"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). When Paul was talking about the "fruit of the Spirit," he was not referring to a piece of fruit from a tree, like an orange or an apple.
Many common language terms used for fruit and seeds differ from botanical classification. For example, in botany, a fruit is ripened ovary or carpel that contains seeds; e.g., an apple, pomegranate, tomato, or a pumpkin. A nut is a type of fruit (and not a seed), and a seed is a ripened ovule.
In culinary language, a fruit is the sweet or not sweet (even sour) tasting produce of a specific plant (e.g., a peach, pear, or lemon). "Fruit" normally means the seed-associated fleshy structures (or produce) of plants that typically are sweet or sour and edible in the raw state, such as apples, bananas, grapes, lemons, oranges, and strawberries. In botany the term "fruit" in everyday language, such as nuts, beans pods, corn kennels, tomatoes, and wheat grains.
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a term that is found in the Book of Galatians, where the Apostle Paul made a response to the churches in southern Galatia founded by Paul on his first missionary journey. The purpose of the letter was to refute the Judaizers, who taught that Gentile believers must obey the Jewish law in order to be saved, and to confirm to the Christians faith. As Paul explains that they are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, he begins to brings in the Fruit of the Spirit which is how they are to live as the redeemed children of God.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been gifted with the Holy Spirit, which enables you to bear fruit. The Holy Spirit is God and is a person. He is a "who" and not a "what." In the Bible he is always referred to as a "he" and not an "it." He has many attributes of a person, so we need to understand the He is a divine person who can feel, think, and He can grieve.
The Holy Spirit is God, just like God the Father, and God the Son. There is one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each One is co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.
The Holy Spirit enables you to bear fruit. When the Holy Spirit comes to live within you, you will produce the "fruit of the Spirit." The fruit of the Spirit is all about growing to be more like Jesus. He works to develop the character of Jesus within you. The fruit of the Sprit is a beautifully awesome portrait of Jesus.
It should not surprise you that "love" is listed as the first fruit. After all Jesus is LOVE. He is the essence of love. This is how God's Word defines love, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endure all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
We are called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are called to delight in God and to pursue Him. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Agape love is the love model. It is the fatherly love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God. It is the love that is given whether or not it is returned. True love cares. True love protects. True love forgives.
"Joy" comes from God. It invades us, conquers us, and it liberates us from eternal death. God has given us hope and joy because He has poured out His love within our hearts through His Holy Spirit. Joy goes beyond the limited explanation that is in the dictionary. It is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. True joy is a limitless reservoir of cheerfulness and gladness of the heart. It comes from the direct result of having a personal relationship with Jesus.
"Peace" the word in Hebrew is "shalom." Shalom means peace, is the result of right a relationship with God, with one another, and with all creation. Peace is a gift from God. Peace is at the heart of the inner life of the Holy Trinity. Peace is the absence of war or chaos. Peace is having a good relationship with people. The Bible tells us, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). Our deepest peace is with God.
"Patience" is the ability to endure difficult people and situations without giving into anger or giving up hope. Patience in the King James version of the Bible is called "longsuffering." We are to be patient in our intentions with others. We are encouraged to clothes ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience when dealing with others. Patience is a Christlike character that does not seek vengeance or difficulties for those who oppose us. This fruit of the Spirit is passive in relation to others. It means bearing rudeness and unkindness, turning the other cheek as Jesus has told us to do.
"Kindness" is the deposition we should display when dealing with others. Kindness is selfless, compassionate, and merciful. True kindness is rooted in love. Kindness involves acts of goodwill, empathy, and the understanding of other's burden. When Jesus gave us instructions on the teaching of love, He told us to love our neighbors and our enemies. He told us that it doesn't matter what someone do to you, you must love them anyway.
"Goodness" is an internal quality that we develop through our relationship with God. The definition of "goodness" is the quality of being morally good or virtuous. The Bible tells us that "good" means holy, pure, and righteousness. Literally goodness is godliness. When we act out of the goodness of our heart, we are obedient to God's commandment, because our actions comes from a place of selflessness.
"Faithfulness" means steadfast loyalty and trustworthiness. Faithfulness is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness to each other. Our faithfulness to God means trusting in Him and following His commandments. Having faith requires demonstrating it. Faithfulness is one of the defining qualities of God's own character. God is completely and totally faithful. He will never break a promise. This fruit helps us to be faithful to God not just in the short term, but for the long term.
"Gentleness" is defined as the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered. It requires great strength and self-control. Gentleness is not weakness. Gentleness is having the heart and attitude of meekness. It is the lack of pride. Gentleness involves kindness, patience, and respect toward others. It portrays as a powerful and transformative quality that reflect the character of God.
"Self-control" is the ability to control oneself, particularly one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, thoughts, and impulses. It is the active effort to resist the temptation that will cause you to go back to the ways of this sinful world. Spiritual self-control cannot happen without the help of the Holy Spirit. We must completely depend on Him to provide us with the power and the strength to practice self-control.
Those that live by the Word of God produces the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit alone. Jesus is our source, because He is the tree or vine that provides the energy within to produce the fruit. This energy is the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. He comes as a gift of God's grace. Changing someone into the image of Jesus cannot be hurried. Everything has to happen in God's time.
God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. He has made us partakers of the Divine nature, and yet He expects us to make every effort to add Godly attributes to our character. All you have to do is surrender your life and will to Him, because the fruit of the Spirit doesn't just pop in us without effort.