Galatians 5:22–26 (ESV) — 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

The Apostle Paul knew the Galatian church had gotten its start because of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had birthed the Galatians into Christ's family and strengthened them in their early days as Christians.

But over time, the Galatians began to think they could be perfected by human effort, which led to a nasty environment where people became conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another (26). Legalism had produced a competitive environment where some felt superior and others felt inferior.

Because of the self-effort ideas floating around the Galatian church, Paul felt it was important to explain to them the differences between life in the flesh and the Spirit. Every Christian, Paul said, is a battleground between the old nature of the flesh and the new nature of the Spirit.

And, as Paul articulated the battle between these two, he detailed the works of the flesh, which we thought about in our last study, and the fruit of the Spirit, which we will consider here (22). This fruit is the outworking of the new nature the Spirit gives every believer, and it grows when we walk in and are led by the him (Gal. 5:16, 18). When we walk by the Spirit, we no longer follow the desires and passions of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). As we enjoy fellowship with God, the Spirit produces growth and transformation that rules and regulations could never generate.

Paul said the fruit of the Spirit is so strong that against such things there is no law (23). No law would ever be written to try to restrain the love, joy, and peace that the Spirit produces. No legalistic code could ever produce the patience, kindness, and goodness the Spirit does. And no one would ever try to prohibit someone from the kind of faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control the Spirit authors. To Paul, only the Spirit-led life could produce the kind of growth the Galatians were after.

The Method of Our Growth (22a)

One of the first things to notice in this passage is the method of our growth. Paul wrote about the works of the flesh, but here he refers to the fruit of the Spirit (19, 22). Paul used these words intentionally because they contrast each other.

The flesh is like a factory or a machine that inevitably produces various works. It conjures up images of the job site or factory line—human effort making and constructing.

But the Spirit's fruit cannot be produced. The concept of fruit takes us out of the human factory and into the farm. Any farm requires human labor, but the produce of the field is far different from the byproduct of the factory. Imagine a car factory—no one expects a car to merely grow from the ground if the conditions are right. But that's how fruit occurs. The goal of the farmer is to set up the right conditions for natural growth to occur.

If this is God's method of true transformation—if it is all about the Spirit producing fruit in us—then we must embrace this method. We aren't on a grand "just say no" campaign against the works of the flesh. We are instead asked to walk in and be led by the Spirit, setting conditions for his fruitful work to occur in us. Just as the sailboat requires human engagement but is powered by the wind, so the Christian life is powered by the Spirit, but we must choose to set the conditions for him to work. And just as the farmer tends the field in an attempt to create an environment for growth, so we must tend our lives and fight for good conditions for God's fruit to appear.

In another agricultural metaphor, Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). When we engage in and enjoy Jesus, fruit comes from our lives.

The psalmist understood this concept when he said that day and night meditation on and delight in God's word would make someone fruitful. Like a tree next to flowing waters, bearing fruit in its season, is someone who loves and continually meditates on Scripture (Ps. 1:1-3). Constant interaction with the word sets the conditions for God to produce growth.

The important thing to remember is that the works of the flesh come naturally to us, but the fruit of the Spirit must be organically grown within us. We can, of course, fake the fruit of the Spirit and act loving, joyful, or at peace. We can seem to others to be patient, kind, and good, at least for a little while. And we can easily portray ourselves as dependable, tender-hearted, and self-disciplined people. But Paul is not telling us to fake these attributes but to walk with God so the Spirit grows them within us.

I once heard of a man who struggled to keep plants alive. Someone gave him an orchid, and he became determined that it would live, so he researched how to care for it. He read somewhere that all he needed to do was put an ice cube a week in the flower pot, and the orchid would thrive. For a whole year, faithfully, he put his weekly ice cube in the pot. And he was so proud of himself—until one day he realized that it was an artificial, manmade orchid! He had been maintaining a fake. Let it not be so with us. Rather than maintain fake character, let's be a people who press into our walk with God and allow him to transform us in a real way.

This method of growth God has chosen is gradual but predictable. When an apple grows, it happens slowly over time. To the naked eye, nothing is happening, but soon fruit is on the branch. So it is with our growth in Christ. Rather than fake immediate fruit, it is better to allow the process of time walking with God to produce real fruit in us. We must expect our growth to often be slow and imperceptible. But, if we continue to feed the Spirit, we will experience moments when we realize we have changed.

You understand this when it comes to physical transformation. No one expects radical transformation after one day of healthy eating and some gym time. Change is gradual and slow. Or think of your personal photo stream. You can easily come across a photo from five or ten years ago with a few clicks. And sometimes it can be astounding how much you have changed! While you changed you didn't feel it, but change happened. So it is with the Spirit. Going to church, reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, or engaging in any other spiritual discipline all lead to slow but predictable growth.

