< < Galatians 5:22 >>
New International Version (©1984)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
New Living Translation (©2007)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
English Standard Version (©2001)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
International Standard Version (©2008)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit – Both flesh – the sinful dispositions of the human heart and spirit – the changed or purified state of the soul, by the grace and Spirit of God, are represented by the apostle as trees, one yielding good the other bad fruit; the productions of each being according to the nature of the tree, as the tree is according to the nature of the seed from which it sprung. The bad seed produced a bad tree, yielding all manner of bad fruit; the good seed produced a good tree, bringing forth fruits of the most excellent kind. The tree of the flesh, with all its bad fruits, we have already seen; the tree of the Spirit, with its good fruits, we shall now see.
Love – An intense desire to please God, and to do good to mankind; the very soul and spirit of all true religion; the fulfilling of the law, and what gives energy to faith itself. See Galatians 5:6.
Joy – ? The exultation that arises from a sense of God’s mercy communicated to the soul in the pardon of its iniquities, and the prospect of that eternal glory of which it has the foretaste in the pardon of sin. See Romans 5:2.
Peace – The calm, quiet, and order, which take place in the justified soul, instead of the doubts, fears, alarms, and dreadful forebodings, which every true penitent less or more feels, and must feel till the assurance of pardon brings peace and satisfaction to the mind. Peace is the first sensible fruit of the pardon of sin. See Romans 5:1, and the notes there.
Long-suffering – Long-mindedness, bearing with the frailties and provocations of others, from the consideration that God has borne long with ours; and that, if he had not, we should have been speedily consumed: bearing up also through all the troubles and difficulties of life without murmuring or repining; submitting cheerfully to every dispensation of God’s providence, and thus deriving benefit from every occurrence.
Gentleness – Benignity, affability; a very rare grace, often wanting in many who have a considerable share of Christian excellence. A good education and polished manners, when brought under the influence of the grace of God, will bring out this grace with great effect.
Goodness – The perpetual desire and sincere study, not only to abstain from every appearance of evil, but to do good to the bodies and souls of men to the utmost of our ability. But all this must spring from a good heart – a heart purified by the Spirit of God; and then, the tree being made good, the fruit must be good also.
Faith – , here used for fidelity – punctuality in performing promises, conscientious carefulness in preserving what is committed to our trust, in restoring it to its proper owner, in transacting the business confided to us, neither betraying the secret of our friend, nor disappointing the confidence of our employer.
Wesley’s Notes
5:22 Love – The root of all the rest. Gentleness – Toward all men; ignorant and wicked men in particular. Goodness – The Greek word means all that is benign, soft, winning, tender, either in temper or behaviour.
Scofield Reference Notes
[1] But the fruit
Christian character is not mere moral or legal correctness, but the possession and manifestation of nine graces: love, joy, peace–character as an inward state; longsuffering, gentleness, goodness–character in expression toward man; faith, meekness, temperance–character in expression toward God. Taken together they present a moral portrait of Christ, and may be taken as the apostle’s explanation of Gal 2:20 “Not I, but Christ,” and as a definition of “fruit” in Jn 15:1-8 This character is possible because of the believer’s vital union to Christ Jn 15:5 1Cor 12:12,13 and is wholly the fruit of the Spirit in those believers who are yielded to Him. Gal 5:22,23.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
5:16-26 If it be our care to act under the guidance and power of the blessed Spirit, though we may not be freed from the stirrings and oppositions of the corrupt nature which remains in us, it shall not have dominion over us. Believers are engaged in a conflict, in which they earnestly desire that grace may obtain full and speedy victory. And those who desire thus to give themselves up to be led by the Holy Spirit, are not under the law as a covenant of works, nor exposed to its awful curse. Their hatred of sin, and desires after holiness, show that they have a part in the salvation of the gospel. The works of the flesh are many and manifest. And these sins will shut men out of heaven. Yet what numbers, calling themselves Christians, live in these, and say they hope for heaven! The fruits of the Spirit, or of the renewed nature, which we are to do, are named. And as the apostle had chiefly named works of the flesh, not only hurtful to men themselves, but tending to make them so to one another, so here he chiefly notices the fruits of the Spirit, which tend to make Christians agreeable one to another, as well as to make them happy. The fruits of the Spirit plainly show, that such are led by the Spirit. By describing the works of the flesh and fruits of the Spirit, we are told what to avoid and oppose, and what we are to cherish and cultivate; and this is the sincere care and endeavour of all real Christians. Sin does not now reign in their mortal bodies, so that they obey it, Ro 6:12, for they seek to destroy it. Christ never will own those who yield themselves up to be the servants of sin. And it is not enough that we cease to do evil, but we must learn to do well. Our conversation will always be answerable to the principle which guides and governs us, Ro 8:5. We must set ourselves in earnest to mortify the deeds of the body, and to walk in newness of life. Not being desirous of vain-glory, or unduly wishing for the esteem and applause of men, not provoking or envying one another, but seeking to bring forth more abundantly those good fruits, which are, through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God.
On this day…
- Psalm 104 – 2024
- Psalm 105 – 2024
- Deuteronomy 2 – 2023
- Deuteronomy 1 – 2023
- The Pleasure of God in His Son – 2011
- There Never Seems to Be Enough Time – 2011
- Life is at its noblest and its best when our effort co-operates with God’s grace – 2011
- The bitterest ingredient in the ‘cup of divine displeasure’ – 2011
- Where am I bound for? For heaven–or for hell? – 2011
- RESTRAINING GRACE – 2011
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