INTRODUCTION

Author: Pastor Johan du Toit

Overview

Although we know the truth of the Word concerning many things, we need to be reminded of the basics of the Christian life often.

Read II Peter 1:12,13 & Philippians 3:1

God’s desire for our lives is to be complete, whole, blameless ‐ perfect.

I Thessalonians 5:23‐24NKJV
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

It is God’s will for us to be perfect, and He stands behind us to perform it in our lives. God wants us to be perfect, which means He wants us to grow to maturity, but it doesn’t happen automatically.]

Learning Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. THE THREEFOLD BEING OF MAN

When we minister to someone, we must remember to minister to the whole man; spirit, soul and body.

1.1 The Spirit

II Corinthians 5:17 tells us that we have become new creations in Christ Jesus; old things have passed away and all things have become new. But the new birth takes place in the spirit of man only; the soul (mind) and the body remain unchanged.

John 3:6 NKJV 
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

The spirit is made new ‐ born again, from above, from God.

John 1:12,13 NKJV 
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

Read I Peter 1:2,3

We were born again from incorruptible seed, our spirit man is perfect as a new creation. Now that seed needs to grow and come to full maturity and bear fruit.

Hebrews 12:9 tells us that God is the Father of our spirits. That is why we can overcome things inherited from our earthly fathers ‐ we are new creations and we now have a heavenly Father.

Read Hebrews 12:22,23. “The spirits of just men made perfect.” God’s desire for us is not only to be born again but to be perfect, mature in our spirit man.

You cannot ask God for the fruit of the spirit because you already have it as a new creation ‐ you just have to develop and mature in it. The fruit of the spirit is manifesting the character of God in your life. Eternal life is to know God (read John 17:2,3).\

II Peter 1:2,3 NKJV
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue...

The more you know Jesus, the more you will be like Him, but He has already given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. At the new birth we received the nature of our Father in heaven. Now we need to get to know our Father by becoming imitators of Him as dear children (Eph. 5:1), and this we do by spending time with Him and His Word. The Word reveals His character to us.

There are four ways to know someone:

1. Historically; like Napoleon. We get to know someone by reading his history.
2. Contemporarily; like queen Elizabeth. We know something about her by what the media portrays to us. This may not be the full picture though because the media is selective and highlights certain things while they are silent about other things. They do not tell the full story about her.
3. Platonically; like we know some friends. We may know something about them that other people may not know, but we still do not know all about them.
4. Intimately; like we know ourselves or our spouse. We need to know the Lord intimately. The supreme desire of our lives should be to know Him intimately.

Read Philippians 3:7‐10

The Word will show Jesus to us, and it is the mirror that shows us what we look like.

Exodus 38:8 NKJV 
He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.  

The laver is an Old Testament type of the Word: it shows us our imperfections and cleanses us with the water of the Word. See John 15:3 and James 1:23‐25, “Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.” If you don’t apply the knowledge you receive, you are a hearer only and the Word will not benefit you. There is no growth without change!

Be prepared to change; to change into His image. If we can see God’s glory we will be transformed into the same image of glory. The more we look into it, the more we will be transformed.

Read II Corinthians 3:7‐18

I Corinthians 13:12 NKJV 
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 

Our desire must be to know Him better every day. When we know Him, we will manifest Him.

1.2 The Soul (Mind)

When we experience the new birth our spirit is born again, but not the mind, for the mind can only be renewed by the Word of God.

Read Romans 12:2 again

James 1:21 NKJV
...receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. 

We experience the new birth in a moment, but the renewing of the mind is a life‐long process. We renew our minds by planting the Word in our thoughts and being led by that implanted Word; thinking according to the Word and not according to the world.

We were brought up in the world and were taught to think like the world. But now that we are in the Kingdom of God we need to conform to Kingdom thinking. The Word of God contains the thoughts of God; and although His thoughts are higher than ours, and His ways higher than ours, we can think His thoughts when we put the Word into our hearts and minds.

I Corinthians 2:16 NKJV
...but we have the mind of Christ. 

You cannot change a man unless you change the way he thinks; the mind is the control center of our being. Although born again, we can still live like the world if we do not begin the process of renewing our minds. We can be born again by the Spirit of God and still live short of His glory because of our carnal thinking. That is why we need to feed on the Word as much as we can until we are so saturated by it that it begins to push out our worldly thinking.

The Word is powerful and creative, and it will have a significant effect on our minds and the way we perceive and understand things. There is a natural way to understand things, and there is also a spiritual way to understand things. We can have a natural understanding of the church, but we can also have a spiritual understanding of the church. So we can understand all things either with a carnal mind or with the Spirit working through a renewed mind. Think of our understanding of the pastor’s ministry, money, the Bible, God, others, etc…

That is why Paul prayed the prayer in Ephesians 1:17‐23 for the Ephesians, and we should pray that prayer for ourselves and in the church as much as we can, even every service!

