Galatians 5:22

THE MESSAGE

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person's life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Revised Standard Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But ye frute of sprete is loue ioye peace longesufferinge getlenes goodnes faythfulnes

Hebrew Names Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, shalom, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

New American Standard Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

New Century Version
But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Update Bible Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Webster's Bible Translation
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

English Standard Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

World English Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity,

Weymouth's New Testament
The Spirit, on the other hand, brings a harvest of love, joy, peace; patience towards others, kindness, benevolence;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But the fruyt of the spirit is charite, ioye, pees, pacience, long abidyng,

English Revised Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Berean Standard Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Contemporary English Version
God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful,

Amplified Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

American Standard Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Bible in Basic English
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith,

Complete Jewish Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Darby Translation
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, fidelity,

International Standard Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,faith">[fn]John 15:2; Romans 15:14; 1 Corinthians 13:7; Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 3:12; James 3:17;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
But the fruits of the Spirit are, love, joy, peace, prolonging of the spirit, benignity, goodness, fidelity,

Murdock Translation
But the fruits of the Spirit are, love, joy, peace, long suffering, suavity, kindness, fidelity, modesty, patience.

King James Version (1611)
But the fruit of the spirit is loue, ioy, peace, long suffering, gentlenesse, goodnesse, faith,

New Living Translation
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

New Life Bible
But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith,

New Revised Standard
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,

Geneva Bible (1587)
But the fruite of the Spirit is loue, ioye, peace, long suffering, gentlenes, goodnes, fayth,

George Lamsa Translation
But the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, the fruit of the Spirit, is - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, graciousness, goodness, faithfulness,

Douay-Rheims Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the fruite of the spirite is, loue, ioye, peace, long sufferyng, gentlenesse, goodnesse, fayth,

Good News Translation
But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Christian Standard Bible®
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

King James Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Lexham English Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Literal Translation
But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,

Young's Literal Translation
And the fruit of the Spirit is: Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the frute of the sprete, is loue, ioye, peace, longe sufferinge, getlenes, goodnesse, faithfulnes,

Mace New Testament (1729)
but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, sweetness of disposition, beneficence, faithfulness, meekness, temperance:

New English Translation
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

New King James Version
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Simplified Cowboy Version
But riding with the Holy Ghost makes a man be able to love and have things like joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Legacy Standard Bible
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Contextual Overview

¹³It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? ¹⁶My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? ¹⁹It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom. ²²But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original. ²⁴The Life of Freedom Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment. As for the rumor that I continue to preach the ways of circumcision (as I did in those pre-Damascus Road days), that is absurd. Why would I still be persecuted, then? If I were preaching that old message, no one would be offended if I mentioned the Cross now and then—it would be so watered-down it wouldn't matter one way or the other. Why don't these agitators, obsessive as they are about circumcision, go all the way and castrate themselves! It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom. But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. ²⁵Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the fruit: Galatians 5:16-18, Psalms 1:3, Psalms 92:14, Hosea 14:8, Matthew 12:33, Luke 8:14, Luke 8:15, Luke 13:9, John 15:2, John 15:5, John 15:16, Romans 6:22, Romans 7:4, Ephesians 5:9, Philippians 1:11, Colossians 1:10

love: Galatians 5:13, Romans 5:2-5, Romans 12:9-18, Romans 15:3, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Ephesians 4:23-32, Ephesians 5:1, Ephesians 5:2, Philippians 4:4-9, Colossians 3:12-17, 1 Thessalonians 1:3-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:10-22, Titus 2:2-12, James 3:17, James 3:18, 1 Peter 1:8, 1 Peter 1:22, 2 Peter 1:5-8, 1 John 4:7-16

goodness: Romans 15:14

faith: 1 Corinthians 13:7, 1 Corinthians 13:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:2, 1 Timothy 3:11, 1 Timothy 4:12, 1 Peter 5:12

