The Spiritual Fruit of Love

Mike Criswell

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"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Most Christians probably are familiar with Paul’s statement as found in Galatians 5:22-23. Just like us, the churches in Galatia had a lot of problems. Besides doctrinal disagreements, they had some attitude problems as well. No matter how good your church family is, I’m sure most of us could say the same thing!

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, the apostle gives a contrast between what he calls the “works of the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit.” See chapter 5:16-26. While Paul tells his Christian brothers and sisters to avoid evil things, he encourages them to produce good fruit that will bring glory to God. He assures the church that this can only be done when the Spirit indwells us and when the Spirit is our motivation and guide. Even though it may be difficult to know exactly how the Holy Spirit indwells us, one thing is sure! Practically speaking it’s more important to consider how we indwell the Spirit. Every day we are literally living in the presence of heaven! And God is always there to help us! What a wonderful thought.

In the coming issues of this newsletter, we’ll take a look at what is commonly called “the fruit of the Spirit.” Our goal is to help each other learn how we can be more like God and more helpful to those around us.

So, let’s get started. Grab a notebook if you’re a note taker or maybe grab a coffee or tea as we begin exploring these nine wonderful attributes together.

Starting with verse 22, we notice that Paul lists “love” first. If we’re a Christian, one of the first things our friends should notice is our “love” for them. Just like Jesus, we will have a genuine care and concern for everyone. It’s natural to love our friends, but Jesus even asks us to love our enemies. Now for me, this is a bit counterintuitive. It just doesn’t seem natural. But that’s just it. It’s not natural. It’s supernatural! God is love and He loves you and wants you to share His love by loving others.

The beautiful thing about “love” is that it’s practical. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 13 and notice all the things Paul says love does. It’s active. It’s kind. It’s patient and giving. And the list goes on. Love is incredible!

In conclusion, one of the most incredible things about love is that it’s the very love Jesus had for you and me. Jesus loved us so much that he came to pay for our sins! It cost him his life. He died for us and all he asks in return is for us to live for him.