True Conversion: The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-24

October 25, 1998

 

Have you ever walked through a garbage dump? I'm sure that none of us desire to take a casual stroll through mounds of garbage. But you almost get the feeling that you are doing this when you read through the list of "deeds of the flesh" which Paul identifies in our context. I have noticed that in our day of environmental concerns companies which deal with garbage have changed the explanation of their work to "waste management." They try to beautify their grounds surrounding garbage landfills. But whatever they do, they still have garbage. You still see it and smell it.  

 

Such is the case with the flesh. The unregenerate nature of man produces its characteristic deeds. An unbeliever can attempt to cover the "garbage" of sin in his life. He can give his actions new, improved names. But garbage is still garbage. Not so with the believer!  

 

The contrast between the flesh and the Spirit are most evident when we observe what each produces. Neutrality does not exist between them. Those who remain in the flesh, i.e., the unregenerate condition, will generate the evidence of a life dominated by sin. In distinction, those who are in Christ will manifest the evidence of His character by the indwelling Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is not an option for a Christian but the necessary evidence that a person is truly a Christian. Here we see the character of Christ being demonstrated through those whom He redeems. As C.R. Vaughan put it, "The presence of these [i.e., the fruit of the Spirit] affections and qualities in the mind is proof of the saving energy of the Holy Ghost in regenerating the human soul; the absence of them proves the want of it....The prevalence of these qualities, clear and unquestionable in the consciousness, leaves the question of regeneration settled beyond a doubt" [The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, 193-194]. 

 

At the heart of our assurance as a Christian is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. It's absence should tell us immediately that the Holy Spirit has never applied His regenerating power to our lives, so that we remain lost in sin and under the judgment of God. Is the fruit of the Spirit being manifest in your life? Let us consider together the evidence of true conversion in the fruit of the Spirit.  

 

I.  The premise of the Spirit's fruit  

 

There is a big difference between the "gifts of the Spirit" and "the fruit of the Spirit." The gifts are for the purpose of ministry in the church, while the fruit of the Spirit helps us to have assurance and to give power to our Christian witness. Gifts may vary from one believer to another, while the fruit of the Spirit manifests itself in solidarity within every believer. Gifts as acts of service can be imitated, while the fruit of the Spirit as character cannot. 

 

The premise which Paul builds in this portion of Galatians is that in the same way the unregenerate nature produces "deeds of the flesh" the regenerated nature will be a well-spring of "the fruit of the Spirit." The Holy Spirit cannot indwell a life without evidence of His holy presence and influence. He permeates the whole of the believer's character. He changes him at the root of his nature so that a "moral energy" as it were, works the holy character of Jesus Christ in and through the believer [Vaughan, 194]. The fruit of the Spirit is not a choice we make, but an inevitable manifestation in those who are truly born of God.  

 

1. Its nature  

 

You will notice the nature of "the fruit of the Spirit" by the use of the singular term "fruit." He does not say "fruits," as though portions of fruit might be present in the believer and other portions might not. Instead, the sense of wholeness and solidarity in character will be evident in the one born of God.  

 

The comparison can be found in the agricultural world. One plant or one fruit tree can only produce its own fruit. Apple trees produce apples, while orange trees produces oranges. You do not find apples and oranges on the same tree. What Paul is explaining with his imagery is that the only kind of fruit which the believer can produce is the fruit of the Spirit. The predominant, consistent evidence of his life is the character wrought by the indwelling Spirit.  

 

We must see that Paul does not approach the fruit of the Spirit with a 'pick and choose' idea, so that you decide which of the fruits--if any--you will 'produce'. While there may be some who by natural disposition appear to manifest one or more of these character-qualities, the distinguishing mark of the believer is found in the fruit's solidarity. All of the nine qualities of the Spirit's fruit will show up in varying degrees in the believer. "All the powers of the human spirit will feel more or less directly the effect of grace in the heart" [Vaughan, 207]. Certainly we grow in love, joy, peace, patience, etc., but the reality is that these qualities can be found to some degree in each believer.  

 

2. Its practice  

 

This solidarity or wholeness of the Spirit's fruit is further evidenced by its practice. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...." The use of the present tense verb shows that what the Holy Spirit begins in a life He continues (Philippians 1:6). This distinguishes the person who makes a profession of faith, acts excited about the Lord for a few weeks or months, then fades away. One of our Lord's parables clearly explains this. "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away" (Matthew 13:20-21). There may be a sense of joy but it is temporary. There may be a love for others but it is temporary. It is in the demands of life, with all of its harshness and difficulties, that you see the true evidence of the character of Christ in someone's life. 