Praise God for mighty revelation to His children! We do not have to be led by a carnal mind ‐ renewing it by the Holy Spirit working through the Word is possible!

Titus 3:5 NKJV 
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit 

When we sin after we became born again, our fellowship with God is broken but not our relationship ‐ He is still our Father! The fellowship can be restored by confessing our sin to Him and receiving cleansing and forgiveness by faith in the Word (I John 1:9).

In the area of the soul there must be daily activity. Renewing takes place best by daily exposure to the Word.

God placed in us the ability to renew our minds. He recreated our spirit into a brand new creation, but the renewing of our mind is our responsibility.

1.3 The Body

Our bodies are neither born again nor renewed. Our flesh remains the same, even after our spirits are born again. It will not be until Jesus returns that we will be given new, glorified, bodies that are purified even as our spirits have already been purified.

Because our bodies are unrenewed flesh, and so subject to the sinful temptations of the world, we must constantly discipline them in order to keep them in line with God’s will.

Read Romans 12:1,2

This Scripture speaks to believers only. “You present your bodies.” It is allowing God’s ability to work in us.

I Corinthians 9:27 NKJV 
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection... 

“But I (spirit man) discipline my body.” The only way to exercise authority over the flesh is to feed the spirit to become stronger than the flesh. The Word is the spiritual food of our spirit‐man.

Remember the words of Jesus:

Matthew 4:4 NKJV 
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” 

2. WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

2.1 Hearing the Word – the Key to Growth

The parable of the sower in Mark 4 deals with hearing the Word. The Word is the seed. The sowing of the seed is hearing the Word when it comes to us, and we know that there are four ways to hear the Word. After the parable Jesus says “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”, referring to hearing the Word with our spiritual ears, and not just a story about a sower.

Here comes the key at the end:

Mark 4:24 NKJV 
Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use (in hearing), it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 

Luke 8:18 NKJV 
“Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” 

What we hear and how we hear is most important if we want to make any progress in the Lord. What we hear can either edify or defile us; how we hear determines the kind of hearer we are ‐ one that will produce no fruit, or one that will produce a hundredfold fruit. God promises us that His Word will not return unto Him void, but that it will accomplish the purpose for which He sent it (Isa. 55:8‐11); we just need to plant it in our hearts and minds and live by it!

We determine how much fruit we want to bear by our attitude towards the Word, but God’s desire for us is to bear much fruit (John 15:2,5,8,16).

The devil’s desire is for this growth‐process to stop, and the sooner the better. From some people he steals that seed of the Word the very moment it is sown ‐ they may be day‐dreaming when the Word goes out and miss the opportunity to have the Word planted in their lives. Others become distracted by either some good or bad things that happen in their lives, and so the Word is stolen from them.

Still others only hear with thirty‐fold attention, so they bear only a thirty‐fold fruit.

The Word of God goes into our hearts and minds and then affects our bodies too ‐ change works from the inside out. God saved us by grace as a gift of love to us, but the renewing of our minds is up to us! We have to put the Word into our hearts and minds!

How can we bear more fruit?

• By preparing the soil of our heart ‐ removing the hindrances
• By putting more seed in! The more seed, the greater the harvest!

2.2 Putting off and Putting on

Colossians 3:8‐10 NKJV 
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. 

Ephesians 4:22‐24 NKJV 
that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit (or general condition) of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.  

Now that our spirits have been born again, we have to put off our old walk and lifestyle ‐ God is not going to do it for us ‐ and we have to put on a new lifestyle befitting for someone that is created in the image of God.

Look at the cycle of a Christian’s life:

• Created in His image (Gen. 1:26)
• Lost the glory (Rom. 3:23)
• Jesus restored the glory (John 17:22)
• Transformed from glory to glory (II Cor. 3:18)
• When we see Him, we will be like Him (I John 3:2)

We were predestined to conform to the image of His Son when we became born again. God chose to bestow His glory on those who died to their old nature to assume His nature in Christ Jesus. See Romans 8:29,30.

Now that we are new creations in Christ Jesus:

• We become imitators of God as His dear children (Eph. 5:1)
• We put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14)
• We have died to sin (that desire to sin) (Rom. 6:7)
• The anointing we have as children of God protects us against deception (I John 2:20,27)
• If our heart (inner man; spirit) does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God (I John 3:19‐21), and we receive whatever we ask from Him. Note that, as children of God, it is not the Holy Spirit who condemns us when we sin (John 16:8), but our recreated, born‐again spirit.

This is walking in newness of life.

2.3 How do we Deal with Sin?

When a person is born again, the Lord graciously delivers him from some sinful habits as part of the new birth. We find, however, that there always remain some things we have to deal with ourselves ‐ coming forth from our unrenewed mind and old habits that die hard. How do we break free from those things? By prayer, yes, but also by our own efforts driven by our own desire to live a holy life:

• By putting it off (I Thess. 4:3‐8).
• By fleeing from it and by pursuing righteousness (I Tim. 6:11).
• By turning away from evil and doing good things (I Peter 3:8).
• By renewing our mind to the fact that we are now children of God, living under a new authority and new rules ‐ we no longer conform to the world (Rom. 12:1,2) but to God in Whose image we were created. This is a process that takes time as we feed on the Word and grow in the Lord.

