The Fruit of the Spirit: Love
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” (Galatians 5:22) I n one of His final conversations with His disciples, before He would be crucified, Jesus reminded His disciples of the importance of bearing fruits (John 15:1-8). In this conversation, Jesus stated those that abide in Him and do not bear fruit will be taken away, but those that abide in Him and bear fruit glorified the Father in heaven. The command to bear fruit is not a “new commandment” given by Jesus but is a command that can be found throughout the Old and New Testament. Peter would remind the church during the first century to add the seven “Christian graces” and says those that do so will not be unfruitful (2 Peter 1:8). The church in Rome was made free from sin, becoming servants of God and “ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life” (Rom. 6:22). The churches in the Galatian region were exhorted to bear the fruit of the Spirit and within this exhortation, there are nine qualities/characteristics that should be evident in the lives of every Christian. The first of these nine characteristics is “love” (Gal. 5:22).
It might be expected to have “love” at the top of this list, and there are a host of verses to instruct that type of love each Christian should have. According to Jesus, the greatest two commandments in all of Scripture is to “love”: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39). John says, “God is love” and we are to “love one another” (1 John 4:7). Paul would write an entire chapter of the New Testament describing the love that we are to have for one another, having love/ charity that is long-suffering, kind, does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, does not insist on its own way, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth, love that bears all, believes all, hopes all, and endures all things; a love that never fails (1 Cor. 13:4-8).
There are at least three different Greek words used in the New Testament that are translated “love” to describe three distinct types of love (romantic love, brotherly love, and sacrificial love). The original word used in Galatians 5 is the word “agape”. This word is used to describe sacrificial love. Agape is more than just an emotion, but a way of life, and always seeks the highest good of others. Agape/love is more than a feeling that we have but is produced by the Spirit and is the driving force behind everything done within the church.
How does the Spirit produce love? The Spirit has provided the breathedout Word of God, which is profitable for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). The Word of God is given to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105), and when we use the Word of God correctly, it will guide us and instruct us in our ways. Just as God spoke to the fathers directly during the patriarch dispensation and spoke to the Israelites through the Law and the prophets, He now speaks to us through His Son and the written Testament of Jesus (Heb. 1:1-3). Jesus says those that love Him will keep His commandments (John 14:15) and we can keep His commandments concerning the love we are to have when we apply His teachings to our lives.
When we keep the commands of Jesus, putting into practice the commands He has provided, we begin to abide in Him and bear fruit (John 15:1-8), but what does that mean? If I love my wife (which I do), I will want to know everything about her, and do those things that make her happy, love those she loves, and will make every effort to be pleasing to her. The church is called the “bride of Christ” (Eph. 5), and just as a spouses do all to be pleasing to each other, Christians love those that Jesus loves and do those things to please Him. This, of course, is not a “loophole” to excuse unscriptural behavior, and those that are in sin must repent, but those that are in Christ should not love less those that are in sin but are sacrificial and desiring the best for everyone.
Jesus is our example of love. Jesus is the Father’s illustration of His great love for us (John 3:16). Those that follow the example of Jesus will abide in Him and His Word, they will be sacrificial, desiring the best for all people, and in so doing they will glorify the Father in heaven. Those that do not produce fruit in Jesus will be cast out like a tree that no longer produces fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (John 15:1-8). Are you producing the fruit of the Spirit? Are you loving others sacrificially? Do our fruits need tending to so we may produce the type of fruit God would have us to?
Jeremy Thornton is Minister of Highway 77 Church of Christ in Marion, Arkansas.
Jeremy Thornton
Minute with the Minister