Reciprocal: Exodus 39:24 - pomegranates Leviticus 8:30 - the anointing Deuteronomy 12:18 - rejoice 1 Kings 8:66 - joyful Nehemiah 9:20 - good Psalms 18:35 - gentleness Psalms 35:9 - General Psalms 37:11 - the meek Psalms 119:165 - Great Psalms 143:10 - thy spirit Ecclesiastes 2:26 - wisdom Song of Solomon 4:10 - the smell Song of Solomon 7:13 - at our Isaiah 11:9 - not hurt Isaiah 29:19 - meek Isaiah 42:21 - he will Isaiah 54:13 - great Isaiah 55:12 - ye shall Jeremiah 31:33 - I will Jeremiah 33:6 - and will Ezekiel 18:21 - and do Ezekiel 36:27 - I will Daniel 4:27 - by showing Matthew 3:8 - fruits Matthew 5:9 - are Matthew 7:17 - every Matthew 13:8 - some an Matthew 13:23 - beareth Matthew 23:23 - the weightier Matthew 25:4 - oil Matthew 25:40 - Inasmuch Mark 4:20 - which Mark 9:50 - have peace Luke 3:8 - fruits Luke 13:6 - and he came John 3:21 - that his John 7:38 - out John 13:34 - That ye love John 14:16 - another John 14:27 - Peace I leave John 16:20 - your John 17:13 - that Acts 9:31 - and in Acts 13:52 - with the Acts 16:34 - and rejoiced Romans 2:10 - and peace Romans 5:5 - shed Romans 5:11 - but we Romans 8:4 - That Romans 8:5 - of the Spirit Romans 8:6 - to be spiritually minded Romans 8:7 - for it Romans 8:14 - led Romans 8:23 - which have Romans 12:2 - good Romans 12:10 - kindly Romans 12:18 - General Romans 14:17 - peace Romans 15:13 - fill 1 Corinthians 1:30 - sanctification 1 Corinthians 6:11 - but ye are sanctified 1 Corinthians 7:15 - but 1 Corinthians 9:21 - not 1 Corinthians 13:2 - and have 1 Corinthians 14:33 - but 1 Corinthians 16:14 - General 2 Corinthians 3:8 - the ministration 2 Corinthians 6:6 - knowledge 2 Corinthians 13:14 - the communion Galatians 4:15 - the blessedness Ephesians 1:4 - love Ephesians 4:16 - edifying Ephesians 5:18 - but Philippians 2:1 - if any comfort Philippians 4:7 - the peace Philippians 4:8 - whatsoever Colossians 1:8 - General 1 Thessalonians 1:5 - in the 1 Thessalonians 1:6 - with joy 1 Thessalonians 2:7 - we 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - love 1 Thessalonians 5:13 - and be 1 Thessalonians 5:14 - be 2 Thessalonians 3:5 - into 1 Timothy 1:5 - the end 1 Timothy 5:25 - the good 1 Timothy 6:11 - righteousness 2 Timothy 1:7 - of love 2 Timothy 2:24 - but Titus 3:2 - gentle Hebrews 1:9 - oil Hebrews 6:9 - things Hebrews 10:24 - love Hebrews 12:11 - peaceable Hebrews 12:14 - Follow Hebrews 13:1 - General James 5:8 - ye also 1 Peter 1:6 - ye greatly 1 Peter 2:18 - the good 1 Peter 3:11 - seek 1 John 3:14 - because 1 John 4:13 - General 1 John 4:19 - General 2 John 1:5 - that we

Cross-References

Genesis 5:6
When Seth was 105 years old, he had Enosh. After Seth had Enosh, he lived another 807 years, having more sons and daughters. Seth lived a total of 912 years. And he died.

Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked steadily with God. And then one day he was simply gone: God took him.

Genesis 6:9
This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God showed up and said to him, "I am The Strong God, live entirely before me, live to the hilt! I'll make a covenant between us and I'll give you a huge family."

