The Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 Week 1 Love Week 2 Joy Week 3 Peace Weeks 4 Patience Week 5 Kindness Week 6 Goodness Week 7 Faithfulness Week 8 Gentleness Week 9 Self-Control Introduction Paul s famous passage in Galatians 5:22-23, listing the fruit of the Spirit, comes toward the end of His letter to the Galatians. Context is important here! To begin, we must not see the fruit as a list of requirements for entering into God s Kingdom. Already, Paul has emphasized that we are justified (declared right before God) by faith (see Gal. 2:15-16, 20-21; 3:2, 5, 7, 14, 26; 5:5-6). We are reconciled to God by faith, and we give evidence of that faith through our works. In Galatians 5:6 Paul writes, For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. Faith in Jesus results in a life of love! Salvation is by faith, but true salvation is always accompanied by fruit! Those who are connected to Jesus by faith give evidence of this union by fruit. In John 15:5 Jesus says, I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit In John 15:8 He says, By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Those who abide (remain) in Jesus will bear fruit! Such fruit glorifies God and is evidence of our discipleship. Paul s main point in Ephesians 2:8-10 is that salvation is by grace, through faith, and not by our works. And yet, in verse 10 we see that we are saved for good works. The distinction must be made: we aren t saved by works, but for works. Faith in Jesus results in works! As Luther famously said: We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone. Who or what brings these works or fruit about? In Galatians 5:16 Paul writes, But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The key to producing Christ-honoring works or fruit is the indwelling work of the Spirit. When we trust in Jesus, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, who works in us to produce Christlikeness (Eph. 1:13-14). We get the Holy Spirit for the purpose of holy living. What does this look like? Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22-23: 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. Who embodied these fruit perfectly? Christ! When we trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us transforming us from the inside-out and empowers us to live Christ-like lives. Those who abide in Christ bear the fruit of the Spirit. In 1 John 2:6 John writes, whoever says he abides in him
ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Recall John 15:5. Those who abide, bear fruit! Bearing fruit is here equated to walking in the way in which Jesus walked! In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul lays out the works (or fruit) of the flesh. These include things like sexual immorality, jealousy, fits of anger and divisions. According to Paul, the believer should no longer be marked by these things, because those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). By trusting in Christ we are saved and transformed to live differently! We are filled with the Spirit to live lives marked by the character of Christ. In this 9 week study we will be looking at each of the fruit of the Spirit and discussing in detail what it looks like to bear the fruit of the Spirit and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. As we see in Galatians 6:1-5, bearing the fruit of the Spirit and cultivating the fruit of the Spirit is intended to take place in the context of the local church. We need others (the church) to help us in this work! It s my prayer that God s church would be marked by the fruit of the Spirit and a commitment amongst its member to help cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in one another for the glory of God! May this study aid in that most important work! Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love Week 1 Love Why is love mentioned first? This is the case in the original Greek as well. Love is often emphasized as being of prime importance in the character lists of Paul. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 Paul writes: So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. In Mark 12, when asked which commandment is the most important of all, Jesus responded by saying, The most important is love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. For Jesus, love, namely vertical and horizontal love, was the most important commandment! The Greek word used for love here in Galatians is agape. It means to love, to regard with affection, loving concern. Based on the surrounding context, Paul (in Gal. 5:22) most likely has in mind horizontal love, namely love for one s neighbor (see Gal. 5:13-14). 1. Read John 13:34-35; John 15:12; John 15:17; 1 John 3:17-18; 1 John 3:23. Why is the command to love one another so important? Who exemplifies love and how? What are some ways we can love others? According to John 13:34-35, what is the result of loving other believers? What do these one another commands in Scripture reveal about the importance of the church? 2. What does Paul say about love in Galatians 5:13-15? 3. Read 1 Corinthians 13. What do we learn about love here? 4. How can you do a better job of loving others in the church? Give 3 action steps. 5. Read Romans 5:8. How has God demonstrated His love for us? How can we demonstrate this Christ-like love for others? 6. What are two ways you can prayerfully apply what you ve learned from this study?
