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Fruit of the Spirit-Self-Control

07 Monday Jun 2021

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“But of the fruit of the Spirit is…self-control” Galatians 5:22-23

I must admit I dislike the translators’ choice of “self-control” in this passage.  The King James has “temperance” which I don’t find to be any better of a translation than “self-control”.  Knowing this final item in the Apostle Paul’s list pertains to the Holy Spirit, I was looking for a word that reflected action of the Holy Spirit rather than action on the part of the human.  Regardless of what translation I looked at, I didn’t find it.

Looking into the Greek was very little help.  The word is egkrateia (G1466) and carries the definition of self-control.  Strong’s Concordance pointed me to egkrates (G1468) which means “strong in a thing”.  I can see being strong in the Spirit as a meaning here but it isn’t the only meaning and I don’t want to bend this definition to fit what I believe it should say.  I am not ever looking to do that.  I want to know the truth of Jesus.  I don’t want to study to reinforce what I think.  The definitions in Strong’s point to the word here meaning self-control, self-mastery, being in strength, having dominion.  The meaning does appear to be mastery over one’s self.

And yet, as I continued my study using different Bible Dictionaries, I found the writers thought it was obvious that the self-control mentioned in this passage was a work of the Holy Spirit.  Vine’s Expository Dictionary says, “The various powers bestowed by God upon man are capable of abuse; the right use demands the controlling power of the will under the operation of the Spirit of God.”1  Hastings’ Bible Dictionary says, “From the NT point of view, the grace of ‘self-control’ is the result of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling; it is the Spirit-controlled personality alone that is ‘strengthened with power’ (Eph 316 cf. 518) to control rebellious desires and to resist the allurements of tempting pleasures.”2   At the conclusion of the entry on temperance, Hastings’ Dictionary says, “The flesh triumphs when the Spirit is quenched; but the Spirit’s victory is gained, not by suppressing, but by controlling the flesh.  Those who are ‘led by the Spirit’ who ‘live by the Spirit’ and ‘by the Spirit also walk’ attain, in its perfection, the grace of complete ‘self-control”.3

It is this last quote that has arrested me.  It got me thinking about the difference between suppressing and controlling the flesh.  By suppressing it, isn’t it controlled?  Aren’t I saying the same thing just using different words?  I admit, I was confused.  That is, until I had an experience that helped me see the difference.

I’ve mentioned good works in earlier posts and the difference between doing works for Jesus and doing works out of the flow of the life of Jesus.  This doesn’t mean I don’t expect opposition and obstacles-I see these things as opportunities for growth-and they do not prevent me from pursuing the calling placed in my heart.  Then, last week, circumstances changed and it became impossible for me to pursue that calling.  I was confused, bitterly disappointed, and shed quite a few tears but there was nothing for it but to do what had been put in my hand to do.  I did not want to do it and yet there was an awareness deep inside, a knowing that yes, this is what I was meant to do in this moment. 

This knowing did not stop my mind from erupting in outright rebellion.  My thoughts did remind me, I’m sad to say, of a temper tantrum.  They were all negative and geared to make me doubt my own relationship with Jesus and ability to hear His voice.  After all, if I had really heard and was really walking and living in His Spirit, my circumstances would look a lot different, wouldn’t they?  Since I had so obviously failed God, I should give up entirely.  I had no control over the thoughts swirling in my mind.  I could answer them and did so but was in a fight.  If I had continued to attempt to control my thoughts on my own, I would have ended in a terrible state.  Rather, I labored to enter into the rest of, no matter what happened even in the next minute, I would rest in the knowledge that right now I was doing what my Lord wanted me to do. 

I am quoting Hebrews 4:11 and the word for labor (spoudazo G4704) means to hurry, hasten. When I engaged my negative thoughts on my own, I found my response was equally negative, even when I used the word of God.  Once I stopped fighting in my own strength and submitted to the plan of God for me in that moment, all those swirling thoughts stopped.  In the rest of Jesus, the power of His Spirit, I had self-control.  I ended up having an enjoyable day.  I don’t have any idea why the day happened the way it did because I wasn’t aware of any great Spiritual Happenings but I figure that’s up to Jesus.  I don’t doubt I’ve only begun to learn lessons from that experience but I know one is, when I hasten to enter His rest, I immediately experience His peace. The battle truly belongs to Him.

