Fruit of the Spirit Study Introduction
I remember the first few times I heard the term “Fruit of the Spirit”, I was expecting the Lord to reach His hand down from heaven and hand me an apple, or grapes, or a watermelon slice. Sitting in elementary Sunday School, I knew nothing more than to just take this New Testament passage and imagine my favorite after-school snack when I heard that phrase.
Two and a half years ago, I was in a college class where we studied the whole book of Acts in under 4 weeks, writing summaries, reading commentaries, and tracing the ministry of Paul and Jesus’s disciples. It was not until this class that I fully understood the weight of their journeys and the purpose behind Paul’s letters. In the middle of that ministry we encounter the Fruit of the Spirit, and it’s much more significant than the fruit I had once imagined.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)
These are far more beautiful than a honeycrisp apple or cotton candy grapes.
But why did Paul share this with the Galatians?
The people were struggling. Galatia was a region that is now considered north-central Turkey, and the book of Acts records that Paul traveled through numerous cities of “south Galatia”. Paul describes them as foolish and spiritually inconsistent. They were known to be superstitious and impulsive. They had teachers who were preaching a different message than the gospel, twisting the truth concerning Christ. Paul came to re-teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ, opening the letter with “This is a letter from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. (Galatians 1:1 NLT).
Throughout the letter, Paul calls out the Galatians on their sins, encouraging them to stop attempting to become perfect through their own flesh, as they had been made new through Christ, God gives them the Holy Spirit through their faith, not works. Paul explains that they had been freed in Christ not to satisfy their sinful nature, but to serve one another.
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT)
Paul clearly lays out what we, as followers of Christ, are not supposed to act upon, DIRECTLY BEFORE the fruit of the spirit. In order to begin to grow the fruit the Lord provides, we must cut out the weeds of what is holding us back from a deeper relationship with Christ.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)
These qualities transform us from followers of the flesh, to committed followers of Christ.
From now until the end of August, we will be taking a deeper look into each of the fruits. Through prayer, scripture, and real life application and challenge, we will discover together how to live by and follow the Spirit in every aspect of our lives. In two weeks we will begin with LOVE.
As we end today, I challenge you to consider these questions as they relate to your life:
What desire of the flesh have I been following?
What fruit do I see evidence of in my life?
What fruit could I grow in?
What next step is the Lord calling me to pursue a more meaningful relationship with Him?
Heavenly Father, let me begin anew in You. Take away the desires of my flesh and show me the sin I have been living in. Fill me with your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Come and move in my life. With open hands and an eager heart, I give my life as an offering to you. In your holy name, amen.
