But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-231
These two verses are among the more familiar in Scripture, and rightly so. Galatians 5 contains a concise, cohesive list of the visible attributes of a Christian. But, though it lists a spread of various fruits, Paul deliberately describes the collection using “fruit,” singular, instead of “fruits.” Apparently these attributes are not a smorgasbord from which we pick our favorite fruits and ignore the rest. Rather, they bind up all that characterizes a true Christian. We must not justify our impatience simply because we excel in self-control. Every fruit is to find its place in the true believer. It comes as a “cluster, such that all the qualities are to be manifested in each believer.”2
Karpos, the original Greek word which is here translated “fruit,” is the simple fruit of trees and plants. It grows according to the nature of the tree or plant, never contrary to it. You won’t find a cherry growing on a peach tree; trees grow fruit according to their nature. Jesus makes it clear in Luke 6 that our actions reveal the true state of our hearts. He says, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
We sometimes try to reverse the process, stapling fruit on ourselves in an attempt to seem Spirit-filled. But true love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control come from a changed heart. This fruit only blossoms on those who have had their hearts transformed by the Spirit of God. Rather than being fruit-staplers, let us allow the Spirit to work his fruit in us, from the inside out. May our inward change produce genuine, God-glorifying fruit.
- The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2011.
- Henry Morris quoted in Study Guide for Galatians 5 by David Guzik. Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Gal/Gal-5.cfm