The Fruit of the Spirit

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Ephesians 5: 9; Galatians 5:22,23; John 15:1-8
Among Christians, there is an emphasis on Christian character. The life of a new testament Christian should manifest a Christ-like character like that of the church at Antioch. Christ the expected fruit bearing lifestyle of believers thus: "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abibe in the vine; no more can ye except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:3-5).
The fruit of the Spirit is the manifestation of a Christian's transformed life. These true Christian virtues are collectively called the fruit of the Spirit. It is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible characteristics which should be constantly seen in the life of a Christian and these are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22, 23). We learn from the Scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which believing youths pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one "fruit" that characterises all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Collectively, these are the attributes or good virtues that all Christians should produce in their new lives with Jesus Christ.

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CONDITION FOR BEARING THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
John 15:1-7,16; Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 9: 10; Psalm 92: 13, 14
The fruit of the Spirit is giving by the Holy Spirit. It might be helpful to note that Paul wrote "fruit" in the singular, indicating that we should understand that the fruit has a number of components, but at the same time, all of them will be produced within each person the Spirit leads. Paul pointedly drew attention to the Source of the fruit as being "of the Spirit" to make us fully aware that these qualities do not flow from our nature. The vices are "works of the flesh" listed in Galatians 5: 19- 21 are the product of our human heart. But the spiritual fruit is produced by means of the influence of the Holy Spirit. This comes into the heart of people after conversion. Conversion involves the transformation of the heart of a sinful person to that of a transformed saint.
To qualify to bear the fruit of the Spirit, a person has to acknowledge his/her sinful state (Psalm 51: 1- 3), believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation (John 10: 7- 9), confess his/her sins and forsake them (Proverbs 28: 13), depend fully on God by reading and obeying His word daily (John 5:39), pray to God in faith (1 Thessalonians 5:17), abide on the Spirit of God and he abides by His desires (Galatians 5:16).

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COMPONENTS OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Galatians 5: 22, 23
There are nine fruit of the Spirit. They can be split into three main groups, each consisting of three set of qualities. The first group: love, joy and peace show a Christian's heart with special emphasis on one's relationship with God. The second group: lonsuffering(patience), kindness and goodness exemplify a Christian's social virtues relating to our thoughts and action toward fellow men. The third group: faith, gentleness and temperance reveals the internal attributes of a Christian and how he should maintain his spiritual and moral reliability.
Each of these fruit is a quality every Christian should desire for without them, we cannot rightly reflect the mind and the way of God. The fruit of the Spirit refects the virtues God wants in all believers.

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LOVE: Love is defined as an unselfish, benevolent concern for another. It is the self-denying, self-sacrificing, Christ-like love for the wellbeing of others which is the foundation of all other graces. Coversion without love can be greatly questioned.

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JOY: Joy is defined as great delight; gladness of heart and that deep abiding inner rejoicing in the Lord. It is the happy state that results from knowing and serving God. The joy of the Lord is the strength of every Christian. Without it, Christianity would become a routine task and Christians would start to withdraw from others and life in general. The joy of the Lord gives an incredible source of strength in our daily walk with God.

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PEACE: It is defined as the sense of wellbeing and fulfilment that comes from God and is dependent on His presence. It is tranquility, rest and harmony, the absence of agitation and discord. Without peace of God operating in our life, you could become very easily shaken, tormented and knocked off from the Lord any time adversity comes your way.

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LONGSUFFERING: This is also called patience. it is highly needed in the face of aggression in the world in which we live today. It is patience, endurance and steadfastness under provocation. It sometimes entails forbearance under suffering in the face of adversity. It is the ability to endure persecution and ill-treatment.

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GENTLENESS: This is mildness combined with tenderness. It is the quality of being gracious: kind disposition and controlled strength. It is the disposition of controlled temper, balanced in spirit and passions under control. It is exhibited in believing youths as a character that is reasonable, forbearing, moderate, fair and considerate. When one is gentle, he is willing to pardon injuries, correct faults and rule his spirit well.

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GOODNESS: Goodness is one of the key qualities an unbeliever will easily imbibe from a solid Christian as it is what they easily admire and desire in a believer. It is defined as being benevolent, ready to do good; it is love in action. It is kindness in actual manifestation, virtue equipped for action, a bountiful propensity both to will and to do what is good. Goodness produces generousity and a God-like state of being. The word benevolent is the quality of being kind and doing good.

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MEEKNESS: This can also be explained as being kind. Once the Holy Spirit starts to transmit His love into a person, the quality of His kindness will follow right along with it. It will become much easier for you to be able to be kind to others once the love of God starts to flow more into your personality. Kindness is steadfast love that maintains relationships through gracious aid in time of need.

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FAITH: Faith stated as faithfulness means fidelity. It is that which makes one through to his promise and faithful to his task. It is being steadfast, dedicated, loyal, unchanging, thoroughly grounded, dependable and worthy of trust.

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TEMPERANCE: Temperance is also called self-control. Even though it is the last, it is one of the most important virtues of a Christian. It is to have sober, temperate and calm approach to life, having mastered personal desires and passions. It is to be well-disciplined and exercise restraint over one's behaviour.