I John 3:2,3 NKJV 
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 

II Corinthians 7:1 NKJV 
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

It is not all God’s responsibility! We have to cultivate the desire to be free from the dust of this world and reach forward to holiness.

2.4 A Balanced Life

A balanced life is to bear all the good fruit of the new life in Christ Jesus in the right proportions. We want to look like our Father:

I John 1:5 NKJV
This is the message that we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

God is light, pure light, there is no trace of darkness in Him.

Jesus is the express image of His Father, the brightness of His glory (Heb. 1:3). He looks like His Father! The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about Him exactly represents God; the Son perfectly mirrors God.

Colossians 1:15 NKJV 
He is the image of the invisible God... 

The visible image of the invisible God!

Colossians 1:19 NKJV 
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fulness should dwell 

Colossians 1:19‐22 AMP 
For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness ‐ the sum total of the divine perfection, powers and attributes ‐ should dwell in Him permanently.  And God purposed that through ‐ by the service, the intervention of ‐ Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross. And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in his [the Father’s] presence. 

John 1:16 NKJV 
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 

John 1:16 AMP
For out of His fullness (abundance) we all received ‐ all had a share and we were all supplied with ‐ one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, and even favour upon favour and gift [heaped] upon gift.

We have all benefitted from the rich blessings he brought to us ‐ one blessing after another.

God loves us as He loves Jesus! We are now reconciled with Him; the separation that existed through sin has been removed and we can stand in His presence without guilt or unworthiness.

John 14:23 NKJV
...“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” 

John 15:9 NKJV 
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” 

Galatians 5:16‐18 J.B. Phillips 
Here is my advice. Live your whole life in the Spirit and you will not satisfy the desires of your lower nature. For the whole energy of the lower nature is set against the Spirit, while the whole power of the Spirit is contrary to the lower nature. Here is the conflict, and that is why you are not able to do what you want to do. But if you follow the leading of the Spirit, you stand clear of the law. Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified their lower nature with all that it loved and lusted for. 

We understand that God’s desire for us is to be perfect, whole and complete ‐ mature sons and daughters. This perfection does not mean a state of sinlessness though, for we will have sin as long as we live in the flesh, from I John 1:10 we see that if we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing His Word has no place in our hearts, but rather maturing into the character of God our Father.

Perfection therefore is maturity, completeness and full growth. It is a well‐rounded Christian character where the Christian graces are kept in proper balance. It is having all the aspects of the fruit developed in the same proportion.

The Message translation puts it this way:

Colossians 1:26‐28 The Message 
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open.  God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. 

3. THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22 NKJV
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‐control...

The works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19 are mentioned in the plural:

Galatians 5:19‐21 The Message 
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic‐ show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all‐consuming‐yet‐never‐satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small‐minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.  This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know.  If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom. 

The fruit (singular) of the spirit is best likened to an orange: a single fruit with many segments ‐ it is the lifestyle and attitude that come as a result of the new birth. It is also like a rainbow ‐ one whole with many different colours.

All the different manifestations of the fruit must be developed, and the more we develop them the less of ourselves will be seen. Concentrate on the weak points and build them up consciously.

Proverbs 4:20 tells us that the forces of life flow from our heart (spirit).

Proverbs 4:20‐22 NLT
My child, pay attention to what to say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

God wants us to abound in all aspects of life ‐ this is how His name will be glorified through His children.

Read Galatians 5:16‐25 a few times attentively. Note that a distinction is made between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit: either the works of the flesh or the fruit of the spirit, and it is up to us to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. It is therefore our responsibility, not the Holy Spirit’s, to produce the fruit of the spirit.

The New Testament was written in all capital Greek letters, but when it was translated, the translators applied English styles and punctuation to make it easy to read. When they translated the passages of Scripture about the fruit, most translators have rendered it as “the fruit of the Spirit”, with the capital “S” in Spirit implying the Holy Spirit, but this is an error. It is our responsibility to produce the fruit from our new‐born spirit which was created in the image of our Father ‐ not the Holy Spirit’s! If it were the fruit of the Holy Spirit, it would have operated in our lives as a free gift from God.

Colossians 3:10 NKJV
and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.

Colossians 3:10,12‐14 AMP 
And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge, after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it...Clothe yourselves therefore, as God’s own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), [who are] purified and holy and well‐beloved [by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways [and] patience [which is tireless, long‐suffering and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper]. Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive]. And above all these [put on] love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness [which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony].  

The new man is our spirit‐man, and he is created according to the image of God, but we have to renew our minds to the Word of God, to think God’s thoughts and to live God’s way.

