The Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).”
These words of St. Paul are found after he wrote of what he calls the “works of the flesh.” Among the works of the flesh he enumerates the following: fornication, idolatry, sorcery, strife, jealousies, factions, and drunkenness. He then says that those who practice “such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). Next he proceeds to contrast the “works of the flesh” with what he designates as “the fruit of the Spirit.” To understand his intention, we must first of all recall that the term “flesh” refers to our fallen or sinful nature. Thus, by saying “works of the flesh” he means that these evil works and sins originate in our fallen nature. These sinful works are in opposition to what he terms the “fruit of the Spirit.” The word “Spirit” does not here refer to the human spirit or soul, but rather to the person of the Holy Spirit. Those who are indwelt by God`s Spirit produce divine virtues, which can collectively be called the “fruit of the Spirit.” St. Paul describes this fruit as being nine-fold. Let`s look briefly at each of these manifestations of the “fruit of the Spirit.”
The first named is love. Love has two aspects—love towards God and love towards our neighbor. Love is the essence of the Christian life, and the fulfilling of all the Commandments of the Law. Love to God produces obedience to His will: whereas love to man works no evil, but rather works every act of kindness and charity.
The next mentioned is joy. Joy arises from a sense of God’s mercy communicated to us by reason of Christ`s work of salvation, and because of the prospect of attaining eternal glory in God`s Kingdom. We have a foretaste of the joy of God`s Kingdom in the Divine Liturgy, and in prayer at home. The strange thing about this divine joy is that it can be experienced in the midst of suffering and trials, unlike worldly happiness, which is dependent upon favorable circumstances.
The third virtue is peace. Peace is the calm and quiet, which the soul of the Christian experiences as a result of the forgiveness of sins through repentance and the Sacrament of Holy Confession. Furthermore, peace occurs when the mind is set free from the disturbance of temptations and passions by exercising vigilance over our hearts and praying frequently.
The next manifestation of the Spirit is long-suffering. This is the patient endurance or bearing with the weaknesses and provocations of others. The virtue of long-suffering imitates the long-suffering of God who endures our frequent lapses into sin, and patiently awaits our genuine repentance. If God did not have long-suffering we would all be speedily punished for our disobedience and sinfulness. In the same way the long-suffering Christian patiently endures the weakness and faults of those around him and prays for them and for their salvation.
The fifth indication of the acquisition of the Spirit is kindness. This may be defined as the kind disposition, which the Christian should feel towards his neighbor. St. Paul elsewhere contrasts this virtue with its opposite, namely severity or abruptness.
The Apostle then mentions the virtue of goodness. Goodness is closely related to the former virtue of kindness, because it derives from it. The difference is that whereas kindness is more a disposition of the soul, “goodness” is the energizing of kindness—it is kindness in action. It entails the fervent attempt at doing good in order to help and spiritually profit our fellow man.
The seventh part of the Spirit`s fruit is faithfulness. Faithfulness can also be rendered as trustfulness or fidelity. It entails the carrying out of our promises, and in preserving whatever is committed to our trust both spiritual and material. Faithfulness is the chief virtue of a good steward of God`s blessings.
Next the holy Apostle Paul enumerates meekness.
This can be defined as mildness towards those who are weak and erring. It also presupposes the patient endurance of injuries and wrongs committed against us without feeling a spirit of revenge. It is in short the opposite of anger.
The final manifestation mentioned is self-control, which refers to the moderation found in those indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Principally it is that holy self-denial in regards to food, drink, sleep, and other bodily desires, and is always evident in those who desire to be disciples of the Lord.
These then are the fruit of the Spirit and the adornments of the true Christian. The way to attaining them is by acquiring more fully the Holy Spirit. This acquisition of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. To acquire the Spirit we must labor to purify our hearts from sin, and repent fervently with tears for our past transgressions. Prayer is especially important, for it brings down into our hearts the fire of the Holy Spirit. But above all the frequent reception of Holy Communion after sincere preparation is, as the prayers of the Liturgy state, “unto the communion of the Holy Spirit” that is participation in Him. Let us then do all that we can to acquire the Spirit, and then we can witness in our lives the bearing of the fruit of the Spirit unto the salvation of our souls and those around us. Amen.My beloved parishioners, welcome to our new parish Web site! We will be utilizing this wonderful new medium to enhance our parish communication and outreach. Hopefully, this will help in the reawakening of our Orthodox faith and life. May God bless this endeavor to his glory.
Fr. Stephen Lilley, Pastor
