Fruit of the Holy Spirit

The Fruit of the Spirit is a concept from the Christian New Testament of The Bible, specifically the "Epistle to the Galatians" chapter 5. 'Fruit' is used to mean 'end product' or 'harvest', and hence the passage describes what the writer expects to observe in someone in whom the Holy Spirit has been working. The relevant passage reads:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:19-23, New International Version)

The virtues are given in a pleonastic style which rhetorician George Kennedy describes as "The cumulation of a series of words which seem to come pouring out of his heart" (p. 90). This is a common stylistic feature of the Apostle Paul's writing. See Romans 1:29-31; 13:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:19-23; Philippians 4:8.

ymbolism

The nine-pointed star or nonagram symbolizes the Nine Fruits of the Spirit listed in the "Epistle to the Galatians". This star is sometimes depicted with the Latin initials for each of the fruits placed within the points: , , , , , , , and .Fact|date=August 2008

Love (Latin: "caritas")

The word rendered "love" is "agape" in the Greek, which in the Christian context refers to unconditional love. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance describes Agape as:

"Strong's #26:" A word to which Christianity gave new meaning. Outside of the NT, it rarely occurs in existing Greek manuscripts of the period. "Agape" denotes an undefeatable benevolence and unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest of the other , no matter what he does. It is the self-giving love that gives freely without asking anything in return, and does not consider the worth of its object. "Agape" is more a love by choice than "philos," which is love by chance; and it refers to the will rather than the emotion. "Agape" describes the unconditional love God has for the world.

Paul describes the attributes of this love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a:

"Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong] . It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything without weakening] . [Love never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end] . Love never fails." (AMP)

Joy (Latin: "gaudium")

Joy is more than happiness, which is temporal and conditional. Happiness is an emotion dependent on personal feelings. Joy is the unconditional state of mind that accompanies fellowship with God. It is characterized by great wellbeing.

"The Greek word for 'joy' is "chara," derived from the word "charis," which is the Greek word for 'grace.' This is important to note, for it tells us categorically that "chara" is produced by "charis" of God. This means 'joy' isn't a human-based happiness that comes and goes...Rather, true 'joy' is divine in origin...it is a Spirit-given expression that flourishes best in hard times. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 1:6, the Thessalonians were under great stress due to persecution; yet in the midst of it all, they continued to experience great joy. In fact the Greek strongly implies that their supernatural joy was due to the Holy Spirit working in them. Paul even called it the "joy of the Holy Ghost." ("Sparkling Gems from the Greek," Rick Renner)

Nehemiah 8:10b says "do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." NKJV

Peace (Latin: "pax")

Peace is the result of resting in a relationship with God ("Naked Fruit' by Elisa Morgan). Peace is a tranquility, a state of rest, that comes from seeking after God, or, the opposite of chaos.

The word "peace" comes from the Greek word "eirene," the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word "shalom," which expresses the idea of "wholeness, completeness, or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by the outward curcumstances or pressures." The word "eirene" strongly suggests the rule of order in place of chaos. When a person is dominated by peace, he has a calm, inner stability that results in the ability to conduct himself peacefully, even in the midst of circumstances that would normally be very nerve-wrecking, traumatic, or upsetting...Rather than allowing the difficulties and pressures of life to break him, a person who is possessed by peace is "whole, complete, orderly, stable, and poised for blessing." ("Sparkling Gems from the Greek," Rick Renner)

Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace, who brings peace to the hearts of those who desire it. He says in John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." NKJV

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict." -Anonymous

Patience (Latin: "longanimitas")

Patience, which in some translations is "longsuffering" or "endurance," is defined in Strong's by two Greek words, "makrothumia" and "hupomone."

The first, pronounced (mak-roth-oo-"mee"-ah) comes from "makros", "long," and "thumos," "temper." The word denotes lenience, forbearance, fortitude, patient endurance, longsuffering. Also included in "makrothumia" is the ability to endure persecution and ill-treatment. It describes a person who has the power to exercise revenge but instead exercises restraint. (Strong's #3115)

The latter, hupomone, (hoop-om-on-"ay") is translated "endurance": Constancy, perseverance, continuance, bearing up, steadfastness, holding out, patient endurance. The word combines "hupo," "under," and "mone," "to remain." It describes the capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances, not with a passive complacency, but with a hopeful fortitude that actively resists weariness and defeat. (Strong's #5281)

Hebrews 10:36 says "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise."

Kindness (Latin: "benignitas")

Kindness does not necessarily mean nice. One can be kind and not nice. Nice is defined by dictionary.com as being agreeable. In contrast, kindness is acting for the good of people regardless of what they do.

Strong's "#5544:" Kindness is goodness in action, sweetness of disposition, gentleness in dealing with others, benevolence, kindness, affability. The word describes "the ability to act for the welfare of those taxing your patience." The Holy Spirit removes abrasive qualities from the character of one under His control. (emphasis added)

The word kindness comes from the Greek word "chrestotes" (khray-"stot"-ace), which meant to show kindness or to be friendly to others and often depicted rulers, governors, or people who were kind, mild, and benevolent to their subjects. anyone who demonstrated this quality of "chrestotes" was considered to be compassionate, considerate, sympathetic, humane, kind, or gentle. The apostle Paul uses this word to depict God's incomprehensible kindness for people who are unsaved (see Romans 11:22; Ephesians 2:7; Titus 3:4).

One scholar has noted that when the word "chrestotes" is applied to inter-human relationships, it conveys the idea of being adaptable to others. Rather than harshly require everyone else to adapt to his own needs and desires, when "chrestotes" is working in a believer, he seeks to become adaptable to the needs of those who are around him. ("Sparkling Gems from the Greek", Rick Renner)

Goodness (Latin: "bonitas")

#The state or quality of being good
#Moral excellence;virtue;
#Kindly feeling,kindness,generosity
#The best part of anything;Essence;Strength;
#General character recognized in quality or conduct.

Popular English Bibles (e.g. NIV, NASB, NLT) translate the single Greek word "chrestotes" into two English words: kindness and goodness.

Faithfulness (Latin: "fides")

Faithfulness

Gentleness (Latin: "")

Gentleness, in the Greek, "praotes" (prah-"ot"-ace), commonly known as meekness. The New Spirit Filled Life Bible defines gentleness as

"a disposition that is even-tempered, tranquil, balanced in spirit, unpretentious, and that has the passions under control. The word is best translated 'meekness,' not as an indication of weakness, but of power and strength under control. The person who possesses this quality pardons injuries, corrects faults, and rules his own spirit well."

elf-Control (Latin: "continentia")

The word rendered "self-control" is "ejgkravteia" (eng-"krat"-i-ah) in the Greek. Strong's #1466.
Self-control

ee also

*Gifts of the Holy Spirit

ource

*Holy Bible Galatians 5:22

George A. Kennedy, New Testament Interpretation Through Rhetorical Criticism, (University of North Carlina Press: 1984)

References