I am reminded of Romans 7 and Galatians 5.  In his letter to the Galatians the Apostle Paul says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Verse 17).  In Romans 7, Paul says, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Verses 22-24)

At best, I can make good choices and suppress my flesh.  It might look like self-control and self-mastery but I have no power to stop my flesh from wanting to do a thing, I can only choose not to do it.  My self-control is never perfect.  Am I then doomed to this double existence?  Do I have nothing more to look forward to but endless warfare between the Spirit and the flesh?

“But!” Paul says in Galatians 5 and then contrasts the works of the flesh with the works of the Spirit.  He then says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Verse 25).  “I thank God!” Paul says in Romans 7.  “Through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Verse 25) No! The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.  I am, in all things, made more than a conqueror through Him who loves me (Romans 8:37, paraphrased).  Jesus forming His life in me is a process, I don’t deny that, but He who began a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).  I say along with the Apostle Paul, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). 

Even so, Come Lord Jesus. 

Amen.

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

  1. Vine, W.E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville Tennessee, 1997, Temperance, Temperate, Page 1126
  2. Hastings, James, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 2001, Temperance, Page 897
  3. Hastings, James, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 2001, Temperance, Page 898

Show Your Work

31 Monday May 2021

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I laughed a little as I chose the title to this post.  I can’t tell you how many times I lost points in math class because I failed to show my work.  I didn’t do it on purpose: I’d do the mental steps and write down the answer.  If I got it right, what did actually writing out the steps matter?  It mattered for many reasons, as any math teacher will tell you.  Doing the work and showing the work is important.  And so, before I post the final study on the fruit of the Spirit, I want to address something I wrote in last week’s post, specifically; rather than doing “good works” I seek to be about The Father’s business and do only what I see Him doing.  I did not mean waiting on God is an excuse to not do anything.  In this post, I want to expand on what I mean when I say “good works” and I want to take a look at James 2:26 and Ephesians 2:8-9. 

James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  In times past, I have looked at these two scriptures and wondered if they didn’t contradict one another.  Someone might say, “Of course not!  It’s obvious!”  I can only speak to my own walk with God and, for a long time, it wasn’t obvious to me. 

These two scriptures appeared to be expressing opposing thoughts regarding works.  That is, of course, even assuming the two Apostles are speaking about the same thing.  Perhaps Paul is speaking merely of Jesus’ death and resurrection while James is speaking directly to how we Christians interact with our fellow men.  And yet, can the two be separated?  Don’t we have a tendency to present God with our good works, almost like a “here’s how Christian I am, aren’t I faithful and good” resume?  Our works are the proof of our faith according to James but then no they aren’t according to Paul. 

Is your head spinning?  I know mine was until my eyes were opened to see that everything comes from God.  I took another look at Ephesians 2: 8-9 and saw that everything mentioned there is a gift of God.  His grace is a gift.  His salvation is a gift.  His faith is a gift.  When I saw that Galatians 2:20 really says “the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the Son of God” rather than IN the Son of God, it changed James 2:8-9 for me.  I do not have to prove that my faith in Jesus is alive by doing good works.  Rather, it’s because He is alive in me through His Spirit, and because I live by His faith, that I do good works.  The works I do are His works.

Continuing on in Ephesians: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).  This is such a beautiful, exciting verse and one that leads me to rest in Jesus.  It’s never me.  It’s not my works.  It’s not doing what I think is good.  God has prepared specific good works for me and I walk in them.

This is, of course, easier said than done.  First, we must know what these works God has prepared beforehand are and there is a subtle difference between good works and the good works prepared beforehand by God.  There is a fact I have found to be often overlooked by pastors and teachers I have listened to.  I find there are few in Christendom who fail to attribute the existence of evil in the world to the fall of mankind that resulted in the eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden.  What I do not hear spoken of often is that the eating of the fruit of the tree resulted in man knowing both good and evil.  We humans are capable of great evil as well as great good. 

Doing good works has very little to do with whether or not we are following after God.  There are people who have no belief in any sort of god at all who have done great good.  There are people who believe in a God who have done great good.  There are people who are devout followers of Jesus who have done great good.  The same is true for doing evil but, for the sake of this post, I am focused on good works. 

There are many scriptures that stress the importance of good works like Titus 3:14: “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.”  Romans Chapter 2 stresses the importance of good works especially in verses 6 & 7: “who will render to each one according to his deeds, eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good…” Good works are crucial and they are expected in the life of a Christian.

