Day 4
Lisa Sheffler, author
Too many Christians live as if sin has the upper hand. I confess that I sometimes act this way. Around me I see fear and abuse, broken relationships and broken lives. I see sin in my own life and watch those around me struggle. But in those moments, I need to shift my gaze. Sin does not have the upper hand, because as Christians, we have the antidote to sin.
In our passage this week, Paul is inviting us to see that a Spirit-empowered Christlikeness, lived out in loving servanthood with our spiritual family, is possible. The Spirit is sufficient for life in the believing community—over against both the law and the flesh, as God’s replacement of the former and antidote to the latter.[1]
Yesterday Paul gave us some examples of works of the flesh — destructive acts that the flesh can manufacture. Today, we’re focused on something that grows from the indwelling Spirit living inside of us — fruit of the Spirit.
[1] Fee, 201.
Read
Galatians 5:22-26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other!
What do you think Paul means when he says that those who are in Christ have crucified the flesh?
Reflect
The fruit of the Spirit is the moral character developed by the power of the Spirit. The nine character qualities sketch for us a portrait that should be familiar — Jesus. Paul has expressed his desire to see Christ formed in the Galatian believers (4:19). Now he describes what that formation looks like. These character traits are not a new list of laws or moral codes that must be kept; they are the result of living and being led by the Spirit.”[1]
We can’t produce this qualities on our own. That’s the thing with fruit. You can’t command it to grow, but you can cultivate it. You can plant, water, fertilize, and make sure there is plenty of sunlight. Ask any farmer, it’s hard work, even though it’s a process we can’t take credit for. Paul explores that tension here. We must walk in step with the Spirit, yet it’s the Spirit that produces the fruit in our lives.
Look again at 5:24. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Galatians 2:19 and 6:14 say that Christians have been crucified with Christ, but 5:24 says that they themselves have acted to put to death the flesh. We are not passive in our growth.
We resist evil by relying on the Spirit. We learn to say no to sin. We ask for his wisdom to steer clear of temptation and his strength and power to resist what we can’t avoid. But the Spirit is so much more than a defensive weapon. As we yield to the Spirit, he will bring our desires more and more in line with the Father’s. When we interact with others, he will give us eyes to see them as he does, hands that want to help, and mouths that want to bless. The more time we spend with our Father, the more we learn to trust and obey the Son, the more fruit the Spirit will bear.
For Paul, true living before God was a life in the Spirit and a life of spiritual freedom.
[1] G. Walter Hansen, Galatians, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), Ga 5:22–26.
Respond
Spend some time meditating on the fruit of the Spirit.
Love, joy, peace, forbearance (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Read them slowly, out loud. Ask the Spirit to give you a synonym, an image, or even a feeling to go with each word. Write the words down. Work on memorizing them. Then ask the Spirit to produce this fruit in you.
Remember that fruit takes time to grow. My lemon trees had beautiful blooms on them last month and have just started producing tiny green fruit that will take from now until late fall to fully ripen. Looking at those tiny lemons reminds me that I have a lot of growing to do too, but that my father is a good and patient gardener who will produce fruit in me in his time.
Let’s all pray: Spirit, hear my heart’s desire. I want to be more and more like Jesus. I want to see your fruit in my life so that I may bless others.