The Holy Spirit: The Fruit Of The Spirit (Part 1)

Review

Turn to Galatians 5:16-25.

We have studied what the Bible means when we are commanded, “be filled with the Spirit.”

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Filling of the Spirit: the indwelling Spirit supernaturally controls the believer who continually submits to His control by faith. This control will be apparent over time as the believer is transformed to be more and more like Jesus.

The filling of the Spirit is evident through five different characteristics as found in Ephesians 5:19-21. A person can fake some of these some of the time, but the flesh cannot fake all of these all of the time. We must be submitted to the Spirit of God for these characteristics to be continually manifested in our lives.

This evening we’re going to study another familiar passage of Scripture that teaches about the Holy Spirit and His activity in the life of the believer.

Read Galatians 5:16-25.

This Epistle is considered one of Paul's greatest and most influential. In the early days of the church separation between Judaism and Christianity was taking place (and not always easily). This Epistle was written to [reject the idea that] one is saved through faith and perfected by keeping the law - thus salvation is by faith plus works. This Epistle teaches liberation by the Gospel. - Dr. Joel Spencer, Notes on Galatians

Broadly, the purpose of this letter is to establish that salvation is by faith in Christ alone.

In chapter five, Paul teaches that the believer is free - free from the bondage of sin and free from the burden of the law. The new believer, whether Jew or Gentile, has liberty in Christ. On that basis, Paul pleaded with the Galatians that they not put themselves under the burden of the law but rather submit to Christ through the person of the Holy Spirit.

Now before we can get to the fruit of the Spirit in verses 22-23, we need to consider an interesting phrase that we find in Galatians 5:16:

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Walk in the Spirit

Now we believe that no word of Scripture is by accident. Paul was lead of the Spirit to write the word “walk.”

If you’ve ever suffered an injury or had a surgery that made it difficult to walk, you learned to appreciate just how much goes into this simple task.

What is walking? What does walking involve? What has to happen for me to go from sitting on stage to standing at the back of the auditorium? Decision, activity, persistence.

Walking starts with a decision - a choice. No walking happens unless I initiate it.

Walking requires effort or activity. I cannot just sit back and wait for it to be done for me.

Walking is not just taking one step. It requires one step after another. It requires persistence. I might take one step, but I am not walking unless I am continually taking one step after another.

So we are commanded to walk in the Spirit. This is a present active imperative. So walking in the Spirit begins with a choice to obey, requires effort on our part (active voice), and requires persistence - we must do this continually to be obedient to the command.

To help us better understand this phrase, I want you to notice the context. This verse and the following verses present the Spirit versus the flesh. As you and I go through our normal, average, typical day we can pick one of two options: we can submit to the Spirit or we can submit to the flesh.

If I submit to my flesh, the works of the flesh will become very apparent in my life.

But if I submit to the Spirit, then the fruit of the Spirit will become evident in my life.

“Walking in the Spirit” is a command that means nearly the same thing as “be filled with the Spirit”, but each phrase has its own different point of emphasis. Here the emphasis is on our responsibility to submit.

“be filled with the Spirit” is a present passive imperative.

“Walk in the Spirit” is a present active imperative.

“be filled with the Spirit” emphasizes the Spirit’s role in my life to control me.

“Walk in the Spirit” emphasizes my responsibility to submit to His controlling.

When you choose to submit and continually walk in the Spirit as you go about your day, two things will happen:

You won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

All of us have flesh and all of us have flesh that desires the wrong things. My flesh loves me so much that it desires to be satisfied at your expense. Your flesh loves you so much that it desires to be satisfied at my expense. But if you choose to submit to the Spirit of God, then you will not submit to the desires of your flesh.

The Spirit will produce His fruit in your life.

I think this is a very interesting illustration that God chose to use here through the apostle Paul.

Is it the “fruit of the Spirit” or the “fruit of the Christian”?

Is this singular or plural? Why do you think that is? Singular, because the Spirit produces all of this at the same time.

The Spirit naturally produces this fruit, whereas what the flesh does is classified as a work. Why?

Perhaps its because the flesh is continually occupied with fulfilling its own desires by way of these works, in contrast to the Spirit which does not work, He naturally produces this fruit in us.

Whereas the flesh works tirelessly to do these sins in us, the Spirit calmly, naturally produces this good fruit in us - if we but allow Him to.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:22–23

In an ultimate sense this “fruit” is simply the life of Christ lived out in a Christian.

Christ’s life is lived out though me by the indwelling, controlling Spirit of God.

In two weeks we’ll study out what Christ’s life looks like through you as the Spirit controls and produces His fruit in your life.