The Fruit Of The Spirit: 9 Transformations For The Christian Life Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. – Matthew 7:19-20 Jesus encourages us to hear right teaching, but how do we really distinguish that? What are the fruits? Is it about what you do, how you behave, miracles? Luckily, Paul tells us what fruits we will bear – and it’s not about action! It’s about a simple life that can be lived out at home being transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit! Against all these behaviors, there is no Law – the freedom of Salvation, that we are not condemned! Check out the classic fruits of the spirit explained in a fresh way for your life of faith! Love When Paul stripped away all that a person could use to claim Christianity, he said faith, hope and love remain and the greatest of these three is love (1 Corinthians 13). But non-Christians love each other, don’t they, so how is this the fruit of the Spirit? This is the greatest of the fruits, and is in fact a distinctly Christian virtue, which comes from God alone (1 John 4:19) – the love that is sacrificial to the point of dying, which is what the Holy Spirit is producing. Joy The word joy appears 60 times in the New Testament, and it is not merely being happy. In 1 Thessalonians 5; Paul instructs the church to be joyful “in all circumstances,” always praying – even in hardship! Joy is actually secured in the promise of Christ; our suffering passing, we have no reason to be distressed. We’ve already won the victory! Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that this joy is in fact strength! Peace The Greek word eirene is the same used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament for shalom – which is about wholeness, completeness and and tranquility in the soul. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. This peace isn’t mere comfort; it’s the result of a deep relationship with God. People talk about their “personal relationship,” how it’s “not a religion” – and it’s true! – but this is actually begotten by the Holy Spirit. Thus, peace is about trust and faith, being made complete in God! Patience Patience is a recognition of God’s sovereignty. The classic translation and meaning “longsuffering,” gives us the endurance to persist through trials and difficulties, but it also allows us to stay our own temper. As the Spirit dwells, being baptized into Christ, the image of God, who stays His own hand and continues to love us, empowers us. Kindness Have you ever had a teacher you didn’t like? They may have taught you the subject, but they weren’t very nice? Kindness isn’t about always being “nice,” but is in fact seeking and doing all for the good of others, no matter their behavior. This is what it is to love your enemies – being benign, not judgmental. Goodness Goodness is the classic behavior, the deeds not creeds. It is uprightness of heart, being of high integrity and moral character. Having this virtue of course empowers us to obey the commandments, which are summed up in “love.” Faithfulness The Greek pistis is the accusative noun form of the Greek peitho, which is translated as “believe” or “trust” – in fact, this is the wholeness of faith in Christ! The Spirit begets our trust and belief, that we can be loyal to our calling. This isn’t just to God, but empowers us to be strong workers (Ephesianss 6:7, Colossians 3:23). Gentleness Paul writes to Timothy that the man of God should pursue meekness (1 Timothy 6:11), and then later tells this man empowered by faith to rise above “quarrels” (1 Timothy 2:22-25). That is, we should not be drawn into arguments, while simultaneously proclaiming the truth. This is a balance in spirit, recognizing our own sin empowering us to be even-tempered in calling out others (Galatians 6:1, Ephesians 4:2). Self-Control Empowered by the Spirit, Christians put the old man – the sin of Adam – to death, namely the death of Christ (Colossians 3; Romans 6; Ephesians 4; Galatians 5), and so are being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8). No longer under the power of sin, we have the will enabled to in fact choose good – and this self-control, writes Peter, should be directed toward all the virtues of God (2 Peter 1:5-7). The Spirit does give us true freedom – to move ourselves!
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 12:07:49 +0000
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