 

The Christian is not like an "annual" plant which produces fruit for a while, then forever fades away. He has the spirit of a perennial, so that year after year, the same radiant fruit comes forth from his life.  

 

3. Its origin  

 

Bearing fruit is natural for fruit trees. They need not strain to produce fruit. You never find a grove of apple or peach trees attending conferences on bearing fruit. Nor do you find fruit trees manipulating one another with brow-beating words in attempts to convince a tree to produce fruit. The most natural thing in the world is for a fruit tree to bear its own fruit.  

 

Hear the word of the Lord: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...." The prepositional phrase demonstrates the origin of the character of Christ in the life of the believer, the Holy Spirit. Such character is born through the regenerating and indwelling power of the Spirit in the life of the believer. In regeneration the Holy Spirit changes the nature of the sinner so that his new desire and passion is for Christ, rather than for sin. Why must he be regenerated? Vaughan explains, "No stream can of itself ascend higher than its source; no nature can transcend itself in the manifestation of its energies, and if man is really dead in trespasses and sins, he can put forth no energy containing in it the element of real holiness, or true spiritual life" [175]. A person who merely 'makes a decision for Christ' but has not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit will find himself living in frustration while trying to produce a character which is not of his nature. Jesus told Nicodemus that "Unless a man is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). The idea of "enter" means to experience or to see firsthand. Jesus explains that to be "born again" is to be born of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6). Apart from such a radical work of the Holy Spirit a sinner will never believe the gospel and repent of his sins. He will never experience the saving work of Christ personally. How can we describe the Spirit's work of regeneration so that the new believer begins to give evidence of a totally different character of soul and life? 

 

It is a profound and radical change in the whole existing moral nature of the man. It makes him a new creature in Christ; it renews his nature; it re-colors his character; it transforms his will; it re-moulds his whole system of thinking, feeling, and acting. It gives him new objects to live for; new rules to live by; new principles to impel to action; and new sensibilities to success or failure in the progress and development of that new life [Vaughan, 188].  

 

The new nature by the Spirit is unlike the old nature of the flesh. That is Paul's whole premise in this portion of Galatians. What the Holy Spirit does is to so change a sinner's nature that the most natural fruit of this person's life is the character of Christ. Is this true of you?  

 

II. The description of the Spirit's fruit  

 

What is the fruit if it is not the character of Jesus Christ being manifested in the life of those whom He has redeemed? Think of each aspect of the Spirit's fruit and you will see something of Jesus Christ. Who has loved as has our Lord? Who has manifested joy supremely as Jesus Christ, "who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising its shame" (Hebrews 12:2). Who has walked with perfect peace as our Lord or demonstrated such depths of patience? 

 

What is the Godhead doing in everyone saved by grace? Our Triune God is reproducing the same character which Christ naturally manifested in this world by giving us a new nature through the Holy Spirit's work. We see this so clearly in Paul's explanation of the dimensions of God's saving work in Romans 8:29, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren." By the birthing power of the Spirit and the ongoing work of sanctification, the life of the believer is continually "conformed to the image" of Jesus Christ. Such conforming manifests the fruit of the Spirit, the character of Christ.  

 

Let's take a brief look at each aspect of this fruit, so that we might note its evidence in our lives to the glory of God and pray for ongoing perfection of its characteristics. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."  

 

1. Love: "willing, self-giving service...the supreme virtue of Christian living" (MacArthur)  

 

Many commentators state that "love" is the chief characteristic of the Spirit's fruit and perhaps the one word that best describes the totality of it. John MacArthur explains that love implies "willing, self-giving service" rather than being simply a sentimental emotion [New Testament Commentaries, 165]. I do not think we are to consider that there is no emotion in Christian love, nor are we to think of it as being strictly emotion. Love fills the bosom with such an attitude and desire for the good of others that it propels its carrier into acts of selfless service for others without strings attached.  

 

It is never prompted by the thought of some reciprocation. It is an attitude which leads to action. Love puts others before itself, not as a means to draw attention to oneself, but for the sheer delight of manifesting devotion to Christ by serving others as Christ did. Love is the opposite of selfishness and self-centeredness. Does this quality show itself in your life?  

