Reading this is going to take some concentration. Please make the effort. I think you’ll find it worth your time. Write me if you have any questions.

blessings,

David

 

But the fruit (singular) of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

People tend to ignore that “fruit” in the Greek is not plural, but singular. They speak of “the fruits” of the Spirit and enumerate them. They say, “There are nine fruits”.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control

Dealing with “fruit”, knowing the word is singular; some tend to make all the “fruit” a derivative of “love”. So it looks like this:

“but the fruit of the Spirit is Love …

The fruit of Love is Joy (joy comes from love)

The fruit of Love is Peace (peace comes from love)

The fruit of Love is Patience (patience comes from love)

The fruit of Love is Kindness (kindness comes from love)

The fruit of Love is Goodness (goodness comes from love)

The fruit of Love is Faithfulness (faithfulness comes from love)

The fruit of Love is Gentleness (gentleness comes from love)

The fruit of Love is Self-control (self-control comes from love)

I think this is a good way to deal with the text. But, why not look at it this way?

Love fills Joy

Producing: Loving joy

Love filled Joy fills Peace

Producing: Loving, joy filled peace.

Love filled Joy filled Peace is filling Patience

Producing: Loving, joyful, peace filled patience.

Love filled Joy filled Peace filled Patience fills Kindness

Producing: Loving, joyful, peaceful, patience filled kindness.

Love filled Joy filled Peace filled Patience filled Kindness is filling Goodness

Producing: Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kindness filled goodness.

Love filled Joy filled Peace filled Patience filled Kindness filled Goodness fills Gentleness

Producing: Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, goodness filled gentleness.

Love filled Joy filled Peace filled Patience filled Kindness filled Goodness filled Gentleness fills Self-control

Producing: Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentleness filled self-control.

Look at love filling each attribute as each attribute modifies, or fills, the next. Maybe it might be expressed like this:

Love

Love is filling Joy – so it is loving-joy

Loving-joy is filling peace – loving, joyful, peace

Loving, joyful, peaceful patience

Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient kindness

Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind goodness

Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithfulness

Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful gentleness

Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle self-control

You could look at it from the other direction, too. Here you have “love” filled with the other virtues:

Self control

Self controlled gentleness

Self controlled gentle faithfulness

Self controlled gentle, faithful, goodness

Self controlled gentle, faithful, good, kindness

Self controlled gentle, faithful, good, kind patience

Self controlled gentle, faithful, good, kind, patient peace

Self controlled gentle, faithful, good, kind, patient, peaceful joy

Self controlled gentle, faithful, good, kind, patient, peaceful, joyful love

What an amazing Person the Holy Spirit is! Look at what this indwelling Spirit is like. He is a loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind good, gentle, self-controlled Individual.

No wonder we’re being transformed.