3.1 How do we Develop the Fruit of the Spirit?

• By spending time in the Word, reading, repeating, meditating. The Word of God is creative and powerful and able to renew our lifestyles as we renew our minds to think the thoughts of God. It is not just learning but also yielding to the Word that brings results in our lives. Be a doer of the Word.

I John 2:5 NKJV 
But whoever keeps His Word, truly the love of God is perfected in him... 

• Fellowship with God through prayer and worship. As we spend time in His presence, we will be changed. The more we are exposed to His character (many of our praise and worship songs speak about the character of God), the more we will be like Him.
• Attending church ‐ God gave teachers and pastors and other ministers for the edification of the body of Christ, the church. This is where we receive teaching and edification as children of God. The church was ordained by God ‐ not man, so we have to flow with His plan for our lives.
• By fellowshipping with other Christians and learning and gleaning from them.

Proverbs 13:20 NKJV 
He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

Proverbs 13:20 NLT 
Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. 

Isaiah 32:6 AMP 
For the fool speaks folly and his mind plans iniquity; practicing profane ungodliness and speaking error concerning the Lord, leaving the craving of the hungry unsatisfied and causing the drink of the thirsty to fail. 

There is so much that we can receive by spending time with a mature Christian!

3.2 Relationship between the Gifts of the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit

It is interesting to note that there are nine gifts of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 12:8‐10) and nine manifestations of the fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22). The Old Testament priests had to wear golden bells and coloured pomegranates on their garments. The Old Testament is a type and shadow of what was to come in the New Testament, which means that these things were a prophetic indication of our lives as New Testament priests of the Lord. The golden bells signified the gifts of the Spirit and the pomegranates the fruit of the spirit (gold points to deity).

Read Exodus 28:33‐35

As priests of God we must demonstrate a balance between the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the spirit.

I Peter 2:9 NKJV 
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light 

There is a relationship between the gifts and the fruit in our lives; it is a manifestation of the work that the Holy Spirit has done and still does in our lives. These things compliment each other as the gifts of the Holy Spirit work together with our recreated spirits.

3.3 Difference between the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit

A. THE FRUIT PF THE SPIRIT IS TO DEVELOP GODLY CHARACTER FOR IDENTIFICATION AS PEOPLE OF GOD.

The fruit of the spirit, as opposed to the works of the flesh, is the evidence that we are children of God. The gifts of the Spirit are special blessings given to the church for its operation as the body of Christ on the earth.  It empowers us for service.

The fruit of the spirit is to make us look like our Father and the gifts of the Spirit are to enable us to do what Jesus did on the earth.

Because of the spectacular nature of the gifts of the Spirit, zealous and immature Christians may attempt to manifest the gifts without first cultivating the fruit of a born again life.

B. THE GIFTS COME COMPLETE BUT THE FRUIT MUST BE DEVELOPED.

The more the fruit is developed, the easier the gifts will flow. Paul instructs the church to desire the gifts (I Cor 12:31; 14:1,5), but to pursue love – a fruit of the spirit. The more excellent way is to have the gifts operating through a fruitful life. Jesus warned us to know a tree by its fruit, speaking of false prophets. Before accepting a prophecy (or any other spiritual gift), first check for the fruit of the recreated spirit! We are sometimes easily deceived by spectacular utterings and demonstrations, but the fruit will reveal the true source of a person’s gifts.

I Corinthians 13:1 NKJV 
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 

The fact that someone operates in the gifts of the Spirit should not be seen as a stamp of approval of God on his life. If you operate in the gifts but have no love, you are nothing! The gifts are given to us by the grace of God, but the fruit in our lives is a sign of maturity and growth in the Lord.

We need a healthy balance between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the spirit. The fruit alone will lead to ineffectiveness and the gifts alone will lead to fanaticism and heresy.

Galatians 5:16 talks about our flesh and our spirit. Walking in the spirit is being led by our recreated spirit, yielding to the Holy Spirit. Walking in the flesh is being led by the lust and desires of the flesh. Inside of us we have that turmoil, a duel between our born again spirit that longs after God and our flesh, in which sin dwells:

Romans 7:18‐22 AMP 
For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.] For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing. Now if I do what I do not desire to do, it is no longer I doing it [it is not myself that acts] but the sin [principle] which dwells within me [fixed and operating in my soul]. So I find it to be a law (rule of action of my being) that when I want to do what is right and good, evil is ever present with me and I am subject to its insistent demands.  For I endorse and delight in the Law of God in my inmost self [with my new nature]. 

Read Psalm 1:2 in the Amplified Bible

While the Holy Spirit produces the fruit in our lives, we must bear them.

Read John 15

We draw our ability to bear fruit from the Holy Spirit inside of us. That is why self‐control is a fruit of the spirit! We have our own will, so we decide to develop the fruit that manifests the new life in Christ Jesus in us.