Why is it predictable? Because it is promised. Walk by the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit grows. There is no mystery as to what the fruit of the Spirit looks like. Apple seeds produce apples. Orange seeds produce oranges. Fruit bears according to its kind. And the Spirit produces the same thing every time—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is a seed that cannot be stopped; its growth is inevitable.

I cannot express enough how important knowing and embracing this method for growth is to the Christian life. We must be fully confident that Christianity is not a "try hard" message but a "walk with God" message. As we walk in and are led by his Spirit, transformation comes. We aren't a factory that produces good works but a farm that grows good character.

The Balance of Our Growth (22-23)

A second thing to notice in this passage is the balance of our growth. It might have escaped us English readers, but the ancient Greek Paul wrote with is clear: there is a singular fruit of the Spirit that grows from our lives. Some have wondered if this means the singular fruit of the Spirit is love, and that all the other elements are facets of love. But the most received and best view is that the fruit of the Spirit includes all the dimensions found here: love, but also joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (22-23). What this suggests is that these various elements are all interconnected. There is one fruit of the Spirit, and it looks like all these elements.

To put it bluntly, this is not a Pauline personality profile exam. If it were, we could come to this list and discover areas we are naturally strong, but natural strengths are not the fruit of the Spirit. We all know people who are naturally happy and bubbly; we might say they are joyful. We all know people with a strong moral compass; we might say they are good. We all know people who are subdued and speak calmly; we might say they are gentle. But natural temperament should not be confused with the work of the Spirit.

The sign that it is the Spirit who authors various elements is that the other elements can also be found. When the Spirit is working in someone's life, they won't be patient but also completely lack self-control; they won't appear to be loving but also lack a moral backbone; they won't seem gentle but also lack a deep-seated joy. When the Spirit is at work, each element of his fruit is produced in balance.

Think of the way a balloon expands when filled with air. The air is evenly distributed throughout the entire balloon. It might be small at first, but it holds its shape. Air isn't in only on one side of the balloon but not the other. And, as more air is added, it fills up in a symmetrical way.

The Spirit does the same thing in us, steadily working out all the facets of his fruit in our lives as we walk with him. Some of us might have natural strengths that look like some of these fruits—for example, I have a degree of natural self-discipline—but that doesn't mean we are well-rounded. Only by the Spirit can we become what Paul described here.

And this fruit is quite beautiful; it looks remarkably like Jesus. You could categorize these nine attributes into three sets of three. In the first set, Paul described ways the Spirit impacts our inner person. He started with love, which is appropriate because it is the king attribute. Jesus told us to love God and our neighbor and that we would be known by our love for one another (Deut. 6:5, Matt. 22:37-40, John 13:34-35). It is the foundational virtue. It is not only a feeling but an action of self-sacrifice for others. It is better than affection because it serves others not for what it can get from them but for their good. Just as Christ loved us by bearing our burdens so that we might know God, the Spirit generates selfless love within us.

Then Paul said joy flows from the fruit of the Spirit. Joy "delight(s) in God for the sheer beauty and worth who he is."[^1] Joy is not hopeless or despairing but optimistic and confident in God, a deep inner rejoicing that does not depend on circumstances. Just as Christ endured the agony of the cross because of the joy of being reunited with his Father, the Spirit enables us to rejoice in the simple pleasure of knowing God (Heb. 12:2).

And then Paul said peace is part of the fruit of the Spirit. A person at peace is at rest with God, and it flows into every other relationship they are in. Anxiety and worry are cast out when peace rushes in. This person still cares greatly about many things—they aren't indifferent or apathetic—but they are still inwardly calm and quiet. Just as Christ had peace in the midst of the massive war he fought against darkness, death, and sin, the Spirit generates peace in us for our mission.

After Paul dealt with these first three inner attributes, his next set went on to describe how the fruit of the Spirit impacts our interactions with others. As we walk with him, we become patient (22). Again, this is not natural patience, like the big old family golden retriever that has become accustomed to toddlers crawling all over it. This is Spirit-engineered change—we become able to endure trials and difficulties better than we could before. Like a long-distance runner who used to be a couch potato, the Spirit produces endurance in us. Just as Christ faced the extreme hardship of the cross without resentment towards God or any human, the Spirit puts an ability to patiently endure within us.

Then he said the Spirit would grow us in kindness (22). This is an outward manifestation of love that shows compassion and concern for others, especially those less fortunate or in need. But it is not charity done out of the overflow of life, but in a way that leaves me vulnerable. Just as Christ risked it all to be kind to us, so the Spirit launches us into selfless kindness to others.