The point I am attempting to make is that, for the Christian, there is a difference between good works done FOR God and good works done out of the life OF God.  There is such a thing as “spiritual burnout”.  I am convinced this happens because we are capable of doing great works, the Bible even spells them out for us, and we expend so much energy in doing Christianity that we eventually burn out.  The Spirit is promised to be a spring of living water, flowing out to others through us.  When the works that we do are the works we see the Father doing, it’s His life in us that enables us to do the works.  There is no spiritual burnout when our works flow from the Spirit within us.  His fruit is love, joy, peace…

Knowing whether our works are the result of what we think/believe is good or whether they are the result of the life of Christ in us is impossible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  It requires being still, shutting out every other voice, and listening for His because, “…He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak…” (John 16:13).  Whatever He speaks we must do and we must do only what He speaks.

God has prepared the way for us to walk in.  We are His workmanship: His work is shown in us.  We can be confident that He who began a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6, emphasis mine).  We can trust that He watches over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).  We can trust that the good works expected of us are not a call to busyness and exhaustion but rather a promise that His life in us bears fruit. Let us remember we only bear fruit when we abide in Him.  It’s His life flowing through us that bears fruit and the Father is the husbandman who prunes us that we may bear more fruit.  Let us not fall into the trap of “I ought to be doing this or I should be doing that.”  It is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).  He wants our lives to bear fruit and we can trust that He will ensure they do so no matter our circumstances or stations in life. 

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit! (Galatians 5:25)

Amen.

Fruit of the Spirit-Gentleness

24 Monday May 2021

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness” Galatians 5:22-23

The New King James Version I quote from most often has “gentleness” in this passage but I am used to hearing and quoting “meekness”.  “Gentleness” is without doubt a more positive word choice but it is “meekness” I find in the King James and Amplified versions.  It is the word I find most interesting in this list of Spirit Fruit because it is the one that carries the most negative connotation.

What do you think of when you think of meekness?  I mentioned in an earlier post how literature forms my understanding of words and, thinking on books I’ve read, I cannot think of one time where a character was described as “meek” and it was meant to be positive.  A “meek” character is a “weak” character and is someone to be mocked rather than emulated.  This cannot be what the Bible means.  Moses is called “very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3, KJV) and I do not read of a weak man in his story.  Jesus calls Himself “meek and lowly of heart” (Matthew 11:29, KJV) and I do not read of a weak man in the gospels.  If Jesus were weak, spiritless, spineless, and easily imposed on-all words I’ve found used to define meek-He would have been no threat to the rulers of His day.

I did hope the dictionary definitions would help clarify the meaning of meek for me but they did not.  The New World Dictionary gives the first definition of meek as 1, patient and mild; not inclined to anger and resentment and then 2, too submissive, easily imposed on; spineless, spiritless.  Webster’s give me “humble and patient, submissive”; not necessarily a negative attribute of a weak character but not necessarily positive either. 

Looking at the Greek was also of little help.  The Greek word for meekness in the Galatians passage is praotes (G4236) and the Strong’s Concordance defines it as, “gentleness, humility, meekness.”  None of the related words, praos (G4235), praus (G4239), and prautes (G4240) offered any enlightenment.  The definitions do not go beyond “gentle, gentleness, humble, humility, meek, meekness.”  Not a great deal of new information here so I went to my reference materials.

Unger’s Bible Dictionary defined meekness as, “…in the scriptural sense is an inwrought grace of the soul and the exercises of it are first and chiefly toward God” and then quotes Trench’s Synonyms saying, “The Greek term ‘expresses that temper or spirit in which we accept his dealings with us without disputing and resisting; and it is loosely lined with humility and follows close upon it (Eph. 4:2, Col 3:13) because it is only the humble heart which is also the meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God.”

The Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines meekness in a similar way.  The entry for MEEK, MEEKNESS says: “PRAUTES, or PRAOTES, an earlier form, denotes meekness.  In its use in Scripture in which it has a fuller, deeper significance than in non-scriptural Greek writings, it consists not in a person’s outward behavior only; nor yet in his relations to his fellow men; as little in his mere natural disposition.  Rather it is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God.  It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting”.

The Vine’s Expository Dictionary did not care for “gentleness” as a definition for meekness neither did it suggest prautes/praotes had any inference of weakness: “The meaning of prautes is not readily expressed in English, for the terms meekness, mildness, commonly used, suggest weakness…whereas prautes does nothing of the kind…’gentleness’ has been suggested but as prautes describes a condition of mind and heart,  and as ‘gentleness’ is appropriate rather to actions, this word is no better than that used in both English Versions.” 

