“The fruit of the Spirit is…..SELF CONTROL”(Gal 5:22). Paul illustrates this 9th virtue when writing to the Christians in Corinth where the Ithmian Games were held every 3 years. Before the contest every athlete had to submit himself to rigorous training. For 10 months he was under oath to keep to a prescribed diet and […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is…..MEEKNESS”(Gal 5:22). We are taught with such emphasis at school that adjectives qualify nouns and we forget the reverse is true. And the reverse is certainly true when the noun is “Jesus” and the adjective is “meek.” If we think of meekness without taking Jesus into account, then straightaway the […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is…FAITHFULNESS”. (Gal 5:22). Jesus did not ask his followers to be clever or successful, but he did require them to be reliable and trustworthy. So it is not surprising that faithfulness is in the list of the fruit of the Spirit. Strictly speaking the word in Galatians is “faith” which […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is…..GOODNESS”(Galatians 5:22). J.B. Lightfoot suggests that “kindness” refers to a kind disposition, whereas “goodness” refers to kindness in action. Some people think it a rather fuddy-duddy word and make fun of it. George Bernard Shaw wrote a play called “Too True to be Good.” The main character was Private Meek; […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is…….KINDNESS. (Galatians 5:22) The phrase used by Jesus in one place is remarkable for the clue it gives to its practical meaning of kindness. Jesus say, “My yoke is easy” (Matthew 11:30). The Word “easy” there is our word “KIND.” In Bible times a farmer would take his ox to […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is……PATIENCE” (Galatians 5:22). There are two words in the NT that are translated as “patience.” John Chrysostom described it as “the queen of virtues, the foundation of right action, peace in war, calm in tempest, security in plots.” It was Miles Coverdale when he translated the Bible into English in […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is……..PEACE (Galatians 5:22). It is Francis of Assisi who takes us to the heart of the matter when he says “Make me an instrument of thy peace.” This reminds us that we are not simply to be at peace but we are also to be peacemakers. To be at peace, […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is JOY……..”(Galatians 5:22). I can still remember my surprise when I first noticed the third line of the hymn “All People That on Earth Do Dwell.” It clearly said, “Him serve with mirth.” I had recently become a Christian and I thought that mirth, laughter, joy and fun were some […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE……..”(Galatians 5:22). This presents us with a big problem straight away! Because in English we only have one word for “love” and in Greek there are several. In English I can’t distinguish between my love of chips and the love I have for Hazel my wife. Where as in […]
A Christian is someone “in Christ” – Paul uses this phrase 164 times in his writings (or its equivalent “in Him”). As a bird flies in the air, a fish swims in the sea and a plant grows in the soil, so the believer “LIVES” in Christ. In the allegory of the vine and the […]
