Fruit of the Spirit

MennoSota said:

Is the fruit of the Spirit one fruit or many fruits?
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

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There are many expressions of the fruit but I believe there is one fruit and one Spirit that produces fruit.

Where spiritual gifts are concerned Paul's language in 1Co 12-14 makes it clear that we don't all have all the gifts - they are given by the Spirit as he wills. I may have the gift of prophecy but not the gift of tongues, or I might have the gift of tongues but not the gift of healing, and so on. That's where the idea of being part of a body comes into play - if I am an eye what I need to do is focus on seeing rather than worrying that I'm not very good at reaching for things.

Where spiritual fruit is concerned it's not much good if we've got lots of peace but no love, no self-control and no gentleness. It doesn't make sense to argue that we don't have the fruit of gentleness because our fruit is love - we should expect to see the fruit in the lives of believers. The combination of the fruit means it's all but impossible to follow the world's approach of "fake it 'til you make it" because it's really hard to fake these things. We might fake a couple of them, we might fake all of them for a short time, but when we are tested it soon becomes clear which fruit are real and which are faked.

MennoSota said:

I agree with the idea that there is one fruit of the Spirit which can be manifest in various ways (flavors).
There are many churches, however, that use the list as a checklist for their lives and then work on each one to perfect them. It takes the Spirit right out of the process and turns it into a man-made work produced by discipline and effort by the person.

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How do you know it takes the spirit out of the process? Just because a person is trying to live a godly life doesn't mean the spirit is null and void.

MennoSota said:

How is trying to appease God by working through the list considered a Godly life? It's certainly a human effort of self-discipline, but is it something the Spirit produces or is it an imitation produced by your self?
Muslims try to live a godly life and generally out do Christians in their diligence to discipline their selves to follow Allah. Does a Christian, giving the same effort thus make it fruit of the Spirit?

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Jesus told his disciples that if they loved him they would obey his commands and out of love they did. It was a conscious choice that they made to obey out of love. The Spirit didn't just make it magically grow fruit in their lives through no effort at all of the disciples.
i think if we are going to set ourselves up here at fruit inspectors of other people then we are acting like judges. When really, only God knows the heart of a person. Only God knows the motives of a person. It isn't my job to judge.

jsimms435 said:

Jesus told his disciples that if they loved him they would obey his commands and out of love they did. It was a conscious choice that they made to obey out of love. The Spirit didn't just make it magically grow fruit in their lives through no effort at all of the disciples.
i think if we are going to set ourselves up here at fruit inspectors of other people then we are acting like judges. When really, only God knows the heart of a person. Only God knows the motives of a person. It isn't my job to judge.

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Only God knows the heart and motives of another but if we observe the life of another and find that as a matter of routine they lack love, they lack self-control, they lack patience, they lack gentleness etc, sooner or later we would have to ask just how closely they were walking with Christ and indeed whether they were walking with Christ at all.

It's clearly not appropriate to assume someone isn't a proper Christian because we saw them lose their temper once and therefore conclude they lack self-control but at some point we have to make a judgment call. Especially where teachers are concerned, where Jesus explicitly warned us of false prophets and false teachers and said we would know them by their fruits. I'm not sure why he would have said that, if the intention were anything other than to encourage us to judge people by their fruits.

All of which makes church as part of a local community far more useful than remote churches and listening to sermons by video link from afar. My pastor lives in my community and I see both him and others when I'm doing day-to-day things like going out shopping. I get to see how well he lives the life he preaches, and in turn other members of my church get to see something of how I live my life. They don't necessarily see me every time I'm standing in line at the checkout but the chances are if I'm routinely losing my patience with a slow checkout assistant it's going to be noticed and sooner rather than later.

When dealing with someone presented as a pastor from a church hundreds or thousands of miles away I can listen to the words they preach but have no way of seeing their life, no way of seeing whether their life aligns with the message they preach. For all I know the carefully stage-managed sermon could be a front for a guy who hits his wife, treats his children with disdain and regards other people as lesser than himself and takes advantage of them at every opportunity.

MennoSota said:

Before the Spirit alighted upon the Apostles, they failed miserably. Look at Peter.
The Spirit did place them into the vine, give them nutrients and prune them to cause better harvest. The Bible says that Jesus is the Vine and the Father is the vinedresser.
Humans can certainly discipline themselves to act in ways they think are pleasing. But, our self disciplined actions always fall short due to our corruption. Only God, through the work of the Spirit, can produce a good work in us.
Paul tells us in Romans 7 what his human efforts produce. In Romans 8 he reveals what God's work produces.
Therefore, any effort on our part to mimic the fruit of the Spirit will result in a corrupted and prideful human fruit that is of little value.

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So according to you we are passive instruments that bear no responsibility? Got it

MennoSota said:

Before the Spirit alighted upon the Apostles, they failed miserably. Look at Peter.
The Spirit did place them into the vine, give them nutrients and prune them to cause better harvest. The Bible says that Jesus is the Vine and the Father is the vinedresser.
Humans can certainly discipline themselves to act in ways they think are pleasing. But, our self disciplined actions always fall short due to our corruption. Only God, through the work of the Spirit, can produce a good work in us.
Paul tells us in Romans 7 what his human efforts produce. In Romans 8 he reveals what God's work produces.
Therefore, any effort on our part to mimic the fruit of the Spirit will result in a corrupted and prideful human fruit that is of little value.

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It isn't effort to mimic, it is effort to abide by the law of the Spirit written on the hearts and minds of the believer.

Who would have a mind to mimic the fruit of the Spirit?

Are we not to be imitators of Christ?

1 Peter 4: 1. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2. That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4. Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5. Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 6. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 7. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 9. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.


Philippians 2: 1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2. Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16. Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 17. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. 18. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

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Matthew 7:21-23 NASB
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Hebrews 11:6 NASB And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Ephesians 2:1-10 NASB
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.


Philippians 2:13 NASB for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.