While none of these entries gave me a clear idea what meekness means, I did begin to see a pattern emerge.  I found that I was defining meekness for myself as submission to God, but a submission flowing from relationship.  I looked to the lives of Moses and Jesus to see if this definition held and I believe it does.

There is a beautiful statement expressing the relationship between Moses and God in Exodus 33:11; “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”  Moses’ story is full of speaking to God, listening to God speak, and then obeying: relationship.  And yet, Moses’ didn’t always obey.  The word of the Lord came to him to speak to the rock and instead Moses struck it.  This disobedience cost him the Promised Land (Numbers 20).  Moses’ story is one of a mighty man and one of an incredible relationship with God, and yet this relationship was not perfect: something more was needed.

Jesus is the example of perfect submission and obedience to God.  He says of Himself, ““For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:49) and also “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19).  John 5: 20 says, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.”  Jesus was submitted to His Father because of love even though that love took Him to the cross.

I would encourage the reading of the stories of Jesus’ arrest: Matthew 26: 50-57 (especially verse 53), Mark 14: 43-50, Luke 22: 47-54, and John 18: 3-12 (especially verse 6).  There isn’t space in this post to go into why the cross and why God didn’t/couldn’t choose another way to deal with sin but I hope you can see reading these passages that nothing happened that Jesus didn’t anticipate and allow.  He was submitted to His Father’s will and He was anything but weak.

With Jesus’ Spirit within us, we have His same love relationship to the Father. His Spirit at work in us means we can keep ourselves in perfect submission and obedience to the voice of The Father.  This obedience is always our choice and I don’t pretend it’s easy.  His voice is at odds with the voices we hear in the world.  There are so many demands for our attention, time, and activity.  Good works need to be done and we’re the ones who need to be doing them.  But, our ears are inclined toward the voice of Our Father, we must be about His business, and we only do what we see the Father doing.

“Spineless,” the world calls us.  “Spiritless.”  “Weak.”  These words hurt, especially when they come from someone close to us.  We know we are none of these things in Christ Jesus: we are meek.  One of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah 30:15: “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’ But you would not.”

I will.  His Spirit within me strengthens me to choose Him as Jesus chose Him and the cry of my heart becomes, “I delight to do your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8)!

Amen.

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

References:

The Comparative Study Bible, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984

Guralnik, David B., The New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition, William Collins + World Publishing Company, Cleveland • New York, 1976

Strong, James, LLD., S.T.D., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990

Unger, Merrill F., Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1982, Page 709

Vine, W.E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1997, Pages 727-728

Webster’s New Reference Library: An Encyclopedia of Dictionaries, Webster’s New Dictionary of the English Language, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1984 

Fruit of the Spirit-Longsuffering

19 Monday Apr 2021

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is…longsuffering” Galatians 5:22

Longsuffering made for an interesting study.  I’m an avid reader and I can’t count how many times I’ve read the phrase, “a longsuffering sigh.”  To me, longsuffering carries the connotation of deep sighs, eye rolls, biting one’s tongue, and attempting to control one’s temper.  Longsuffering does not immediately equal fruit of the Spirit in my mind. 

Different translations of the Bible translate this word in different ways.  The King James has “longsuffering” while the Amplified has “patience” and expands that with “even temper, forbearance”.  Both the New American Standard and New International have “patience” while my New International Version Journal Bible has “forbearance”.  I can’t say forbearance is any more appealing to me than longsuffering and neither is patience, really.  I can’t shake the feeling of negativity associated with these words.  Whenever I think of longsuffering, forbearance, and patience; I picture someone stiff, almost frowning.  Why?

I find the beginning of an answer to that in The New World Dictionary’s entry for patience.  After the definition, I found a section on synonyms which states: patience implies the bearing of suffering, provocation, delay, tediousness, etc. with calmness and self-control…endurance stresses the capacity to bear suffering or hardship…forbearance implies restraint under provocation or a refraining from retaliation for a wrong…stoicism suggest such endurance of suffering without flinching as to indicate an almost austere indifference to pain or pleasure.

Austere is a good word and that helps me to understand what I’m picturing.  While I read the words patience, longsuffering, forbearance, I am actually thinking stoicism.  This is why I find study so necessary to my Christian life.  I bring preconceived meanings to scripture when I read it and I often find words do not mean what I think they mean.  I did not find any surprises in the definitions for the Greek word translated patience but was able to begin looking at it in a different way.  I did unearth some buried treasure as I dug deeper into the word which I’ll get to in a moment.