Then Paul wrote that the Spirit would produce goodness in us (22). Goodness is more than mere kindness; but includes moral excellence and integrity that makes you the same in every situation. Whether others deserve it or not, this person treats them well. Just as Christ was good to everyone and lived a life of "moral beauty," so the Spirit enables us to treat others well while we maintain holiness.

After these community-oriented attributes, Paul's final set went on to describe how the Spirit impacts the self. First, he said the Spirit would create a faithfulness within us (22). The faithful person is loyal and committed to God and others. They keep their promises, are dependable and trustworthy, and are true to their word. Just as Christ could never be dissuaded from honoring his Father in heaven, so the Spirit makes us faithful despite the spiritual, external, and internal pressures we're under.

He also said that the Spirit produces gentleness (23). Again, this is not a natural temperament but a Spirit-fueled attribute. This person is so in control that they are angry at the right times and not angry at the wrong times.[^2] They are tender-hearted towards and considerate of others. They are not self-superior or self-absorbed. Just as Christ—who was always the greatest person in any room he walked into—was ever-focused on everyone else, so the Spirit produces a radical others-centeredness in us.

Finally, Paul said the Spirit produces self-control (23). This person is not self-disciplined because of their need to control everything, but self-controlled so that they can do God's will. They are not led by the winds of their emotions but submit every part of themselves to the deeper emotions and desires of God's Spirit. Just as Christ prayed in the garden for the Father's will to be accomplished, so the Spirit causes us to habitually say, "Not as I will, but as you will" (Mat. 26:39).

What a life! What beauty and majesty! What transcendence! Don't let the mountaintop of the character described here discourage you. Too many have set too low a low bar for believers. But God, who is the Spirit, has a glorious vision for what we can become by his power. Let his fruit search your heart.

• Do I love selflessly as Christ did or am I self-absorbed?
• Do I have immovable inner joy in God or am I heavily impacted by the events of the day?
• Am I at peace before him or do I constantly give in to worry?
• Do I patiently endure the difficulties of life well or am I easily jostled?
• Do I extend practical and real kindness to those around me, or am I hoarding my time and resources for myself?
• Do I live a good life of moral beauty, or do I feel morally superior to others?
• Do I faithfully keep my commitments and word, or am I untrustworthy and undependable?
• Do I gently focus on others, or am I constantly thinking about myself?
• Do I have the self-discipline to follow God, or am I overrun by impulses that keep me from experiencing him?

Again, these questions are not meant to produce self-effort—a try harder message—but a desire to put up our sails to catch the Spirit's wind. And, as we consider questions like these, we should catch a vision for what God's Spirit wants to produce in us—and it is majestic!

I have seen thousands of sunsets here on the Monterey Peninsula. As a native of this community, there have been countless times I've gone to watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, only to miss it because the entire coast was fogged over. The sunset is still there, beautiful for someone, but the fog hinders me from seeing its glory. If the Christian life is boring to you, perhaps it's because this destination has disappeared or been fogged over in your mind's eye. Let this picture in Galatians recapture your imagination of what God is trying to produce in you!

The Foundation of Our Growth (24-26)

In the final verses of this chapter, Paul recapped his entire teaching on the flesh and the Spirit by saying, "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another" (24-26). We've considered the method of our growth—because it is the fruit of the Spirit, we can expect it to gradually grow from our lives as we walk in him. We've considered the balance of our growth—because the Spirit is working all these elements out in us, we will look more like Jesus as the years pass.

But here, Paul takes us back to the foundation of our growth. He reminds us that the fruit of the Spirit is not even possible until we belong to Christ Jesus (24). Without a new nature, without conversion, none of this is possible. If the Spirit produces fruit that looks like Christ in our lives, then Christ must be rooted deep within us.

He also tells us how this transformation comes, first by reminding us that when we trusted the gospel of Christ, we died with Christ, so, in the eyes of God, we have already crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (24). this is likely a nudge—if we have positionally crucified the flesh with Jesus, let's continue to crucify the flesh with the Spirit of Jesus.

Finally, Paul tells us that since we are alive by the Spirit who regenerated and birthed us into God's family, we should also keep in step with the Spirit (25). Growth comes when we feed the Spirit.

So what is the foundation of our growth? First, our identity. We belong to Jesus. Second, our continued commitment to growth. We want to kill the flesh. And third, we feed the Spirit. We want to put up our sails to catch his pneumatic power to carry us along into Christlikeness.

[^1]: Keller, Timothy. 2013. Galatians For You. New Malden, England: Good Book Company. [^2]: Barker, Kenneth L., and John R. Kohlenberger III. 2019. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary the Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Old & New Testaments. USA: Zondervan Academic.