“The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  Galatians 5:22-23   These are not lofty virtues that can be achieved by human effort but are outcomes of the Holy Spirit working in the life of the believer.  Neither are they to be held as a mark of private spirituality.  They are the very character qualities of Christ that rule how a believer lives and interacts with the world around him.  They are the evidence of the transformative power of the Spirit. 

As such, they give witness to the Kingdom of God.  The very character of those who live according to the will of God, where Jesus is Lord, both preserves and advances the Kingdom.  Spirit-led individuals and communities demonstrating these qualities provide credible and tangible evidence to a watching world.  They become “salt that flavors, light that illuminates, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.”  Matthew 5:13-16  

The Fruit of the Spirit foreshadows the coming age when Christ returns and the Kingdom of God is brought to completion.  Foremost on the list is love.  It is a sacrificial love that extends mercy and grace to all mankind, encompassing and energizing all of the other Fruit.  Joy testifies that reality is not rooted in this world, but in the comfort and strength of a personal relationship with God through Christ Jesus.  Peace speaks to reconciliation and healing: in broken relationships, divided communities and with the Father Himself. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:7

Forbearance (or patience) recognizes God’s longsuffering, “not wishing that any should perish.”  Kindness reflects the generosity of God’s mercy and grace, even to the most undeserving.  The Fruit of Goodness is righteousness in action; integrity, even at great personal cost, to do what is pleasing to God. Faithfulness is trustworthy reliability even under pressure to be disloyal.  Gentleness, often described as meekness, is the Kingdom strength most exemplified in Jesus.  “I am gentle and lowly in heart.”  Matthew 11:29   Self-control, the mastery over desires and action, makes all the other virtues, and obedience itself, sustainable.

“By their fruit you will recognize them.”  Matthew 7:16   The Fruit of the Spirit demonstrates Christ’s reign in our lives.  The same should be said of the Church.  Every expression of the Fruit of the Spirit should contradict worldly patterns, reconciling divided communities, families and relationships, to point to the restoration of all things.  It is the Father’s goal, by the Spirit’s power,  “… to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”  Ephesians 1:10