Exodus 16:4
God said to Moses, "I'm going to rain bread down from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day's ration. I'm going to test them to see if they'll live according to my Teaching or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have gathered, it will turn out to be twice as much as their daily ration."

Deuteronomy 28:9
God will form you as a people holy to him, just as he promised you, if you keep the commandments of God , your God, and live the way he has shown you.

Psalms 26:11
You know I've been aboveboard with you; now be aboveboard with me. I'm on the level with you, God ; I bless you every chance I get.

Psalms 86:11
Train me, God , to walk straight; then I'll follow your true path. Put me together, one heart and mind; then, undivided, I'll worship in joyful fear. From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord; I've never kept secret what you're up to. You've always been great toward me—what love! You snatched me from the brink of disaster! God, these bullies have reared their heads! A gang of thugs is after me— and they don't care a thing about you. But you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit. So look me in the eye and show kindness, give your servant the strength to go on, save your dear, dear child! Make a show of how much you love me so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed, As you, God , gently and powerfully put me back on my feet.

Psalms 116:9
I'm striding in the presence of God , alive in the land of the living! I stayed faithful, though bedeviled, and despite a ton of bad luck, Despite giving up on the human race, saying, "They're all liars and cheats."

Psalms 128:1
A Pilgrim Song All you who fear God , how blessed you are! how happily you walk on his smooth straight road! You worked hard and deserve all you've got coming. Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But the fruit of the Spirit,.... Not of nature or man's free will, as corrupted by sin, for no good fruit springs from thence; but either of the internal principle of grace, called the Spirit, Galatians 5:17 or rather of the Holy Spirit, as the Ethiopic version reads it; the graces of which are called "fruit", and not "works", as the actions of the flesh are; because they are owing to divine influence efficacy, and bounty, as the fruits of the earth are, to which the allusion is; and not to a man's self, to the power and principles of nature; and because they arise from a seed, either the incorruptible seed of internal grace, which seminally contains all graces in it, or the blessed Spirit, who is the seed that remains in believers; and because they are in the exercise of them acceptable unto God through Christ, and are grateful and delightful to Christ himself, being "his pleasant fruits"; which as they come from him, as the author of them, they are exercised on him as the object of them, under the influence of the Spirit; and because they are profitable to them that are possessed of them, seeing the promise of this life and that which is to come is annexed to them; and the good works which are done in consequence of them are profitable to men: once more, as the works of the flesh are the unfruitful works of darkness, and make men so, and therefore cannot be called fruit properly; these, as they are fruits, and are rightly and properly so called, so they make men fruitful, and to abound in divine things, and are as follow:

Love. This the apostle begins with, it being the fulfilling of the law, the bond of perfectness, and without which a profession of religion is insignificant; it may be understood of love to God, of which every man's heart is destitute, being enmity against God, until regenerated by the Spirit of God; when he sheds abroad the love of God in the heart, and which is the ground and reason of any man's truly loving God: and also of love to Christ, which the natural man feels nothing of till the spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of Christ, opens his eyes to see the loveliness of his person, the suitableness of his grace, righteousness, and fulness, and the necessity of looking to him for life and salvation; and likewise of love to the saints, which a carnal man is a stranger to, until he is renewed by the Holy Ghost, who in regenerating him teaches him to love the brethren; and which is the evidence of his having passed from death to life, through the mighty power of his grace. Moreover, love to the house and worship of God, to the truths and ordinances of the Gospel, all which men have naturally an aversion to, may be included in this first fruit of the Spirit: the next follows, which is

