According to the Rev. Dr. John MacArthur, the phrase "... fruit of The Spirit ..." refers to the Godly attitudes that characterize the lives of only those who belong to God by faith in Christ and possess The Spirit of God.
All nine characteristics are linked together and present in true believers. The word 'fruit' as it is used in this verse is singular and not plural. One 'fruit' encompasses all nine characteristics. If The Holy Spirit is in you, then you have possess all nine of these characteristics.
Our goal as Christians should be to live our lives in such a manner as to display these nine Godly attitude characteristics much more often and to display our sinful worldly nature much less frequently.
I first presented a blog on this topic on November 21, 2010, and addressed the subject of 'fruit' in general. This time, God willing, over the next several days I will address each of the nine characteristics individually. Not to separate them but to expound upon them without making one very long blog.
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