The Fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Gal. 5:21).

There are several remarkable things about this passage worth reflecting upon.

For one thing, this verse comes within one of Paul’s densest arguments about how you know who truly belongs to the people of God. In other words, this description of the “fruit of the Spirit” does not come within a larger discourse about nice, but essentially optional, emotional feelings which the Christian might have. This is simply what it means to be Christian.

Secondly, “fruit” is an interesting word to use. In Paul’s context, bread and water (or wine) actually formed the staple of most people’s diets. Why then “fruit”? It’s just perhaps interesting that fruit tends not only to provide food, but also to be beautiful, colorful, and often found within a garden…just perhaps interesting.

More than this, we sort of expect things like “patience,” “kindness,” “goodness,” “faithfulness,” “gentleness,” and “self-control.” There’s a sense in which, when we read this, most Christians will nod their heads. “Yes,” we think, “that’s basically what it means to be Christian. We need to try to inculcate these traits every day.”

But then there’s the odd few: “love,” “joy,” and “peace.” Hmmm… Are these sort of commands? Is Paul actually saying these are things which MUST characterize a Christian’s life? And then why do they come at the beginning of the list? Is that an accident?

Does “love” mean love for God, love for other people, both, or something else? The same could be asked about “joy.” What’s that about? What are we supposed to be “joyful” about? God? Jesus? The Gospel? Life? What?

And then “peace.” Peace with God? Peace with others? Both? Or something else?

There’s something remarkably suggestive about the LACK of explanation which Paul gives to these characteristics. He could easily have clarified: “love for God,” “joy in your faith,” and “peace with God and with others.”

There’s something much more meaningful, however, about the terms NOT having that kind of specificity. This is not, in other words, ONLY about “you and God,” nor about “you and others.” It’s something that’s just TRUE—true about the universe; true about God; true about everything.

Notwithstanding the problems in this world, there is a God who loves us beyond our wildest dreams and Who is steering the whole of history toward a moment when we won’t even remember what the word “pain” means anymore. It’s totally forgotten; swallowed up in victory; it’s finished; new creation. So there’s “love,” “joy,” and “peace.”

Come join us at Ooltewah United Methodist Church as we try to become people of the fruit of the Spirit!