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is joy Week 2 Joy People tend to confuse joy with happiness. Happiness is typically based on one s circumstances. For example, someone may say, I m happy because everything in life seems to be going my way. On the other hand, someone who is unhappy may say, I lost my job, or my friend is angry with me, and therefore, I am unhappy. Joy is deep rooted and grounded upon much more than our circumstances. Joy is ongoing, despite one s circumstances. Joy is based upon the finished work of Christ and one s union with Christ through faith. Joy is the fruit of a life that is fully satisfied in Christ, an unshakable peace and fulfillment enjoyed by those who have a relationship with God and are thus filled with the Holy Spirit! The loss of a loved one, a job, or one s health cannot remove this joy! It was this joy that enabled Paul to say, For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). Whether in chains for the Gospel, threatened by death, or doing ministry alongside brothers in Christ, Paul had joy! Let s call this Gospel-joy, a joy that results from the Gospel and one s appropriate response to the Gospel. The word for joy in Greek, chara, refers to a state of joy or gladness. Joy, like love, is the fruit of the Spirit, the result of a life connected to Jesus by faith! 1. How have you typically thought of joy? What are things that give you joy? How is Jesus different from these things? What does it mean that He is the true source of joy? 2. Read Hebrews 12:2. What does joy refer to in this verse? How does this relate to our joy as followers of Jesus? 3. Read Philippians 4:10-13. Although the word, joy, doesn t appear in this passage, Paul s joy is evident. Where is joy seen in this passage? Can you identify with Paul here? Why or why not? 4. Read 1 Peter 1:8-9 and Romans 15:13. What is joy associated with in these two passages? 5. Read 1 John 1:1-4. What s the relationship between joy and sharing Jesus with others? 6. How can you work on cultivating Gospel-joy in your own life? Week 3 Peace Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is peace. All people desire peace! Whole movements have been built upon this one word. Who s ever heard someone say, Just give me a moment of peace? Some may view peace as simply quietness, the removal of loud noise and distractions; others think of peace as a lack of division or violence; and still others view peace as referring to that moment when all is well with the soul. But what does peace refer to (biblically), who gives it, and what does it result in? The Bible talks about peace quite a bit. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, refers to a state of all around personal wholeness (or well-being), and even salvation. The Greek word, eirene, carries the same meaning. Like shalom, it refers to a state of relational harmony between God and one s fellow human beings. Of course, God gives this peace. It is the result of the Gospel and produces vertical and horizontal harmony and reconciliation. In Romans 5:1 Paul writes, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace, relational harmony with God and others, is found in the Gospel and results in true satisfaction and joy! True peace is ONLY found in connection with Christ! If you wish to be whole, you must have Christ! Simply put, peace is found in a right relationship with God by trusting in Jesus.
1. How have you typically thought of peace? How does this differ from the biblical definition seen above? 2. Read Psalm 119:165; Romans 5:1; John 16:33. Based on these passages, what is peace and where is it found? 3. Peace is also equated to a quieted soul, a life deeply rooted in the goodness and sovereignty of God, a life that rests in God s promises and is not shaken by life s circumstances. Read Matthew 6:25-34 and Philippians 4:6-7. What do these passages teach us about peace and the pursuit of peace? What does it look like to practice peace? 4. In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. How can we (the church) function as agents of both vertical and horizontal peace? 5. Read Colossians 3:15 and Romans 14:13-19. Why is it important that we seek to cultivate and promote peace in the body of Christ? What does a lack of peace say to the watching world? 6. In what ways does your life currently display peace as a fruit of the Spirit? How can you grow in this area and help others to grow? 7. What does peace look like in practice in the local church? What are the indicators of a church where the peace of God reigns? Give examples. What does the absence of peace look like? 8. Revelation 21:1-4 paints a beautiful picture of our peaceful future with God! How should this view of the future affect how we live now? Week 4 Patience Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is patience. Most Americans struggle with patience. Due to our fast-food culture, we expect things our way and we expect them NOW! Every sinner lacks patience because at the heart of all sin is a desire to rule our own lives. Our lack of patience is seen in our proclivity to anger when things don t happen according to our timetable. We fail to trust God s plan for our lives and instead elevate our plan as supreme. When that plan doesn t work out, we explode. We do and say things that hurt ourselves and other people. We are a mess, but there is hope! The Spirit of God that indwells the people of God, when they trust in the Son of God, is committed to producing patience in His new creation people! The Greek word for patience, makrothymia, refers to a state of remaining tranquil while awaiting an outcome, patience, steadfastness, endurance; a state of being able to bear up under provocation, forbearance, patience toward others. Simply put, patience is trusting God in the midst of trials and suffering and it s putting up with others (even fellow believers) when they act foolishly, and not seeking retaliation. Patience is so important because it s an attribute of God, related to our salvation, that God s image-bearers (restored in Christ) are meant to display! In this study we will examine God s patience in the Old Testament, His patience in the New Testament, and some of the arenas within the Christian life where patience is intended to shine forth! 1. Read Jonah 3:10-4:4. God speaks of His own patience by using the phrase, slow to anger. Where is God s patience seen in this passage? What is it related to and what does it result in? 2. Read Micah 7:18-19. Where is God s patience seen in this passage? 3. Read Romans 2:4 and Romans 3:23-26. What does God s patience reveal about Him? According to these passages in Romans, where is it seen? What is His patience meant to do? 4. Gives some examples of Jesus exercising patience toward the disciples. See Mark 8:14-21.