3.4 The Nature if the Fruit of the Spirit

1. It is from God, therefore it is divine and not natural. The fruit of the spirit is not a result of culture, social upbringing or a set of moral laws. The fruit of the spirit does not come mainly because we call ourselves Christians. It does not manifest through human resolutions or self‐reformations. Don’t be fooled: the devil has his counterfeits!
2. It is born by the recreated spirit.
3. It is a product of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ ‐ of abiding in the vine.
4. It is for identification as a child of God.
5. We receive it all, but it should be developed and increased. It can be choked if we allow sin to take root in our lives.
6. It must be manifested outwardly. As Christians we need to live differently in such a way that it can be seen by others.

3.5 Understanding the Fruit of the Spirit

The fruit of the spirit in an individual’s life is actually the development of Christ’s character in the heart of the believer. God makes it very clear in I Corinthians 13:1‐3 that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are powerless and of little use without character, the fruit of the spirit.

4. LOVE – THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THE NEW LIFE

We find six words in the Greek language that are translated as “love” in English:

1. Eros ‐ physical love (sexual)
2. Phileo ‐ love for friends
3. Philadelphia ‐ brotherly love
4. Philostorgos ‐ love for family
5. Philoteknos ‐ love for one’s own children
6. Agape ‐ God’s kind of love

4.1 Eros

Eros is sexual love. Although this word is the most popular in the secular world of today, it is nowhere to be found in the Bible. Eros has its roots in the Greek mythology, a system of idol worship, and is therefore demonic in origin. This kind of love is nothing but lust and unhealthy passion.

The eros‐kind of love brings nothing but grief and brokenness, confusion and rejection. The epidemic proportions of broken marriage relationships, families and lives is a sad testimony of the destructive power of eros. Eros never has a good outcome; since it comes from the devil it is designed to destroy and kill, just as the nature of the devil is.

God gave us the sexual side of our lives as a blessing, but the devil came with a smart counterfeit to deceive, and many have become his victims! Pretending to be love, it really is a vicious enemy that sows destruction as far as it goes.

I Thessalonians 4:3‐5,7 NKJV 
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God...For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 

For every good gift God gave us, the devil has a perverted form; let’s discern these things and stay with the truth.

4.2 Phileo

Phileo is the love for friends; to be fond of someone. This is a conscious decision to have affection for someone based on qualities and personality traits. Friendship is something precious without which it is impossible to live a well balanced life.

Lazarus was a friend of Jesus and His disciples (John 11:11). Jesus called His disciples friends (John 15:15).

John 11:36 NKJV 
Then the Jews said, “See how He loved (phileo) him!” 

Jesus loves us as a friend too, and we should also love Him as a friend.

I Corinthians 16:22 NKJV 
If anyone does not love (phileo) the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed... 

The word phileo appears three times in John 21:15‐17, the passage where Jesus wanted to know from Peter if he loved Him.

4.3 Philadelphia

Philadelphia is brotherly love ‐ the kind of love we have for our fellow believers. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord are our family members because we are all children of the same spiritual Father. We may be free to choose our friends, but we cannot choose our family!

Love binds us together, but without love we hurt the body of Christ and cause it to be divided and weak.

I Peter 1:22,23 NKJV 
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love (philedelphia)of the brethren, love (agape) one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever  

4.4 Philostrogos

Philostorgos is the love we have for our natural family members. No matter how bad a person may be, he should be able to rely on the love of his family. Of course the relationship between natural family members is different from our spiritual family, but it should always be respected and allowed to grow for the benefit of everybody in the family.

The love we have for our natural family can be very strong and is something very precious.

4.5 Philoteknos

Philoteknos a maternal love; the love a mother has for her children, and maybe the strongest form of love we know as human beings. Paul encourages this kind of love Titus 2:4.

4.6 Agapé

Agapé is the God‐kind of love, which is the highest form of love. This is the love of God expressed in John 3:16; it is a giving love, not expecting anything back. God’s nature is to love us unconditionally, for He Himself is love ‐ He does not have love , He is love!

All forms of human love is usually earned: love is responded to by love or something else, until something happens that causes that love to vanish.

God reveals the measure of His love by giving His only begotten Son to a world of sinners. He died so that we could live. Hallelujah!

Romans 5:6‐8 NKJV 
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love (agape) toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  

This is the kind of love marriages should be made of ‐ thinking more about our spouse than ourselves and placing a higher value on the other one.

Agape is to know someone and still love them. Are you looking for a definition for love? God is love! Know love by knowing His character and nature.

I John 3:16 NKJV 
By this we know love (agape), because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 

God’s love never fluctuates, unlike human love that changes constantly and is subject to conditions. God loves us with the same love with which He loves Jesus (John 17:23), and Jesus loves us with the same love with which He loves the Father (John 15:9).

We cannot have agapé‐love without a recreated spirit, because it is not a human thing ‐ it is born of God.

4.7 Four Reason Why we can Walk in God’s Love

1. BECAUSE WE HAVE BECOME PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE.

II Peter 1:3,4 NKJV 
As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature... 

Walking in love is the lifestyle of the born‐again believer!