Impatience is something I struggle with.  I did not think my struggle was having patience with people although, while conducting this study, I am thinking the Holy Spirit does have some work yet to do in this arena.  I do struggle with being patient with God’s process.  It takes such a long time.  There have been many times I have been frustrated with God because His will is that I know him, my will is that I know Him, let’s get on with it!  Zero to Overcomer in less than 60 seconds.  He is not a God of the Zaps.  No, He is a God of process.  (See 2 Corinthians 3:18)

One of the most difficult words I receive from my Heavenly Father is “Wait.  Be still.”  It is especially difficult when I’ve been waiting years for some answers and His response is still “Wait.  Be Still.”  Obedience to My Father can become a burden rather than my delight and I am relieved when I realize patience is something that flows out of His life within me because it is not something I am capable of having on my own. 

The meanings of “wait” and “be still” are a help to patience bearing fruit.  “Wait” and “Be still” are not commands to thumb-twiddling.  The “wait” as in “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14) is the Hebrew word qavah (H6960) and means “to bind together by twisting, to expect”.  “Be still” as in “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) is the Hebrew word raphah (H7503) and means “slacken, abate, cease…let alone…be slothful”.  That does sound a bit like thumb-twiddling but that’s not the picture I see.  I see a letting go of my need for things to happen in my NOW and, instead, I focus on entering into Jesus’ rest.  I choose to look at the waiting time as opportunity to be knit together with Jesus through the work of His Spirit and the time is not spent in idleness.  I see that patience is not passive, neither is it stoic.

Now, for the buried treasure:

I tracked the Greek word for patience (makrothumia G3115) to its root words and found makros (G3117) and thumos (G2372).  Under Strong’s entry for thumos was the suggestion to compare with 5590.  I did so and found 5590 in the Strong’s concordance is the Greek psuche.  There is a long line of definitions for psuche but, put simply, it means breath.  This struck me because of how closely an even temper and patience is associated with the breath.  Even as I read the entry, I couldn’t help taking a deep breath.  I caught myself doing it and thought, “That’s exactly what I do when I’m keeping my temper.”

I recently completed a round of Physical Therapy and my therapist wanted me to focus on diaphragmatic breathing.  She told me I could do a lot for pain management if I focused on my breath.  I remembered that as I was struck by the connection between breath and patience.  I can change what’s happening in my body and how I’m feeling by changing my breath.  When it comes to fruit of the Spirit like patience, it isn’t my breath I need.

1 Corinthians 15: 45 says, “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”  The word for “being” is sometimes translated “soul” and is the Greek word psuche.  Genesis 2:7 tells me how this was done: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”  Jesus breathed on the apostles after His resurrection and then said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22).  The word used for the Holy Spirit is pneuma (G4151) and, while it doesn’t mean exactly the same thing as psuche, it does carry the meaning of breath.

The Newsboys have a song titled “Father, Blessed Father” on their album Adoration.  The song contains the lyrics, “Breathe on me, Breathe Oh breath of God.  Breathe on me, ‘til my heart is new.”  That is my prayer as I wrap up this study and walk into a new week.  Breathe on me, Oh Spirit of the Living God.  Be my very breath. Create in me a clean heart and may your patience bear fruit in my life.

Amen.

References:

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

The Comparative Study Bible, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984

Guralnik, David B., Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, 2nd Edition, William Colling + World Publishing Company, 1976

Strong, James, LLD., S.T.D., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990

Fruit of the Spirit-Love

22 Monday Mar 2021

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“But the Fruit of the Spirit is love…” Galatians 5:22

As I began this study, I wondered whether or not there was intention behind the order in which the Fruit of the Spirit is listed.  Was Paul, because he listed love first, saying it’s the most important?  In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul does say, “and now abide faith, hope, love, these three: but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)   

While I was looking up the word “love” in my reference materials, I came across the following: “Love is the highest characteristic of God, the one attribute in which all others harmoniously blend.”1 I found I agreed as I considered the rest of the list in Galatians 5:22 & 23: the other Fruit of the Spirit were not a possibility without love and they did both blend with and flow out of love.  Perhaps Paul did deliberately list love first.

Jesus certainly considered love of highest importance.  He stressed its importance during the conversation that took place in the upper room.  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” and then again; “These things I command you, that you love one another” (John 15: 12 and 17, respectively).  What is this love He, and the writers of the New Testament, consider so important?

