A Deeper Study of the Fruit of the Spirit: Love
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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Over the next few weeks, we are going to focus on each fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives. It is intriguing that there are multiple qualities, but fruit is a singular word. Bible Hub shares that in Strong’s Concordance, “The Greek word for fruit is karpos. This is a singular word that means: Probably from the base of harpazo; fruit, literally or figuratively.”
Karpos is a noun, but harpazo is a verb. When we ponder how the Holy Spirit produces Spiritual fruit in the lives of believers, we see the tie between karpos and harpazo. A Christian receives the Spirit and then takes action, living out these qualities.
One Source, Much Fruit
As I researched a single tree that produced different fruits, I discovered this video of a professor named Sam Van Aken at Syracuse University who has grafted 40 different stone fruits into one tree. It is exquisite. All of the fruits are different, however they have one common denominator – they are all stone fruits. Scripture tells us that gentile believers in Christ Jesus have been grafted into the family of God. All of the disciples of Jesus might look different and come from a variety of backgrounds, but we are truly one in Christ Jesus. He is our common denominator.
Romans 11:17-18 tells us that the roots support the branches. Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Jesus is the Vine. We are the branches. Just like the professor gathered different branches to graft into the main tree, when we accept Jesus, we too are grafted into the family of God (John 1:12). By His Spirit, not our own works, we produce fruit. All of the spiritual fruit that we produce is a result of the Spirit’s work in our lives. We cannot take any credit; God receives all of the glory because He is the source.
Love by the Spirit
The first fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5 is love. When we try to grasp the Biblical definition of love, we see themes of sacrifice and selflessness. God Himself is love (1 John 4:8). This is known as agape love.
Alyssa Roat from Christianity.com shares, “Biblical writers used God as the standard for true agape. Agape love, in the Bible, is love that comes from God… As 1 John 4:8 states, ‘God is love [agapos],’ meaning He is the source of agape love. His love is undeserved, gracious, and sacrificial.”
We notice that this same word, agape found in 1 John 4:8 is connected to the word love in Galatians 5:22. The fruit of love (and all of the fruit of the Spirit) is produced by the Spirit.
Rooted in Love
If the Spirit of God in us produces fruit in our lives, how do we enjoy His love to us and share His love with others?
Ephesians 3:16-19 powerfully states, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
When we are rooted and establish in love, we have the power of Christ. I love the emphasis on the Trinity within this portion of Scripture. Through His Spirit in our inner beings, we have strength. Christ’s love is wide, long, high and deep. We can be filled to the measure of the fullness of God. God the Father, Son, and Spirit are loving us and leading us to love others.
A tree grows and produces fruit because it is tended to regularly. If we have a desire to grow in our love for the Lord and for others, then we need to tend to our relationship with Him. This means that we go to Him by reading His Word, praying, worshiping Him in song and words of praise, serving Him, and sharing the gospel.
Often in our daily time with God, it can look like He is not doing much in us. However, we might look at a tree one day and then suddenly overnight notice growth and leaves as spring begins. There is a lot of work going on under the surface in our hearts – this would be the roots. Roots are responsible for delivering the nutrients to the branches in order for them to produce fruit. We may look at a tree and think, “Wow those are gorgeous branches and leaves,” when in actuality the leaves and branches are strong and vibrant because of the roots.
When other people witness your life, do they see the fruit of love? Or do they see a stagnant and dry tree? Are you taking time to go to the Source of love Himself? We cannot live and show agape unless we experience and receive it for ourselves. Jesus was a love offering poured out like a drink for us. His love is perfect. His love casts out fear. His love is unending.
A Different Kind of Love
What distinguishes love from the Spirit versus general love in the world? Love through the Spirit is different from the world’s love. Christ followers who are living on mission each day will love well in their words, actions, and goals by depending on God. This does not mean that those who reject Jesus cannot love, but it comes down to the source of that love.
The reason and purpose of a believer loving others is to glorify God and to love others. Have you ever met someone who just radiated Christ’s love? There is something different about them. Our prayer as believers should be that those around us see Jesus in us. No, we will not display Him perfectly, that is why He needed to come and save us. However, we can celebrate His forgiveness in our lives and be repentant to love like Jesus by His Spirit.
Genuine love of a Christian is very powerful and a wonderful springboard for gospel conversations. The way we love in our demeanor, in truth, in comfort of others, service, and in prayer can be life-changing for onlookers.
Why do you believe that the fruit of love is mentioned first? I think this was no accident. Some observe that love is foundational for the rest of the fruits of the Spirit. Jesus Himself said in Mark 12:30-31, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
As we look to the Spirit to help us bear love in our lifetimes, may we humbly receive His agape love and request that He would empower us by His Spirit to love in a way that produces beautiful fruit in our own choices and daily decisions.
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A Deeper Study of the Fruit of the Spirit: Joy
A Deeper Study of the Fruit of the Spirit: Peace
A Deeper Study of the Fruit of the Spirit: Patience
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