2. BECAUE WE RECEIVED THE LOVE OF GOD WHEN WE WERE BORN AGAIN.

II Timothy 1: 7 NKJV 
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

3. BECUAE THE LOVE OF GOD WAS POURED OUT INTO OUR HEARTS.

Romans 5:5 NKJV 
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

4. BEING BORN AGAIN THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT RELEASES THE IMAGE OF CHRIST IN US TO FLOW TOWARDS OTHERS.

The nine fold fruit of the recreated spirit in Galatians 5:22 was planted in us by the Holy Spirit when we were born again.

Walking in love is the highest spiritual power we can have. It is love that saves the world!

I Peter 4:8 NKJV
And above all things have fervent (agape) love for one another, for “love (agape ) will cover a multitude of sins.”

Agape is to know everything about a person and still love him

Human Love	God’s Love
Selfish	Unselfish
Conditional	Unconditional
Based on merit	Unmerited love
Fluctuates – based on moods, emotions, merit, flesh, feelings…	Unchanged
Seeks own benefit	Seeks other’s benefit
Insists on doing things own way	Esteems others higher
Does not forgive easily	Walks in forgiveness
Jealous, cemptetitive	Helps others and rejoices in their success
Proud, arrogant, boasting	Humble
Judgmental, critisises	Covers sins, believes only in the best of others
Receives	Gives

It should be a goal of our lives to develop the fruit of the spirit in our lives. God is more interested in what we become than in what we do. His purpose is to reveal Christ in and through us!

Colossians 3:14 NKJV 
But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 

There is no higher law than love (Gal. 5:23); love is the first fruits of the new creation (I John 3:14).

Joy is love’s strength	Joy is love exulting
Peace in love’s security	Peace is love resting
Longsuffering is love’s endurance	Longsuffering is love on trial
Kindness is love’s character	Kindness is love in society
	Goodness is love in action
Faithfulness is love’s confidence	Faithfulness is love in endurance
Meekness is love’s humility	Meekness is love at school
Self-control is love’s victory	Self-control is love in discipline

Get a revelation on love; some things cannot be taught; they have to be caught, and love is one of them. God gave us the ability to love; only a born-again person can understand love.

Dimensions of God’s love:

• Width ‐ the world (John 3:16)
• Length ‐ eternity (I Cor. 13:8)
• Depth ‐ the uttermost (Heb. 7:25)
• Height ‐ we became children of God (I John 3:1)

Love is the chief characteristic of the Christian life. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with love (Rom. 5:5 and I John 4:8).

Read I Corinthians 13 in the Amplified Bible.

5. JOY

Romans 14:17 tells us that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. There is a difference between happiness which is based on circumstances and joy which comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of joy. Joy is not dependent on happiness; it is a product of the recreated spirit.

Joy is love’s reaction to God’s mercies, blessings and benefits, all received by faith before it is seen in the natural realm.

Happiness is superficial; joy is supernatural. God commands joy in Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 16:11 NKJV 
You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant... 

Read John 15:10,11 in the Amplified Bible

The joy of Jesus remains in us! The only way to lose it is to give it away!

Proverbs 17:22 NKJV 
A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. 

It actually causes a chemical to be released in the physical body that brings physical healing. Laughter is an expression of joy ‐ remember the fruit is borne outwardly.

5.1 How we Develop Joy

Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV 
Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. 

Jeremiah 15:16 NLT 
When I discovered Your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God of heaven's armies. 

When a believer is not joyful it is either because of broken fellowship or a lack of knowledge of what he is in Jesus.

Proverbs 8:19 NKJV 
My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver. 

The fruit of the spirit is much better than anything else. Even in adverse conditions you can stay full of joy!

6. PEACE

Peace means perfect well‐being. All necessary goodness, all spiritual prosperity, freedom from all fears, agitating passions and moral conflicts.

Romans 14:17 NKJV
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:6 NKJV 
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Romans 5:1 NKJV
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you walk spiritually minded, the peace that is already in you will develop.

John 16:33 NKJV 
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 

Read the previous verse (John 16:33) in the Amplified Bible

We have peace in Jesus ‐ He is the Prince of Peace!

The world’s kind of peace is peace is absence of strife. God’s peace is not the absence of strife but His presence in our lives. God’s peace is not based on circumstances.

John 14:27 NKJV 
“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.” 

The peace of God is to rule in our circumstances.

Philippians 4:4 NKJV 
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 

There is always a link between the fruit. God’s peace surpasses all understanding. The peace of God will guard (protect) your heart and mind (Phil. 4:7).

The peace of God will guard you, but if you let negative thoughts in, the peace of God will leave. Anything that disturbs your peace is not of God. When alarm is raised, start thinking and meditating on the Word:

Philippians 4:8,9 NKJV 
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy ‐ meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 

Philippians 4:8‐9 AMP 
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well‐being) will be with you. 

Ephesians 6:15 talks about the gospel as being the gospel of peace.

