“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22–23

We have seen that the fruit of the Spirit described in our verse stands in contrast to the works of the flesh listed in verses 19–21. But we have also seen that the fruit of the Spirit demonstrates the character of God and the character of Christ. Character determines conduct.

As we trace these aspects of the fruit of the Spirit throughout Scripture, we quickly learn that when we spend time with Christ, the Spirit of God takes the things of Christ and makes them precious to us, conforming us to the very image of Christ. The outflow of that transforming work is that our conduct is affected. Character determines conduct—or, to put it another way, our conduct reveals our character.

Let us consider how Scripture expects our conduct to reflect the fruit of the Spirit in the lives of the followers of Christ:

• Love — We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37–39).
• Joy — We are told to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4).
• Peace — His peace is to be evident in our lives; we are to seek it and pursue it (1 Pet. 3:11).
• Patience — We are instructed to be patient with everyone (1 Thess. 5:14).
• Kindness — Colossians 3:12 tells us to be clothed with kindness.
• Goodness — We are to do good to everyone and not grow weary in doing so (Gal. 6:10).
• Faithfulness — Faithfulness is to mark our lives, even to the point of death (Rev. 2:10).
• Gentleness — True humility toward all people is to characterize us (Titus 3:2).
• Self-control — Self-control is to be added to all that we know (2 Pet. 1:5–6).

Anchor For Today:
As we yield to the Spirit, He begins to produce this fruit in our lives for the glory of God.