joy, even that which is in the Holy Ghost, and has him for its author. The object of it is God, not as an absolute God, but as a covenant God and Father in Christ; as the God of salvation, as clothing with the robe of his Son's righteousness, and as pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin, full atonement being made by the sacrifice of Christ; who also is the object of this joy in his person, fulness, righteousness, offices, relations, and when beheld, embraced, and enjoyed in a way of communion. This joy, likewise, which is the produce of the Spirit, lies in spiritual things, and arises from an apprehension or good hope of interest in them, as justification, pardon, peace, adoption, and eternal glory; and is peculiar to such who have the Spirit, for a stranger intermeddles not with this joy, nor can he form any judgment of it, and is even unspeakable by the believer himself. Moreover, joy in the good of others, of fellow creatures and fellow Christians, in their outward and inward prosperity, in their temporal, spiritual, and eternal good, which, as it is a grace of the Spirit, may well enough be thought to be at least part of the sense of the word here; since it follows upon, and is joined with love, and stands between that and

peace, which is another fruit of the Spirit: and designs peace with God in a man's own conscience, produced there by the Spirit of God, in consequence of peace being made by the blood of Christ; and that through the application of the blood of Christ for pardon, and of his righteousness for justification to the soul of a sensible sinner by the blessed Spirit, the effect of which is peace, quietness, and tranquillity of mind; also peace with men, with the saints, and with all others; for such who are under a work of the Spirit of God, and are influenced and led by him, seek after the things which make for peace and edification among the brethren, and are desirous if possible to live peaceably with all men: hence appears another grace in them,

longsuffering; which intends not so much a patient waiting for good things to come, for more grace, and for glory, through the Spirit; but a patient bearing and enduring of present evils with joyfulness, being strengthened by the Spirit with all might, according to his glorious power; being slow to anger, ready to forgive injuries, put up with affronts, and bear with, and forbear one another: and which is usually accompanied with gentleness, humanity, affability, courteousness, shown both in words, gestures, and actions; in imitation of the gentleness of Christ, and agreeably to that wisdom, that heavenly doctrine of the Gospel, which, among other things, is said to be gentle, and easy to be entreated. To which is added

goodness; and what else can come from the good Spirit of God, the author of the good work of grace upon the soul? and which disposes it to acts of goodness unto men, in a natural, civil, moral, spiritual, and evangelic way, for the benefit both of soul and body; and which must here be understood, and which is well pleasing to God when done in the exercise of the following grace,

faith; for though fidelity, both in words and actions, which is very ornamental to the Gospel, and a profession of religion may be meant; yet faith in Christ is not to be excluded, as it is generally by interpreters; for this is not of a man's self, nor have all men it: it is a gift of God, the operation of his power, and the work of his Spirit, whence he is styled the spirit of faith; and which therefore must have a place among his fruits; and which lies and shows itself in believing in Christ for salvation, in embracing the doctrines of the Gospel, and making a profession of them, which is called the profession of faith; all which, when right, comes from the Spirit of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But the fruit of the Spirit - That which the Holy Spirit produces. It is not without design, evidently, that the apostle uses the word “Spirit” here, as denoting that these things do not flow from our own nature. The vices above enumerated are the proper “works” or result of the operations of the human heart; the virtues which he enumerates are produced by a foreign influence - the agency of the Holy Spirit. Hence, Paul does not trace them to our own hearts, even when renewed. He says that they are to be regarded as the proper result of the Spirit’s operations on the soul.

Is love - To God and to human beings. Probably the latter here is particularly intended, as the fruits of the Spirit are placed in contradistinction from those vices which lead to strifes among people. On the meaning of the word love, see the notes at 1 Corinthians 13:1; and for an illustration of its operations and effects, see the notes at that whole chapter.

Joy - In the love of God; in the evidences of pardon; in communion with the Redeemer, and in his service; in the duties of religion, in trial, and in the hope of heaven; see the notes at Romans 5:2; compare 1 Peter 1:8.

Peace - As the result of reconciliation with God; see the notes at Romans 5:1.

Long-suffering - In affliction and trial, and when injured by others; see the note at 1 Corinthians 13:4.