 

2. Joy: "the voice of the bridegroom and the bride...sweet cogitations of Christ" (Luther)  

 

"Joy" has been described as the expression of love. Martin Luther compared joy to "the voice of the bridegroom and the bride" [Commentary on Galatians, 350]. By this picture you do not see grim faces or mournful tones, but the outworking of delight for one another. Joy has as its object the Lord Jesus Christ and the great hope laid up for the believer with Christ. Its opposite would be a morose, gloomy, sullen manner. Joy is not found in circumstances. Anyone can be happy about good circumstances. Instead, the reality of joy is that it marks the life of the believer even when facing difficulties and trials. I cannot but think of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian church. He wrote from a prison cell in Rome. You do not detect the least sense of fear or anger or complaint at his circumstances. Instead, the whole epistle is permeated with a sense of joy in the Lord. Over and over he reminds the Philippian believers, who were themselves facing difficult times, to "rejoice in the Lord."

 

When we live with the consciousness that our sins are forgiven and our enmity with God removed, joy ought to emerge from even the worst times. Yes, there are situations that bring sadness and heart-ache. But the Christian has an eternal hope before him. Such knowledge serves to liberate us from the sullenness of this world into the exuberant joy of belonging to Christ. "The absence of joy at any time in a Christian soul is due solely to the fact that his faith for the time being, and during all that time of paralyzed comfort, is not doing justice to the truth of the glad gospel of infinite grace" [Vaughan, 201].  

 

3. Peace: "tranquillity of mind that comes from [the] saving relationship" (MacArthur)  

 

We normally think of "peace" as the absence of hostility. And if this is in relationship to God, it is certainly on target. But peace goes much farther. The Hebrew idea of shalom conveyed the thought of God's blessings upon one's life. It is the richness of the divine hand sovereignly reigning over one's life. MacArthur points out that this goes even further in having "tranquillity of mind that comes from [the] saving relationship" we have with Jesus Christ (167). Peace with God is the result of justification by faith (Romans 5:1). 

 

The fact that the believer has peace with God motivates him to live at peace with all men. Sometimes this is impossible in the world due to the sinfulness of man. But on our part, we are told, "be at peace with all men" (Romans 12:18). Others may not respond, but we must seek not to be vengeful nor embittered nor contentious. As we are at peace with God we have the capability to put this into practice toward others.  

 

4. Patience: "gentleness of mind, which disposes us to take everything in good part and not to be easily offended" (Calvin)  

 

Patience has to do with our response toward others when we are being injured or wronged. It implies that we bear up or endure such afflictions, not with grim resignation, but with "gentleness of mind, which disposes us to take everything in good part and not to be easily offended" [Calvin, CNTC, 105]. Our response is tendered by what God in Christ has done in our own lives. As Vaughan put it, "As by the tender love of God its own sins are forgiven, it is all the more ready to forgive....it refuses to retaliate" [203]. Some of the older versions translate it by the word "long-suffering." Perhaps this helps us to understand the nature of "patience" which continues showing love and mercy to others even when being wronged; it continues to bear with the weaknesses of others even when feeling insulted.  

 

5. Kindness: "tender concern for others" (MacArthur)  

 

"Like patience, kindness is a characteristic of God intended to be reproduced by the Spirit in God's people" [George, NAC, 403]. We think of the great kindness of God shown toward defiant sinners by sending Jesus Christ as the divine satisfaction for our sins (Titus 3:3-7). As He reproduces His character in us, surely we demonstrate His "kindness" by exercising "tender concern for others" [MacArthur, 168]. 

 

6. Goodness: "benevolence and generosity toward someone else" (George)  

 

"Goodness" carries the idea of generosity, which is how some translate it. Timothy George calls it "benevolence and generosity toward someone else" [403]. Generosity may imply financial gifts, but it also suggests the giving of our time and energies to others in practical ways to show our care and concern for them. 

 

7. Faithfulness: "the quality of being true, trustworthy, and reliable in all one's dealings with others" (George)  

 

We admire "faithfulness" in all realms of life. It is that "quality of being true, trustworthy, and reliable in all one's dealings with others" [George, 403]. We see this supremely manifested in our Lord, whom John calls in Revelation 19:11, "Faithful and True." We are assured that "faithful is He who calls you, who also will bring it to pass" (I Thessalonians 5:24). The believer is never to be like the chameleon which changes colors with the surroundings. He is to be steady and reliable in all circumstances. His friendship and concerns are never to be dictated by what is in it for him or even how much it will cost him. Just as our Lord is dependable in all things, even so He manifests this characteristic in His children.  

