22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
Vs. 22-23: - “Fruit of the Spirit” - These nine characteristics are set off against the fifteen ‘deeds of the flesh’ seen in the previous verses.
Love - This is the agape love, the forgiving, forgetting love we cherish that is the gift of God to us. We should not deceive ourselves in thinking that God actually ‘forgets’ our transgressions. He does not; He cannot - He is omniscient. Believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior means that His sacrifice has paid the penalty. The wrath that should have fallen on us has been paid by Jesus. God ‘forgets’ in that He recognizes the price is paid in full in Jesus. There are no ‘Accounts Receivable’ when we are in Jesus Christ.
Joy - a calm delight, gladness
Peace - the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, fearing nothing from God
Patience - forbearance, long-suffering, slowness in avenging wrongs
Kindness - moral goodness, integrity, benignity
Goodness - uprightness of heart and life,
Faithfulness - the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetite. This trait goes hand-in-hand with self-control.
Gentleness - mildness of disposition, humility
Self-Control - mastery of desires and passions, especially sensual appetites.
- “Against such things” - These are not deeds of the flesh. Those are part of this world and draw us away from Jesus (See: Gal. 5:19-21). Are we to combat the flesh with rules and restrictions? Do rules make our lives easier or better? Jesus did not give us new and better rules and rituals. He came to set us free.
The beginning of this chapter says “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” Two things are required - love God and love each other - everything else follows. Jesus gives abundant life. Such life does not come by following rules. It comes from the freedom of loving Him, and being loved in return. Joy comes from Jesus. Seek Him. Freedom and joy will follow.
Someone will ask,”How will I know that Christ lives in me?” Or, “Without the rules, procedures, and rituals how will I know that I am a successful Christian?” Or, “Will I feel different?” “Will I see the world differently?” “How will others know that I am saved?”
Jesus did not say, “Bear down. Work harder.” Nor did He say, “Work smarter, not harder.” He said, “Follow Me.” “Take up your cross and follow Me.” I do not think the ‘cross’ is some burden, illness, or circumstance that you must suffer (although that is the way this metaphor is commonly used). The ‘cross’ is voluntarily giving our life to Jesus, surrendering wholly just as He offered Himself as a sacrifice for us. Tell Him your life is not your own, but His. The fruit of the Spirit will be manifest in your life as you focus on Jesus Christ where He is, seated at the right hand of God in heaven. (See: Col. 3:1-4)
These nine characteristics will be outward symptoms of your commitment to Jesus Christ. Just as the fifteen deeds of the flesh are symptomatic of your life owned and controlled by Satan. Satan does not have permanent possession of you unless you reject Jesus as Lord and Savior. When you give your live to Jesus, you become His. No one nor anything can take you from Him.
| Side Note: notice the pattern of the fruit, three groups of three. Three single-syllable words, three two-syllable words, and three three-syllable words. I don’t think there is any deep significance in that pattern, but it is a nice mnemonic. |
24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Vs. 24 - “Crucified the flesh” - The body you now live in is dead when you are born again. When you are resurrected, or when Christ returns, you get a new body - a perfect body. A body that is suitable for a permanent home for our reborn spirit. The new body is not damaged by sin. “Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.” (1 Cor. 6:13)
Just as you voluntarily accept Christ as Savior (a.k.a., free will), you are voluntarily discarding the present body. “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;” (Rom. 6:6)
The picture is the present body being put to death, crucified on the cross of Jesus. Jesus said, “Take up your cross...” (Matt. 16:24; Mk. 8:34) “Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.” (1 Cor. 12:27) “it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Cor. 15:44) “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” (Col. 3:5) “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 6:11) “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” (Rom. 8:10)
“If we live... also walk” - This is not an “If-Then” conditional statement. It is more like a ‘Since-Therefore” construction. To paraphrase this sentence: “Since we are alive by the power of the Spirit of God, therefore we need to live in the same power.”
Paul has spent the last four and one-half chapters of this letter pounding the concept we are not saved by works or by the Law. We are saved by Christ crucified and resurrected, and by the Holy Spirit given to us when we believe and accept Jesus as Savior.
We are not saved by deeds, even deeds done in righteous effort. We are saved by His mercy. We are saved by the renewing by the Holy Spirit. (See: Titus 3:5).
So, if you are saved - given eternal life - by the Spirit, why would you want to live that new life by following the same kind of rules that could not save you? Making people obey rules puts burdens on them; we rob people of the joy of being saved. Jesus said, “My burden is light.” We have been set free!
In our world, or fleshly nature, we are bullied by death, sin, shame. We are frustrated and lash out, or try escaping through activity or drugs. There is no joy in life being beset by sin. When we live in the Spirit, we have freedom - from committing sin, from guilt and shame. We are free to contemplate living forever with God the Father and Jesus. When hampered by sin in our lives, it is almost impossible to think about eternity. Sin, guilt and shame hanging over us clouds our vision of eternity.
We are to be different - our old nature, the one we were born with - is tuned to the world. When we accept Christ we are reborn with a new nature, one attuned to the Lord.“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Vs. 26 - “Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”“Let us not become boastful... challenging... envying” - It is far too easy to feel superior to others. “I have Christ and you don’t!” “I’m going to heaven. What about you?” We can easily become like the Pharisee praying, “... God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” (Luk. 18:11) At no time can we brag, “Look what I have done!” Too easily we compare ourselves to others. (See: Rom. 12:3; 2 Cor. 10:12). We are also warned to “do nothing from selfishness and empty conceit.” (Phil. 2:3).
We cannot manufacture joy, love, or peace in our hearts and souls. These are a gift from God through our Savior Jesus Christ. You will not find joy in following rules and laws. You will not be at peace with God by regulation. I am pretty sure you will not be filled with love by obedience to rituals. Love, Joy, and Peace flow from a heart filled and controlled by the Grace of God through His Holy Spirit. Surrender to Him and be filled.
It is difficult enough living our faith in this broken and hostile world. There is no reason to over-burden ourselves with matters that ultimately do not matter! They do not matter in the sense that we cannot be saved by them, we can not live a life worthy of the sacrifice by them. We can only frustrate ourselves as come to believe we are failures.”
We are not failures in Christ. We are more than conquerors! We are children of God! We have hope! (See: 1 Tim. 4:10.)
*** End of the Chapter
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