Walk by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the flesh.
—Galatians 5:16
The flesh and the Spirit are in conflict, pulling in opposite directions. “There exists between the two an interminable, deadly feud” (Lightfoot). John Stott observed, “We shall still experience [lusts of the flesh], but we shall not indulge them. On the contrary, we shall bear the fruit of the Spirit.”
Unlike “gifts” that are dispensed differently to different people (Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 12:4, 7; 1 Pt 4:10), the “fruit” of the Spirit consists of character traits, all of which are to be possessed by every Christian.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22–23).
Here we have a cluster of nine Christian virtues. Come with me as we look at each of them in our next nine posts.
Fruit requires care and cultivation.
It takes time to grow.