5. Read 1 Peter 2:20-24. How did Jesus exercise patience at the Cross? 6. Read Hebrews 12:1-2. What s the relationship between Christ s patience and our patience? How should His example encourage us as we follow Him? 7. Read 1 Peter 4:12-14, 16, 19. How can believers exercise patience in the midst of trials and opposition? 8. Read Ephesians 4:1-3; Colossians 3:12-13. How can we exercise patience toward one another in the church, and why is this so important? 9. How can you grow in this area? Week 5 Kindness Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is kindness. We all value and appreciate kindness, especially when we are the recipients. We often hear it said, Kill them with kindness. This popular precept is actually based upon Proverbs 25:21-22. Paul quotes this passage in Romans 12:20. The them represents those who are opposing you, treating you unfairly or seeking to injure you (either physically or emotionally). The remedy, then, is to do to them the opposite. Is kindness, then, the opposite of opposing others, the opposite of treating others unfairly and/or seeking to injure others (either physically or emotionally) and is it only to be exercised towards those who wish to do harm to us? What (specifically) does kindness refer to? The Greek word used in Galatians 5:22 chrestotes refers to the quality of being helpful or beneficial, goodness, kindness, generosity. Of course we know that as believers we are called to exercise this quality towards all people! Let s actually look at the wording of Proverbs 25:21-22. It reads, 21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22 for you will heap burning coals on this head, and the Lord will reward you. Here we have a call to action! Kindness is much more than one s attitude or demeanor. It denotes action, namely a joyful willingness to give to others with the goal of helping others. Being kind is being willing to generously meet the needs of others! With all the fruit of the Spirit we must look to Jesus, the One who perfectly embodies the character of God! For that is what the fruit is, namely the character of God that the Spirit of God is at work cultivating in the people of God those who are trusting in Christ and seeking to follow Him and His example! Jesus embodied kindness by giving His life for our benefit! Furthermore, during His ministry on earth He met physical needs! He calls us to do the same! Are you kind? Do you consistently look for ways to generously give to others (with your time, your gifts and your money)? 1. Jesus exudes kindness throughout His ministry. This quality is particularly seen in His joyful willingness to take time for others. He didn t respond to interruptions with disdain, but with patience and kindness, a willingness to stop and serve. Give some examples of kindness displayed in the life of Jesus. Are you generally joyfully willing to make time for others, specifically to serve them and be a blessing to them? 2. Read 2 Corinthians 6:3-7. What is one of the reasons for kindness according to this passage? 3. Read Colossians 3:12-13. What does kindness look like in practice? How does one put it on? For the second question, see Romans 13:14. 4. According to Romans 2:4, what is the purpose of God s kindness? What are some examples of God s kindness towards people seen throughout the Bible?
