THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD

Proclamation:

"But the fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control ... Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by The Spirit, let us also keep step with The Spirit."  Galatians 5:22-25 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the believers in Galatia, which was a mixture of converted Jews and Gentiles.  Paul’s point here was that it was not enough for them to cease doing evil but that they must learn to do that which is Christ-like.

Application:

Most of us think that we are okay because we are not as bad as the worse criminals in the world.  We forget that The Bible says as a man thinks, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7 and Matthew 5:28)  Sinful thought are still sins.  In fact, anything which does not give God glory, all unrighteousness, is sin. (1 John 5:17)  We need to not think so highly of ourselves and recognize that if we are not exhibiting the fruit of The Holy Spirit of God, then we are probably committing a sin.  Trees bear fruit based upon their nature.  The fruit that we produce, our behavior, should be the same as the fruit of The Spirit, if The Holy Spirit of God is within us.  In the previous verses, Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists the things of the flesh that we should be dead to and which should no longer be a part of us.  Once we accepted Christ as our Savior, The Holy Spirit of God indwelled us.  We did not become perfect but we changed and became new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  We should now walk, talk, think, and behave in such a manner that the world can see the fruit of The Spirit in our lives.  We should not have to tell people that we are Christians, they should be able to detect that by observing us.  To the world, our actions will speak louder than our words.  Let us show the world that The Spirit of God is within us by our actions and by how we treat one another. (John 13:35)