"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against the [things] of such there is not a law."
-The fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit. Fruit is sweet. And fruit is food (if you remember, fruit at one point was half of God's plan A for survival - Genesis 1.29). So here we’re talking about sweet spiritual food, heaven-sent, born by God the Spirit Himself. The analogy was used by Jesus actually, describing the life of a fruit-bearing branch which is enabled to do just that by establishing and maintaining a vital connection to the vine, or the trunk (Who happens to be Jesus). And as such, the branch naturally and freely produces this sweet food while the connection remains healthy.
-This sweet food not only tastes good, it's good FOR you. It has health benefits (an apple a day...!). And who benefits in this case? Who gets to partake? Look at these fruits - they are all qualities which are primarily directed outwards, towards others. It is all about how we relate to other people, to one another - in sweet ways which feed and nourish our souls. The fruit of God's Spirit in my life nourishes you, just as yours nourishes me...
-Love: an enduring commitment to freely pursue good on behalf of another/others
-oy: a deep abiding awareness/experience of goodness (of God) (It’s All. Really. Really good.)
-Peace: a soul at rest (in the Lord) and free from concern or worry
-Patience: willing and able to wait, to graciously endure delays and difficulties
-Kindness: compassionate, generous and useful in relating to others and meeting their needs
-Goodness: dedicated to and in pursuit of what is beautiful, excellent and right
-Faithfulness: true to your word, your commitments, your relationships
-Gentleness: the happy mean between apathy and unbridled passion; mild, restrained, but not weak or unfeeling
-Self-control: self-rule; inner-strength of will; the ability to say when, no, or yes when necessary
-Remember, Paul began this section talking about the flesh, about the struggle between what the flesh wants and what the Spirit wants, about giving in to things we shouldn’t and about not doing the things we should. When we are under control of the Spirit of God, when He fills us He enables us to rise up and out of the muck and mire of slavish devotion to the flesh. We are free and able to say no to fleshy desires which are unhealthy or ungodly, that which would be selfish and unloving in relation to others. We are empowered to say yes to the hard and the difficult things which we know we should do but which our flesh is loathe to do.
-Not all of these qualities are explicitly or exclusively outward. There is definitely an extent to which the Spirit’s inexpressible joy and incomprehensible peace benefits me as the branch. If I have God’s heaven-sent joy and peace, deep down in my soul, truly is that not enough, is that not all I could ask for, regardless of the circumstance? Also beneficial is self-control, as I am enabled to avoid all kinds of unhealthy excesses, as well as being able to wade into that which while healthy and good and right may be tinged with unpleasantness. Nevertheless, these are qualities which while they are not entirely interpersonal still reveal and show off the character of Christ and bless those who come in contact with them as they are expressed through my life.
-Let us not forget as well that in scientific terms fruit is defined as a seed-bearing structure. That which classifies it as fruit is the presence of a seed (or seeds). And think about it - what is the purpose of a seed? Propagation. Not only is fruit sweet food, but it is endowed by its Creator with the fundamental means to multiply. It is designed for multiplication! The sweet food of love and joy and peace and patience which the Spirit of God produces in our life contains within it seeds which are meant to spring up to eternal life in the lives of others, bringing forth everlasting love and joy and peace in their lives as well! It is the means by which the heavenly Vinedresser propagates the species, by which He populates heaven. And let us not forget that fruit-BEARING is a sign of a healthy fruit tree/branch. There is every expectation that each tree planted by the Master Gardener Himself will bear fruit, nourishing, propagating fruit.
-And Paul says there is NO LAW against these qualities. Unlike the list of sinful (i.e. prohibited by law) fleshy deeds, these traits are not only NOT prohibited in any way in Scripture, they are acceptable to the n-th degree (and are pretty much commanded/expected, to be sure). There is no limit, no limitation to them whatsoever. Not the tiniest need to moderate them or temper them in the least. In fact, when viewed at the Source, they are always limitless. Boundless. Unfettered in any way, infinite and overflowing both in their quantity and in their duration. Think about it - God’s love - everlasting, and of infinite supply. His joy - both unending and uncontainable. Peace - untold and unsurpassed. Each of these qualities we find in the Lord ad infinitum, Who as He reproduces His life in us WILL manifest them in and through us in increasingly greater and enduring ways. Or would, if we would only let Him. Therein lies the only thing which otherwise limits and ‘prohibits’ this fruit of God’s Spirit - not any law, but rather our heart, our own unwillingness and lack of surrender. Next verse...
No comments:
Post a Comment