Isaiah 52:7 NKJV 
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”  

Read the above verse (Isaiah 52:17) and Colossians 3:12‐15 in the Amplified Bible.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts (rule = judge, umpire). He (the judge) will make the final decision, therefore let the peace of God decide which way to go when you come before a decision.

Read Proverbs 3:13‐18

Do not look at the natural ‐ but God says we must operate in His wisdom. All God’s paths are paths of peace.

Read Ephesians 4:1‐3 
“...endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV 
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in you. 

Isaiah 26:3 NLT
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You! 

James 3:18 NKJV 
The work of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 

James 3:18 NLT 
And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. 

Notice here again the link between righteousness and peace.

Psalm 85:10 NIV
...righteousness and peace kiss each other. 

Read Psalm 72:1‐3,7

In many instances in the Hebrew, the word for peace is Shalom, which means “wholeness”. God is the God of wholeness. He has made provision through the new Blood Covenant for every need to be met abundantly in every area of life (John 20:19, John 14:27 and Rom. 5:1).

It is easy to roll our cares over on Him and not worry about anything when we have the revelation that God has made us whole in every area of life. That’s when the peace that passes all understanding protects our mind and heart (Phil. 4:7‐9)!

7. LONGSUFFERING (PATIENCE)

A better word is perhaps “long‐tempered”.

Definitions:

• Longsuffering is that quality of self‐restraint in the face of tests, trials and provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish. It is the opposite of anger and it is associated with mercy.
• Patience is enduring with calmness without murmuring, not surrendering to circumstances or succumbing under trial, being consistent, acting the same way before you receive the manifestation as after.

Patience ‐ it is the tenacity with which faith holds out.

Patience is important in developing the fruit of the spirit. Romans 15:5 calls God the “God of patience.”

We should also manifest longsuffering (Read Luke 9:51‐56). Do not apply discipline to destroy, but to restore. Deal with people in a Christlike manner.

Since the devil is our enemy and not people (Eph 6:12) it’s quite obvious that long‐suffering would be a more appropriate word to use than patience. We “put up with him”, “turn the other cheek”, when it comes to people but we do not put up with anything that the devil brings our way.

II Timothy 4:2 NKJV
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

You cannot rebuke without longsuffering.

Longsuffering is not a weakness, but a force of life. Combine longsuffering with faith. You can’t be passive in longsuffering.

Read Colossians 3:12,13

7.1 Relationship between Longsuffering, Patience and other Fruit

I Corinthians 13:4‐7: The character of love ‐ to bear and to endure all things.

Read II Corinthians 6:3‐10.
Read Isaiah 28:16 and meditate on “Whoever believes will not act hastily”.

Now read James 1:2‐4, and look at longsuffering, faith and you. This is what God wants to accomplish in us! Patience keeps the door open so that faith can work.

Hebrews 6:11,12 NKJV
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promise.

Romans 5:3,4 NKJV 
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

8. GOODNESS (IT IS NOT PASSIVE, IT’S A FORCE OF LIFE)

Definition: It’s not merely a quality rather it is goodness in conduct and action, goodness expressing itself in deeds, in grace, in tenderness and compassion. The keyword in goodness is action.

This is works and acts of goodness shown to others. Practical works of love. If a man is truly good at heart, he does good to others.

Goodness is love in action. It is love heaping benefits on others.

• Exodus 33:13:‐ Moses’ prayer to God
• v18:‐ He asks to see God’s glory
• v19:‐ God shows His goodness
• Exodus 34:6:‐ God abounding in goodness and truth
• Ps 23:6:‐ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
• Ps 31:19:‐ Goodness is for God’s children, mercy for the world
• Ps 27:13:‐ Believed to see goodness of God in the land of the living

Old Testament ‐ goodness will follow me New Covenant ‐ goodness is in me

Do not be sin‐conscious, but righteousness‐conscious.

Romans 2:4
The goodness of God leads people to repentance.

9. FAITHFULNESS

Definition: Trustworthiness, reliability, dependability, loyalty and fidelity, commitment ‐ all attributes of God.

Faithfulness has to do with character as it relates to others. Deuteronomy 7:9: God has this quality ‐ “the faithful God” (God does not really place so much emphasize on success as on faithfulness).

I  Corinthians 1:9 NKJV 
God is faithful

• I John 1:9:‐ God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us.
• II Timothy 2:13:‐ He is faithful, even if we are faithless.
• I Corinthians 4:1,2:‐ Stewards are to be faithful. When you join a ministry give 100% of yourself. Remember: what you sow you will reap. Promotion comes from God. Be faithful in money matters, people, quality and time. Apply faithfulness in every area of your life.
• Luke 16:10‐2:‐ Principle of faithfulness
• Revelation 2:13:‐ Faithful in times of persecution.
• Proverbs 28:20:‐ There is a reward on faithfulness.

10. KINDNESS

Definition: Kindness is that sympathetic soothing quality or sweetness of temper which put others at their ease and holds back from giving pain. It is sweetly and humanly reasonable, gracious rather than contentious; not vicious or rough.

