Galatians 5 teaches that if we walk by the Spirit, we will avoid “works of the flesh” and produce the “fruit of the Spirit.” This beautiful fruit is described as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).
It is fitting that love is mentioned first. If we love God as we should, we will be motivated to please Him by obeying His commands (1 John 5:3).
Love for others involves seeking others’ highest good. It serves as the motivation for treating others right. A familiar passage in 1 Corinthians 13 expresses this well. Verses 4-7 say, “Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (also see Rom. 13:9-10).
The second quality included in the fruit of the Spirit is joy.1 Thessalonians commands, “Rejoice always” (Ch. 5:16). As Philippians 4:4 shows, continual joy is possible “in the Lord.” The blessings of living in Christ (saved from sin, reconciled to God, a member of His family, etc.) provide a basis for a much deeper and more lasting sense of joy than anything the world offers.
The same can be said with the third characteristic included in the fruit of the Spirit: peace. Walking by the Spirit leads one to be at peace with God (Rom. 5:1), and to seek peace with others (Rom. 12:18).
The one who is at peace with God and fervently prays to and trusts Him is able to have inner peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).
Walking by the Spirit also leads one to be longsuffering. This can include suffering long while enduring hardships – i.e., steadfastly obeying God through trials (2 Tim. 2:3).
It can also include being longsuffering toward others – i.e., suffering mistreatment from others with love, instead of rendering evil for evil (1 Pet. 3:9).
The fruit of the Spirit further includes kindness. Instead of bitterness, wrath, slander, and malice, those who walk by the Spirit are kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving, bearing in mind the kindness and willingness to forgive God has shown us (Eph. 4:31-32).
This is connected to the sixth quality listed in the fruit of the Spirit: goodness. The one who walks by the Spirit seeks to do good for others, just as God has been so good to us.
The seventh quality listed in the fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. Faith, in one sense is “assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). When the term “faithful” is used, though, it often refers to being trustworthy. Just as “God is faithful” (1 Cor. 10:13), meaning He can be relied on to follow through with what He’s promised, those who walk by the Spirit can be counted on to fulfill the responsibilities God has given us.
The eighth characteristic listed in the fruit of the Spirit is meekness. The attitude of meekness accepts God as our Master, yields to His guidance, and yields to others when it is appropriate.
Meekness is not being gullible or being a “push-over.” It works “hand-in-glove” with being steadfast. Steadfastness refuses to change in ways that push us away from God, while meekness pursues changes that draw us closer to God. Meekness is the attitude of allowing God to mold us like clay according to His will (cf. James 1:21).
The final trait mentioned in the description of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. This involves an inner mastery over one’s desires and passions. For instance, controlling one’s anger is needful to avoid being quick-tempered and thus speaking rashly toward others in fits of wrath (Eph. 4:26; James 1:19). These nine qualities show the beauty of living according to God’s will. May we shun the “works of the flesh,” and pursue the excellent way of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.”
– Michael Hickox