! 

We also see in the book of Genesis God testifying about Moses being the meekest man on earth at that time. 

In like manner even if we are blessed in every area, financially prosperous, and have the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, yet God wants us to remain meek in our heart and attitude; knowing that the blessings and manifestations of the Spirit are not by our own strength or ability. It is only by the Grace of God through the Holy Spirit.

9. "TEMPERANCE (SELF-CONTROL)" 

Self Control is the fruit of the Spirit which is developed when our spirit man is strengthened and all our fleshly lusts and desires are subdued. Through temperance we crucify the flesh and put the fleshly desires and passions in control. We can be strengthened in the Spirit by dedicating ourselves to prayer and fasting and meditating on His word. 

1 Corinthians 9:27 says that we have to discipline our body and bring it to subjection. Through prayer and fasting our flesh comes under control and our spirit man becomes strong. Further Romans 12:1 tells us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is our true and proper worship.


Hope this article has blessed you. If you have never taken your walk with God seriously and have become lukewarm, now is the time to repent and turn back. Come back to Jesus. He is waiting for you with His arms open wide!


OR if you are in a place where you have never given your life to Jesus, now is the time. Believe in Him and repent of your sins. He is the one and only true Living God. He will forgive all your sins and make you His son/daughter. He is waiting as a loving Father for you that you may receive his love and be joined to His family.

It is not by accident that you are reading this article. It is God's perfect plan for you. Do write to us in the contact form given below so that we can guide you further and pray for you. 

SHALOM!