“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” ~ Galatians 5:22-25

Fruit is a very important food globally when considering the health benefits of eating such foods, the flavors they provide for so many things, and the symbols they illicit for so many.

For example, consider the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This fruit, often depicted as an apple, although likely a fig or pomegranate, represents temptation to so many.

But fruit, in its purest form represents the offspring of something. So therefore, when referring to the fruits of the Spirit, it is the offspring of spiritual life.

Only, it doesn’t read as “fruits.” Galatians 5:22 uses the term, “fruit.” This word is singular in English and in the original Greek word, “karpos“. Now this may not mean much to you at the moment, but it is very important in correctly understanding what the Spirit brings.

The Fruit of the Spirit is not a good feeling, mix bag of wonderful emotions. It is 1 fruit, consisting of all 9 attributes. It is not 9 fruits, consisting of 1 attribute each. The Spirit is transformative and instills all 9 of these fruits in those who love God and are justified by His Gospel.

So live by the Spirit, expecting to see the fruits. If you are seeing fruits, individually, perhaps recognize that fruit takes time to grow, and their is no better fertilizer to achieve the health fruit, than the unadulterated Word of God.

Knowing that those who are in the flesh, cannot please God (Romans 8).

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