But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law
And those who are Christ’s have put to death on the cross the flesh with its passions and its evil desires. If we are living by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us be guided. Let us not be full of self-glory, making one another angry, having envy of one another.
The Greek word sarx is used in Greek literature to mean the flesh (or body/ meat) as opposed to, or different from the soul and the spirit. Therefore, it refers to what is external and can be perceived by the five physical senses, by which one relates to the physical world.
In the Greek New Testament, it is also used to refer to the entire human nature with its physical and moral frailties and passions as affected by sin and therefore the human being as carnal: carnally minded or flesh ruled.
The flesh and the spirit are two diametrically opposing forces. They are two different states of being and two opposite ways of life.
While an unbeliever can only walk in the flesh, since he is in the fallen state of sin by nature, the Christian can walk in both the spirit and in the flesh. A believer walking in the flesh is not living by the power of the Holy Spirit but is been influenced by his or her physical senses.
The fruit of the Spirit is love. As believers, we are encouraged by the Word of God to overcome the works of the flesh by living in the spirit. There is bondage from walking in the flesh, and there is liberty through living in the Spirit, and it is only by living or walking in the Spirit that the believer can overcome the deeds or works of the flesh.
The works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit are in contrast. Apostle Paul lists “the works of the flesh” and “the fruit of the spirit”. The Bible Exposition Commentary has the following illustration about the contrast between works and fruit:
“A machine in a factory works and turns out a product, but it could never manufacture fruit. Fruit must grow out of life, and in the case of the believer, it is the life of the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).
When you think of “works” you think of effort, labour, strain, and toil; when you think of “fruit” you think of beauty, quietness, the unfolding of life. The flesh produces dead works (Heb 9:14), but the Spirit produces living fruit, and this fruit has in it the seed for still more fruit (Gen 1:11). Love begets more love! Joy helps to produce more joy! Jesus is concerned that we produce “fruit… more fruit… much fruit” (Jn. 15:2,5) because this is the way we glorify Him. The old nature cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit; only the New Nature can do that.”
The recreated human spirit of the believer in Christ is by nature endued with the love and life of the Holy Spirit. Ronald F. Bridges says:
“The basic principle and ultimate motive of both the Christian gospel and the Christian ethic is love. God is love, and we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). In the translation of the Greek word agape, we are dealing not with a mere exhortation to feeling and action, or even with a statement of human duty, but with the ultimate grounding of human duty and destiny in the very nature and eternal purpose of God”
As believers, love is the very foundation of our lives. Love is our nature because we carry the very nature of God our Father since we are born of Him (Jn 1:13).
The fruit of the Spirit is love. Love is both the hinge and soil upon which joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance revolve and take their root.
These virtues are manifestations of the presence of love, they characterize the true Christian life, which is a life lived in the Spirit. They are the fruit obtainable from the orchard of a life planted in the Spirit, a life committed to walking in divine love. Love is the motivation of our lives.
Consequently, love ought to be what governs our thoughts, words and actions, yea, our very lives and existence.
When a believer does not walk in love, he opens himself to “come under the rule of the evil desires of the flesh.” At the base of walking in the flesh is selfishness. Selfishness is the antithesis of love, and it exposes a person’s life to the influence of the devil. Truly, selfishness has the potential to expose your life to demonic influence and deception.
Walking in God’s kind of love opens our hearts and minds to the leading and inspirations of the Holy Spirit. The believer who is walking in love is also walking in the Spirit. When you walk in love, you also walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.
What is the character of love? The world has different ideas or perspectives as to what love is, how it might be expressed or discerned in a person’s life.
God does not leave us in the dark as regards what love is all about. There is no trial and error to the practice of love. It is very clear in the Scripture:
If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal.
And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains, but have never learned to love, then I am nothing.
And if I were to be so generous as to give away everything I owned to feed the poor, and to offer my body to be burned as a martyr, without the pure motive of love, I would gain nothing of value.
Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessings come to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s own achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect nor selfishly seek its own honour. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best of others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.
Perhaps you are having difficulty in loving someone, who did you a grave wrong, take that step of faith and draw on the love of God within you and forgive. Love will set you free.
Friend, if you have Christ living in you, you have love in your heart. God has poured out His love in your heart. You may not feel it, but you can deliberately take steps to obey the Lord and walk in love. Love can change your world!
Thank you. Do not forget to keep living, loving and learning.
References:
Galatians 5:16-18, BBE: Galatians 5:22-23; Galatians 5:24-26, BBE; 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, TPT.
- Ronald F. Bridges and Luther A. Weigle: King James Bible Wordbook 1997, ©1994).
- Solomon A Aror: Criminals Behind the Pulpit: Exposing False Ministry and Unveiling True Ministry in the Church; Wordworth International © 2010, 2020).
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Love is powerful. Only love can break down the walls of bitterness and unforgiveness.
This is so true. Thanks