Or we can say ‐ Kindness is dealing with others in their faults.

God’s kindness is to love your enemies, do good and lend, for He is kind to the unthankful and evil (Luke 6:35). There is also a reward on kindness.

Paul says its possible to be gentle and bold at the same time (II Cor. 10:1). Kindness can flow from a position of authority (Matt. 11:27‐29). If you are called to be a teacher ‐ then teach with kindness.

Read I Thessalonians 2:1‐7 and see how authority and gentleness work together.
Read Titus 3:1‐6. Be kind to people as God showed kindness to us too.
Read Ephesians 4:1‐3. Nothing more frequently discredits our testimony and ministry than unkindness.

11. MEEKNESS

Meekness is not weakness! It is understanding the distinction between God and self and maintaining a correct regard for His superiority.

Meekness is not only in man’s outward behavior or in his relations with his fellow man, but rather an inward grace of the Spirit of man, and the exercising of it is firstly and chiefly towards God.

There is a very close relationship between meekness, humility and submission. Humility is the ability to receive something you don’t deserve. It is also a sense of utter dependence upon God. Humility is an attitude of the heart. True humility is not a self‐disciplining attitude, but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us.

Meekness is the opposite of self‐sufficiency, self‐righteousness and self‐seeking (II Cor. 3:4‐6).   It is to have a teachable heart ‐ if you recognize God’s authority you will stay teachable.

• Proverbs 16:18:‐ Pride goes before destruction
• Proverbs 22:4:‐ Rewards on humility
• Proverbs 29:23:‐ Pride brings one low; humble spirit brings honor

Humility won’t come except you humble yourself ‐ God can’t do it for you. You’ve got the ability in you to humble yourself ‐ Exaltation comes from God.

Philippians 2:1‐11 reveals the secret of Jesus’ humility:

• Verse 3: doing nothing through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind esteeming others higher than self.
• Verse 6 and 7: Jesus was God, but He did not cling to His deity but willingly let go of it ‐ making Himself of no reputation.
• Verse 8: He humbled Himself ‐ He became obedient even to death
• Verse 1‐8: Note the steps Jesus took to humble Himself. Creator became creature. He was an obedient servant ‐ obedient even to death on a cross like a criminal.
• Verse 9: God exalted Jesus, and gave Him the Name above all names. The Servant became the greatest.

We must realize that we have authority ‐ but only because Jesus is King.

The meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). We humble ourselves (James 4:10) and clothe ourselves with humility (I Peter 5:5).

NB: One way to humble yourself is to cast your cares upon the Lord.

Spiritual meekness is not cowardice, nor lack of leadership. As Christians we have God’s infinite resources at our command.

Please note: Spiritual meekness is not to be confused with shyness, timidity or weakness, all of which are characteristics of an inferiority complex.

12. SELF-CONTROL (TEMPERANCE)

Self‐control or self‐discipline is very important to the Christian if he is to walk in the Sprit. It’s you exercising control or discipline over yourself through the power of the Holy Spirit.

II Timothy 1:7 tells us that we have not received a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind (self‐control); it is to be in control of your mind and body. It comes from God.

True self‐control is full self‐control in every area of life, not just food or drink (I Cor. 6:12,13,19, 20). It takes self‐discipline to develop an intimate relationship with God and to walk in His presence daily! Read II Peter 1:5‐8

Note how Paul teaches self-control in I Corinthians 9:24‐27. Put on the fruit of the recreated spirit and put off the fruit of the flesh!

Fruit	Fruit Robbers	Insecticide
Self-Control	Wrong Thoughts	2 Cor. 10:4,5
Peace	Worry	Phil. 4:6
Joy	Discouragement	1 Sam. 30:6
Peace	Guilt	Rom. 8:1
Peace	Confusion	2 Tim. 1:7
Peace	Fear	1 John 4:18 2 Tim. 4:18
Love	Unforgiveness	Matt. 18:21,22
Love	Bitterness	Heb. 12:15
Love	Envy, Stride	James 3:16
Love	Selfishness	1 Cor. 13:5 Phil. 2 :4
Meekness	Pride	Prov. 16:18 Phil. 2:3 James 4:6
Self-control	Excessiveness	1 Cor. 89:25
Faithfulness	Slothfulness	Heb. 6:12
Slef-control	Critical Tongues	Eph. 4:29
Self-control	Gosspining	1 Pet. 3:10
Self-control	Anger	James 1:19, 20
Patience	Impatience	1 Cor. 13:4
Gentleness	Harshness, Violence	2 Tim. 2:24
Self-control	Immorality	1 Cor. 6:18

IN SUMMARY

These virtues cannot be forced on the Christian from without, but he must willingly let them become part of his life from within his heart. They describe the character of Jesus in the life of a believer.

We cannot judge a person’s heart but we can inspect the fruit of someone’s life.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nelson, T. (1982). The New King James Version Bible. Thomas Nelson.