Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Truth to Learn
Put your efforts into growing fruit that has eternal value instead of producing works that pass quickly away.
Behind the Words
The word translated “love” is agapē, which is a kind of love that is focused on the ultimate good for the object of love.
“Joy” is translated from the Greek word chara, meaning “calm delight” or “gladness.”
The word “peace” is translated from eirēnē, which means “peace, harmony, or tranquility.”
The Greek word makrothumia is translated as “longsuffering.” This word is made up of macros, meaning “long” and a form of thumos, meaning “wrath or anger.” It refers to “the ability to endure a long time before getting angry” as opposed to hasty anger.
“Kindness” is translated from the Greek word chrēstotēs, which is derived from the verb charomai, meaning “to furnish what is needed.” This word is most often translated as “kindness,“ or “usefulness.”
The word “goodness” is translated from agathosunē, which is derived from agathos, meaning “goodness.” It is the trait of doing good to others out of an unselfish heart. It is sometimes translated as “benevolence.”
Finally, “faithfulness” is translated from pistis, which is derived from the verb peithō, meaning “to win over” or “to persuade.” Hence, pistis refers to the quality of having been persuaded. It is often translated as “belief” or “faith.”
Meaning Explained
In the previous verses Paul talked about the works of the flesh, those desires of our sinful nature which lead us away from fellowship with God. In this verse and the next Paul gives the contrasting list of what he calls “fruit of the Spirit.” Notice that he does not refer to these as fruits as if they are each one a separate result of close fellowship with God. This fruit all grows together as we spend time with Him.
Back in verse 17, Paul told us that the flesh and the Spirit battle against each other within these bodies of ours. The works of our flesh are the outpouring of the lust of our sin nature which has self as the focal point and ultimate objective. They rise up quickly and have immediate and irrevocable effect. The fruit of the Spirit, on the other hand, grows slowly and steadily as we submit our will to God and commit our thoughts and actions to Him.
It takes constant, vigilant effort to nurture the fruit of the Spirit, and its growth is stunted when we allow the works of the flesh to dominate. After we confess our works of the flesh, however, the fruit of the Spirit begins to grow again until it is fully ripe and apparent in our lives.
Application
Growing the fruit of the Spirit is hard work, which is frequently interrupted by the works of the flesh. The pleasures of sin are fleeting according to Hebrews 11:25, but the fruit of the Spirit has eternal effect.
Is your effort going into producing works or growing fruit?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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