True Christian believers are marked by the fruit of the Spirit. If speaking in tongues were to be a sign of the Holy Spirit, Paul would have surely mentioned (and the point is he didn’t) here in Galatians 5:22-25 where we read “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” I would like to share the following thoughts:
(1) This verse begins with “But” because Paul has already mentioned “the works of the sinful flesh” (vv.19-21) Hence this verse 22 begins with the word “But” by way of contrast.
(2) It is the “Fruit” in singular and not “Fruits” in plural as when some speak say “fruits of the Spirit”
(3) The fruit spoken here is the one with which verse 22 begins and this fruit is LOVE. This love is the love of God and because of this love we have, “joy, peace, longsuffering and so on….” The same Paul writes in Romans 5:5-6, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
(4) It is the fruit of “The Spirit” and by this Spirit Paul meant the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who is not only “Holy” but the Spirit of “Truth” as well.
(5) Now “Fruit” is a mark or a sign by which a tree is known. We all know that what matters is not how a tree looks like but what fruit it bears. There are many good looking trees either they don’t bear fruit or do bear but bear bad fruit. Please read again Matthew chapter 7 which I already mentioned in my previous notes on the face book. It is in the context of “Beware of false prophets..” Jesus says, “You will know them by their fruits…a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:16,18) There is a fearful warning in verse 19, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
May the LORD our God deliver our Churches from the spirit of error and confusion. Jesus Christ is coming soon to judge the living and the dead.
Note by Pastor E. John July 2014