 

8. Gentleness: "a submissive and teachable spirit toward God that manifests itself in genuine humility and consideration toward others" (George)  

 

The word "gentleness" has been translated as "meekness" in the Authorized Version. We generally think of this word as implying someone who is "mousy, a pushover." But that is far from the meaning of this term. Instead, it implies that a person's natural strengths, abilities, and mental powers are harnessed by the Spirit of God for the good of God's kingdom and others. Timothy George says that gentleness is "a submissive and teachable spirit toward God that manifests itself in genuine humility and consideration toward others" [404]. Numbers 12:3 tells us, "Now the man Moses was very meek." Moses was anything but a pushover! He was a man with unusual strengths and abilities, but yielded and taught by the Lord as His humble servant. 

 

9. Self-control: "restraining passions and appetites" (MacArthur)  

 

In our out-of-control world the believer is to stand against the tide by exercising "self-control." Such a quality implies a "restraining [of the] passions and appetites," particularly in a moral sense [MacArthur, 169]. It is a word that expresses the idea of personal discipline over one's life and lifestyle. It suggests that a person understands his own natural leanings and by the Spirit, restrains them so that the life of Christ might be pre-eminent in his personal world. Paul spoke of this candidly in I Corinthians 9:24-27, when he told of his own personal disciplining of his life, bringing his body into subjection to Christ, so that in no way would he be disqualified as a believer.  

 

With our 'whirlwind' tour of the fruit of the Spirit, does this look anything like the practice of your life? If we understand that true assurance is not found because we make a decision for assurance, but because the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits of being regenerate and that He manifests His fruit in our lives, then we can be encouraged by reading these character qualities. If they are not descriptive of us, then it is evidence that the Holy Spirit does not indwell us. And if He does not indwell us, we do not belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9).  

 

In Galatians, Paul had been dealing over and over with the restraining power of the law. But with the fruit of the Holy Spirit, there is no restraining! "Against such there is no law." It is not one's slavish adherence to the Law that produces these characteristics, rather the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, those who make laws in countries would love to be able to legislate such qualities in their citizenry. But it is impossible! For these characteristics follow those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and by faith have embraced Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  

 

III. The complement to the Spirit's fruit  

 

The Apostle never hesitates to bring into the picture human responsibility. He has shown that the fruit of the Spirit is clearly the work of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be mass-produced. You cannot enroll in a 'fruit of the Spirit class' and expect to see your character changed. But Paul does identify something which is true of every believer. He states, "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Keeping in mind that he has exposed the deeds of the flesh, he know explains that those who have experienced the work of being justified by faith so that they "belong to Christ," have in turn "crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." What is Paul's implication? I believe he is showing the complementary action of the believer in response to the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.  

 

1. Initial act  

 

This begins with an initial act of crucifixion. Paul had already spoken of having been crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20). The implication being that when Christ was crucified, Paul was fully identified with Him in His death, so that it was as if Paul himself had been on the cross, bearing the penalty of his own sin and enmity against God. The verse expresses our identification with Christ and the work of imputation. But here he uses crucifixion differently. He explains that he is not targeting people who are doing actions to in order to be saved. Instead, "those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh," i.e., those who have truly entered into a saving relationship with Him, have responded by dying to the flesh. How do they crucify the flesh and when do they do this?  

 

The tense of the verb speaks of something in the past, a completed act: "have crucified the flesh." Here the Apostle uses the idea of crucifixion as an equivalent to the act of conversion. He wants to get the point across that the believer, though he still lives in the same body, has a totally different relationship to his old, sinful ways. At the point of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21), the believer forever died to his nature as a sinner. Yes, he still struggles while awaiting the final redemption of his body at the return of Christ. But his response to the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit was so radical that he died to following after his natural inclinations and drives. His turn from sin by the grace of God was so decisive, even with his struggles, that he died to his old pursuits. What begins at conversion inevitably continues.  

 

2. Ongoing process  

 

The 'crucified life' must be seen as an ongoing process. Paul declared, "I die daily" (I Corinthians 15:31). To the pull of the world and allurements of old desires, I die on a daily basis. I cannot presume nor coast as if on automatic pilot. I must be reminded that as a believer I am to "take up [my] cross and follow [Jesus]" (Luke 9:23). I am to live as one who has already crucified his passions and desires. Martin Luther put it plainly in his work on Galatians.  

When they resist the flesh after this manner, they nail it to the cross; so that although the flesh be yet alive, it cannot perform that which it would do, forasmuch as it is bound hand and foot, and fast nailed to the cross. Afterwards, when they die the flesh is wholly put off: and when they rise again they shall have a pure and uncorrupt flesh, without all sinful affections and lusts [354].

Conclusion: Is there clear evidence that you belong to Jesus Christ? Do not trust in a decision, but rest in the God-given means for assurance, that the character of Christ is evident in your life.

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