5. Do you need to repent of a lack of kindness towards others in your own life (e.g., spouse, children, co-worker(s), friends, etc.)? What are some resources the Lord has provided to help you grow in this area? 6. Read Ephesians 4:31-32. Where is kindness seen in this passage? 7. How can you grow in this area? Give 2-3 actions steps. Week 6 Goodness Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is goodness Goodness comes from the Greek word, agathosyne, and denotes generosity. The meaning of the word is closely related to what we saw with kindness. To be good is to be generous towards others; it s to go beyond what is expected. Throughout the Old Testament, God is constantly described as good. Psalm 106.1 reads, Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good God s goodness is grounds for praise! His goodness refers to his kindness and moral character. Having been made in the image of God, we were made to imitate His character! What was fragmented by the Fall the image of God in us has been restored (and is being restored) by the Spirit! As Christ-followers, we are filled with the Spirit to live lives marked by generosity, kindness and moral goodness. 1. How does our culture define goodness today? Is this in line with what the Bible means by goodness? 2. Read Galatians 6:9-10. Why should we do good? Who should we do good to? What does this look like? 3. Read Romans 15:14. Why was Paul satisfied about the Christians in Rome? What might this look like in God s church today? 4. Read 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12. What does this passage teach us about goodness? 5. Give 2-3 examples from the life of Jesus where He exuded this particular fruit of the Spirit. 6. How can you grow in this area? Give 2-3 action steps. Week 7 Faithfulness Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. The Greek word used for faithfulness in Galatians 5 refers to the state of being someone in whom complete confidence can be placed trustworthiness, dependability, faithfulness. Christopher Wright notes, Faithfulness is the character of somebody you know you can simply rely on all the time. It makes sense that the Spirit would work to produce this characteristic in God s people, for God s faithfulness is one of His most defining characteristics. God has proven His faithfulness time and time again across the pages of Scripture. His faithfulness is most beautifully seen in the Cross the saving work of Jesus Christ, an event promised throughout the Old Testament. The Cross is proof par excellence of God s faithfulness. We first learn faithfulness by looking at God. The faithfulness of God is celebrated throughout His Word. Numbers 23:19 reads, God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? 1 Thessalonians 5:24 reads, Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. As followers of Jesus we are called to imitate God! Therefore, faithfulness should mark God s people.
Our trustworthiness is meant to point others to the trustworthiness of God! Lord, help us to exude your character. Help us to be dependable for the purpose of Christ-exalting fellowship with other believers. Without faithfulness there can be no friendship! 1. Give a few examples from Scripture where God s faithfulness is on display. 2. Why is God s faithfulness so important? Read Romans 8:31-39. What does this passage teach us about God s faithfulness? 3. Why is it important for followers of Jesus to be marked by faithfulness? 4. What are some practical ways that followers of Jesus can demonstrate faithfulness? 5. How might our faithfulness commend the gospel to others? 6. Another aspect of faithfulness is seen in one s lifelong commitment to another. How are you currently demonstrating your ongoing commitment to Jesus? Read 1 Timothy 1:12 and 2 Timothy 2:2. What is required of those who serve the Lord in ministry? 7. How can you grow in this area? Give 2-3 examples. Week 8 Gentleness Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness Men in our western context might cringe at the word, gentleness, in that it is typically not a characteristic prized by most guys! Gentleness, however, is not the opposite of tough or brave. The Greek word for gentleness, prautais, refers to gentleness of attitude or behavior, in contrast with harshness in one s dealings with others; humility, meekness. Gentleness shows itself in the face of difficulty, opposition and aggression. It s certainly not passivity in those situations, but rather the refusal to respond with the same level of aggression and harshness. Gentleness flows from a heart that trusts in the Lord, and knows that He will give justice. The gentle person is more concerned with the reputation of Christ and Christ s church than their own reputation. The gentle person, because they have Christ as their King, is not fighting to have their own personal kingdom protected against those who seek their ill. Rather, they trust the Lord and respond with wise words, controlling their tongue and temper, because they are most concerned with conveying the character of Christ! 1. Do you consider yourself to be gentle? Do others consider you to be gentle? Why or why not? 2. Read Philippians 4:4-7. What does the Bible teach us about gentleness here? 3. Read Proverbs 15:1. What is the result of a gentle answer? 4. Read 1 Peter 3:15. What role does being gentle play in our evangelism? 5. Read Matthew 11:28-29. How does the gentleness of Christ move people to come to Him? 6. How did Christ model this fruit in His own life? Give examples. 7. How might you grow in this area? Give 2-3 action steps.
Week 9 Self-control Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is self-control Of all the fruit, this is one that many believers view as unattainable. After long bouts with the same one or two sins, believers often wonder, Will I ever be free of this sin? There is certainly hope in Christ! The Spirit of God works in the people of God to produce the character of the Son of God! Self-control refers to the ability to exercise complete control over one s desires and actions. Self-control is the ability to resist the sinful passions and desires opposed to the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). Self-control is seen in the believer s growth in holiness as they begin to struggle less and less with the same sins! Let us pray for the Spirit to cause His church to grow in the area of self-control! 1. Where do we see Jesus exercising self-control in the gospels? 2. What do we learn about self-control in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27? 3. Why did you think Paul mentioned self-control when sharing the Gospel with Felix and his wife (see Acts 24:24-25)? 4. How are you personally doing in this area? 5. How can you grow in this area? What are some things you can start doing now? 6. Why is this fruit so important?