The fruit of the Spirit is…love

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, 23.

        The full quotation by Paul includes nine characteristics that every Christian should enjoy and be actively working to increase, with the Holy Spirit’s help. The first in the list is love and, as 1^st Corinthians 13 tells us in another comparison, “the greatest of these is love.”

        When we look at love in the Christian’s life, we are amazed at the greatest expression of love, in God Himself, and hence through Jesus. “God is love.” Since God is Trinity, the three persons of the Godhead have always had mutual, interactive love for each other. This would be part of the very definition of a trinity.

        But God’s love overflowed, and He created mankind to share it with. We don’t read that God loves the angels; they are His servants and always will be. But God loves men and women and, as the Lord Himself commanded us, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35. Francis Schaeffer called this “The Mark of the Christian.”

        But what is this love? How do we recognize it? This is the agape love of the Father for the Son, and of God for His people. The NIV has over 50 references to love, in the gospels alone, and over 200 in the New Testament. We are certainly not adequate to a thorough discussion of this love, but a few key verses should get us heading in the right direction. We need to remind ourselves of just where our personal spiritual life stands in this regard.

        Matthew (7:18) reminds us that “a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.” Romans (5:5) tells us that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” If we follow this line of thinking, then Romans 12:10 is a logical next step, “Be devoted to one another in love.” In fact, this love goes beyond our own circle to “this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Romans 13:9).

        Trying to keep to a logical progression, we come to 1 Corinthians 8:1—“love builds up.” Even further, “love binds these virtues all together.” (Col.3:14) And 1 Corinthians 13 is the great chapter on love. This is the really tough part for us Christians. This is where the good tree bears its good fruit.

                  LOVE—

          Is patient

          Is kind

          Is not envious

          Is not boastful

          Is not proud

          Does not dishonor others

          Is not self-seeking

          Is not easily angered

          Keeps no record of wrongs

          Does not delight in evil

          Rejoices with the truth

          Always protects

          Always trusts

          Always hopes

          Always perseveres

          NEVER FAILS.

        After a list like that from Paul you would think nothing could be added, but John did complete the picture with two final statements:

·        1 John 3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

·        And 1 John 5:2 wraps it all up with, “This is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”