The Greek language does something I wish English did and that is it distinguishes between types of love.  There is eros or sexual love, there is storge for familial love or affection, there is philia to describe social love or friendship, philanthropia for a broader ethical sense of kindness and humanity, and then there is agape.2 While phileo (verb-John 16:27) and philanthropia (Titus 3:4) are used in connection with the love of God, it is agape (the noun) or agapeo (the verb) that are used most often.  Agape (G26) means love, affection, benevolence and agapeo (G25) means love in a social or moral sense. 

I don’t know about you, but these definitions from Strong’s Concordance don’t succeed in opening my eyes to the awesomeness of agape.  My reference materials do attempt to explain the meaning further.  Vine’s Expository Dictionary has “the characteristic word of Christianity…used to describe the attitude of God toward His son…the human race…and to such as believe on the Lord Jesus Christ…to convey His will to His children concerning their attitude toward one another…and toward all men…to express the essential nature of God.”3  The Hastings Dictionary says, “agape, signifying primarily a voluntary, active affection, has brought…into the NT the deeper sense of spiritual affection, the love that links God and man and unites soul and soul in the Divine communion.  Like philia, it implies reciprocity, fellowship,–if not existing, then desired and sought.”4 I liked the entry in Unger’s Bible Dictionary best: “We must derive our conceptions of God from the special revelation which he has given of Himself; and this declares His love as strongly as His existence.”5 I will come back to this in a moment.

1 John 4:8 states, “He who does not love (agapeo) does not know God for God is love (agape).  God is, in His very nature, love.  I have found value in reading the entries for love/agape in my reference materials but I find it is scripture itself that gives me the clearest picture of this love that God is.    

1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most spectacular passages in all of scripture. It explains agape. I cannot fathom why the translators of the King James Bible used “charity” to translate agape in this passage and yet translated it “love” elsewhere.  While other versions did make the correction back to “love”, I have heard this passage quoted with “charity” and I think that word sucks the vibrancy out of it. The passage is meant to be a joyous revelation of the very heart of God.  Let us take a look at it again keeping this in mind:

Love suffers long.  Love is kind.  Love does not envy.  Love does not parade itself.  Love is not puffed up.  Love does not behave rudely.  Love does not seek its own.  Love is not provoked.  Love thinks no evil.  Love does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth.  Love bears all things.  Love believes all things.  Love hopes all things.  Love endures all things.  Love never fails. 

Again, “We must derive our conceptions of God from the special revelation which he has given of Himself; and this declares His love as strongly as His existence.” “Love had its perfect expression among men in the Lord Jesus Christ.”6 “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).  There are so many more commentaries, expositions, and scriptures I could quote if I had space.  I hope these few are enough for each one of us to see that perfect love that God is has been made manifest to us in His Son.  That love is the same love with which we are commanded to love each other.  Is this a burden placed upon us believers?  Are we to strive to love like Him and hope we don’t fall short?  Of course not!

The word “commandment” in the passages I quoted earlier is a fascinating one.  It is entole (G1785) meaning injunction, authoritative prescription, commandment, precept.  Entole comes from entellomai (G1781) which means enjoin, give charge, give commandments, injoin.  Entellomai can be broken down into its components and here’s where it gets extremely interesting.  I haven’t got the space to share the definitions in their entirety so I encourage you to look them up for yourself.  Briefly, the meanings are these:

En (G1722) denoting fixed position in place, time, or state…instrumentality…a relation of rest…give self wholly to

Telos (G5056) to set out for a definite point of goal, the conclusion of an act or a state, ultimate or prophetic purpose, an impost or levy (as paid)

Do you see it?  The onus isn’t on us at all except as it relates to our keeping ourselves in Him, entering into His rest, and remaining in vital relationship with Him through His Spirit!  God so LOVED-AGAPEO-the world that He gave His son and Jesus has done it all!  He is the One who has ascended far above all heavens that He might fill all things! (Ephesians 4:10)  We who hope to love as Jesus did know we can do so, not in our own strength but because “the love (agape) of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)  It is His Spirit in us that bears fruit and the beginning of this fruit is His love.

  1. Unger, Merrill, F., Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1982, Page 668
  2. Hastings, James, Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, Fifth Printing, Hendrickson Publishers, USA, 2001, Page 555
  3. Vine, W.E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, 1997, Pages 692-693
  4. Hastings, James, Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, USA, 2001, Page 555
  5. Unger, Merrill, F., Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1982, Page 668
  6. Vine, W.E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, 1997, Page 693

Other References: The Comparitive Study Bible, Zondervan, 1984; The New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982; The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990