How Is the Fruit of the Spirit Produced in the Believer?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” Galatians 5: 22.

The Fruit of the Spirit Originates from a Seed

Fruit always originates from a seed. And the fruit of the Spirit is no exception. It emerges from the word of God, which is the seed (Luke 8:11). To read the passage for context, click here.

The word or promises of God produces hope. The hope of eternal life is the most obvious example. Hope produces love. And love is the singular fruit of the Spirit (joy, peace, etc. are characteristics of love). It is the fruit that is produced by the word or promises of God (which is the seed).

The goal of the gardener, when he plants a seed is to reap a harvest, or fruit. With this in mind, we can see how we can see how God’s goal in implanting the word in our hearts is love.

Paul himself said “. . . the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart. . . 1 Timothy 1: 5. The ultimate way we express love to God is to love our brothers and sisters, in whom He dwells by His Spirit.

A Seed has No Value Unless It Bears Fruit

The seed itself has no value unless it grows into a plant and matures and bears fruit. A seed is precious and valuable only because of the harvest or fruit it contains within.

In the same way, the word or promises of God are precious and valuable because of the love they produce in the believer.

Compare 2 Peter 1: 4 “by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire”.

The seed which is his precious and very great promises produces the divine nature. And this is the fruit of the Spirit or love.

To read another post related to How Is the Fruit of the Spirit Produced in the Believer? see How We Became Slaves to Sin and Finding Freedom.