LIVING BY THE SPIRIT (II)

The Way of Life of the Holy Spirit

If the Holy Spirit is indeed a person, then he must have a way of life, a living conduit by which he expresses his nature and character, and models the way of life of God's children. The way of life of the Holy Spirit is summarized in the fruit of the Spirit. 

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

The word "fruit" denotes the end result or end product of a reproductive process involving many steps and stages. In relation to the Holy Spirit, fruit conjures the image of intimacy with the Holy Spirit not necessarily involving sexuality but sensitivity to him. Thus, a Christian who is awake and alert, or sensitive to the Holy Spirit tends to produce the fruit of the Spirit, in other words, the spiritual fruit resulting from intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Words that are synonymous with intimacy include fellowship, union, communion, partnership, sharing, connection, association, interaction, engagement, communication and conversation.

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22‭-‬23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:8‭-‬9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

[8] For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: [9] (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Contrary to popular opinion that there are nine fruits of the Spirit, a more careful dissection of the text reveals that fruit is singular but not plural in the text, hence there are not nine fruits but one fruit. Actually, the fruit of the Spirit is divine love, and this God-kind of love has several expressions. Take the rainbow. It has many colours. But the colour blue is one colour even though there are several shades of blue. It is the same with the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is divine love with several expressions including but not limited to joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Ephesians 5:9 as quoted above reveals other expressions of divine love such as righteousness and truth, yet these are not included in Galatians 5:22-23.

Love

I define love as the compassionate concern for the well-being of others. This can only source from God, for God is love personified. Divine love is unconditional and sacrificial, boundless and extravagant. Love is supreme and flows through all other virtues. Love becomes the mark of true Christian maturity. 

Joy

For someone to deduce divine love through your actions, you need to be joyful about them, expressing exhilaration regardless of the prevailing circumstances. Any action motivated by love is done cheerfully. Joy overflows within a Spirit-filled heart. It is not based on happenstance. Joy bellows in you like a tidal wave, flows through you like rivers of water, and carries others along. Joy is contagious, affectionately affecting others. 

Peace

Peace is a form of love. Peace conjures images of harmony and bliss in psychological, social, economic and political sense. Peace is spiritual, and begins with Christ. Spiritual peace surpasses human understanding in that it affords rest of mind and calm under anxious and nervous circumstances. Peace is not merely the absence of war but also the presence of optimal environment for human potential to develop. 

Forbearance

Forbearance is the instance of enduring wrong behaviour pattern, or being slow to avenge wrong. It means long-suffering, endurance and patience. Only divine love endures wrong for that long, and is slow to avenge the wrong. The Holy Spirit is God, and drenches your heart with the God-kind of forbearance that holds you back from unleashing your wrath, thereby forgiving the wrongs of others. 

Kindness

Kindness refers to the virtue of being uncommonly generous, always willing and eager to share your valuable possession (be it spiritual, financial or material) with others. Kindness is closely associated with giving, or the habit of sharing with others often with no expectation of such generosity being reciprocated. 

Goodness

Goodness is the quality of being beneficent, that is, tending to make others benefit or enjoy pleasant and fulfilling experiences through you. A Turkish proverb puts it perfectly. It says, "Good people are like candles; they burn themselves up to give others light."

Faithfulness

This refers to loyalty to some person or cause within a specific working relationship. Faithfulness is fidelity, allegiance, devotion, dedication, commitment, self-motivation and selfless service. It takes love to selflessly serve others. Selflessly serving others increases your self-worth, and hands you the key to becoming a servant leader. It is love that motivates you to want to selflessly serve others without seeking the benefits for only yourself. 

Gentleness

To be gentle means to be meek and easy to please. Gentleness is not being bossy, pompous, difficult or hard-hearted. Gentleness is bending over backwards for others. Love flows through gentleness. 

Self-control

Self-control is the instance of exercising restraint on your appetite, not granting your whims and wishes, but curtailing the cravings of your mind and body. Self-control is putting your mind and body under check, being disciplined and in control of your mind and body.

Summary

The fruit of the Spirit is a revelation of the nature and way of life of the Holy Spirit expressed through the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led child of God. His way of life is divine love, and this God-kind of love is expressed in several ways such as joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, righteousness and truth among other expressions. 


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