Gentleness - The same word which is translated “kindness” in 2 Corinthians 6:6; see the note at that place. The word means goodness, kindness, benignity; and is opposed to a harsh, crabbed, crooked temper. It is a disposition to be pleased; it is mildness of temper, calmness of spirit, an unruffled disposition, and a disposition to treat all with urbanity and politeness. This is one of the regular effects of the Spirit’s operations on the heart. Religion makes no one crabby, and morose, and sour. It sweetens the temper; corrects an irritable disposition; makes the heart kind; disposes us to make all around us as happy as possible. This is true politeness; a kind of politeness which can far better be learned in the school of Christ than in that of Chesterfield; by the study of the New Testament than under the direction of the dancing-master.

Goodness - See the note at Romans 15:14. Here the word seems to be used in the sense of beneficence, or a disposition to do good to others. The sense is, that a Christian must be a good man.

Faith - On the meaning of the word faith, see the note at Mark 16:16. The word here may be used in the sense of fidelity, and may denote that the Christian will be a faithful man, a man faithful to his word and promises; a man who can be trusted or confided in. It is probable that the word is used in this sense because the object of the apostle is not to speak of the feelings which we have toward God so much as to illustrate the influences of the Spirit in directing and controlling our feelings toward people. True religion makes a man faithful. The Christian is faithful as a man; faithful as a neighbor, friend, father, husband, son. He is faithful to his contracts; faithful to his promises. No man can be a Christian who is not thus faithful, and all pretensions to being under the influences of the Spirit when such fidelity does not exist, are deceitful and vain.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit — Both flesh-the sinful dispositions of the human heart and spirit-the changed or purified state of the soul, by the grace and Spirit of God, are represented by the apostle as trees, one yielding good the other bad fruit; the productions of each being according to the nature of the tree, as the tree is according to the nature of the seed from which it sprung. The bad seed produced a bad tree, yielding all manner of bad fruit; the good seed produced a good tree, bringing forth fruits of the most excellent kind. The tree of the flesh, with all its bad fruits, we have already seen; the tree of the Spirit, with its good fruits, we shall now see.

Love — αγαπη. An intense desire to please God, and to do good to mankind; the very soul and spirit of all true religion; the fulfilling of the law, and what gives energy to faith itself. See Galatians 5:6.

Joy — χαρα. The exultation that arises from a sense of God's mercy communicated to the soul in the pardon of its iniquities, and the prospect of that eternal glory of which it has the foretaste in the pardon of sin. See Romans 5:2.

Peace — ειρηνη. The calm, quiet, and order, which take place in the justified soul, instead of the doubts, fears, alarms, and dreadful forebodings, which every true penitent less or more feels, and must feel till the assurance of pardon brings peace and satisfaction to the mind. Peace is the first sensible fruit of the pardon of sin. See Romans 5:1, and the notes there.

Long-suffering — μακροθυμια. Long-mindedness, bearing with the frailties and provocations of others, from the consideration that God has borne long with ours; and that, if he had not, we should have been speedily consumed: bearing up also through all the troubles and difficulties of life without murmuring or repining; submitting cheerfully to every dispensation of God's providence, and thus deriving benefit from every occurrence.

Gentleness — χρηστοτης Benignity, affability; a very rare grace, often wanting in many who have a considerable share of Christian excellence. A good education and polished manners, when brought under the influence of the grace of God, will bring out this grace with great effect.

Goodness — αγαθωσυνη. The perpetual desire and sincere study, not only to abstain from every appearance of evil, but to do good to the bodies and souls of men to the utmost of our ability. But all this must spring from a good heart-a heart purified by the Spirit of God; and then, the tree being made good, the fruit must be good also.

Faith — πιστις, here used for fidelity-punctuality in performing promises, conscientious carefulness in preserving what is committed to our trust, in restoring it to its proper owner, in transacting the business confided to us, neither betraying the secret of our friend, nor disappointing the confidence of our employer.