The Fruit Of The Spirit #1: Love
The Fruit Of The Spirit #1: Love
The Fruit Of The Spirit #1: Love
We see the fruit (not fruits) of the Holy Spirit with nine characteristics in Galatians 5.22-23. This represents the fruit of the Tree of Life in the Old Testament.
Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The first characteristic of the fruit mentioned here is “Love”.
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
The essence of God is love. God is full of love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Here, we see a comparison between the gifts of the Spirit and love - which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. These verses signify that we should not be content with just the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but desire to yield the foremost fruit of the Spirit - which is love. Without love, even the most impressive acts of spirituality are empty noise.
Love isn’t one virtue among many. It is the foundation of Christian character. The ancient Greeks had multiple words for love, each encompassing a different aspect or type. The most prominent ones are:
Philia (brotherly/ friendly love),
Storge (natural/ familial love, like that between parent and child, siblings or family members - affection or protective love within the family or kinship)
Eros (passionate, romantic love - physical love, sexual desire or attraction, a God-designed attraction and romance within marriage)
Agape (unconditional/ divine love,selfless/ limitless/ sacrificial love, one-way love, the highest form of love)
Agape love is the foundation to Christian ethics - loving others without expecting anything in return -
Romans 5.8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The nature of Agape love:
Unconditional - God’s love toward us is not based on our performance.
Sacrificial - willing to suffer for the good of others.
Intentional - not based on feelings, but on godly decisions
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. He loved us when we were sinners.
Love is the soil in which all other fruit grows, because
Joy is love rejoicing
Peace is love resting
Patience is love enduring
Kindness is love acting
Goodness is love choosing
Faithfulness is love committing
Gentleness is love yielding
Self-control is love restraining
We can’t store up good feelings and behavior–but only draw them fresh from God each day. “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart”. - Corrie Ten Boom.
Agape love is produced by the Holy Spirit, if we would yield to Him. Agape love is not about chemistry, affection or agreement. True agape love goes beyond emotions. It chooses to bless even those who curse.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (NLT)
We see this love in Jesus on the cross and in Stephen as he was martyred.
Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Acts 7:60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
This is the love that we too need to pray for, a love that is willing to lay down our lives for our brothers.
John 15.12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The first characteristic of the fruit mentioned here is “Love”.
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
The essence of God is love. God is full of love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Here, we see a comparison between the gifts of the Spirit and love - which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. These verses signify that we should not be content with just the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but desire to yield the foremost fruit of the Spirit - which is love. Without love, even the most impressive acts of spirituality are empty noise.
Love isn’t one virtue among many. It is the foundation of Christian character. The ancient Greeks had multiple words for love, each encompassing a different aspect or type. The most prominent ones are:
Philia (brotherly/ friendly love),
Storge (natural/ familial love, like that between parent and child, siblings or family members - affection or protective love within the family or kinship)
Eros (passionate, romantic love - physical love, sexual desire or attraction, a God-designed attraction and romance within marriage)
Agape (unconditional/ divine love,selfless/ limitless/ sacrificial love, one-way love, the highest form of love)
Agape love is the foundation to Christian ethics - loving others without expecting anything in return -
Romans 5.8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The nature of Agape love:
Unconditional - God’s love toward us is not based on our performance.
Sacrificial - willing to suffer for the good of others.
Intentional - not based on feelings, but on godly decisions
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. He loved us when we were sinners.
Love is the soil in which all other fruit grows, because
Joy is love rejoicing
Peace is love resting
Patience is love enduring
Kindness is love acting
Goodness is love choosing
Faithfulness is love committing
Gentleness is love yielding
Self-control is love restraining
We can’t store up good feelings and behavior–but only draw them fresh from God each day. “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart”. - Corrie Ten Boom.
Agape love is produced by the Holy Spirit, if we would yield to Him. Agape love is not about chemistry, affection or agreement. True agape love goes beyond emotions. It chooses to bless even those who curse.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (NLT)
We see this love in Jesus on the cross and in Stephen as he was martyred.
Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Acts 7:60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
This is the love that we too need to pray for, a love that is willing to lay down our lives for our brothers.
John 15.12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
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