Study of Galatians Part 18 - Galatians 5:22-23

Last week, we spent much time thinking about a long list of “works of the flesh” - what our sinful nature, with which we were born, wants to pull us back into. It is part of the struggle we have now, as Christians, between the “new creation” we are as believers in Christ Jesus and our old sinful flesh and desires. The great good news is that we are forgiven and continue to be forgiven, as we are in faith in Christ, no matter what we have struggled with on that long list of “works of the flesh.” As Paul wrote, along with another long list of sins of the flesh, in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Paul had told the Galatians in Galatians 5:18, they were now “led by the Spirit,” who had brought them to faith in Jesus (Galatians 3:2-3) through “putting on Christ” in their baptism (Galatians 3:26-27) and through “hearing” the Good News of “Christ crucified” (Galatians 3:1-2). And, Paul assured them, God had not only brought them to faith, through the saving work of Jesus and the “life-giving” work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25- “We live by the Spirit”). (See also John 3:5-6, where Jesus says, We are “born of water and the Spirit” … “born of the Spirit” and are not just “flesh," but “spirit.”) God also provides His “new-born” Christians with “the fruit of the Spirit” who now lives in and with them (and us) (Galatians 5:22).

The “works” of the flesh are plural, are many and varied, as people do these evil things. The word for “fruit” of the Spirit is singular. It is the picture image of one cluster of fruit, every part of which is important. The listing in Galatians 5:22-23 is of a cluster of nine virtues, qualities the Holy Spirit seeks to produce in every Christian. Some commentators, including Lenski, think the virtues are listed in groups of three. The first three are vitally important for us all - love, joy and peace.

Listed first is “love.” There are several Greek words for different kinds of love, and this is the one for sacrificial Christian love. This is most clearly demonstrated for us in Jesus, who as God the Son limited Himself and became a real human man and sacrificed everything, including His life, for us and our salvation, out of love for us, while we were still weak, ungodly, sinful enemies of God, who deserved nothing from Him. (See these words used about us in Romans 5:6-11 and yet how God still “showed His love for us” in sending His Son for us “to save us from the wrath of God and reconcile us to Him” and “justify us by His blood” and give us new and eternal “life” through His resurrection from the dead.) That is the love of Christ for us that Paul is constantly talking about in all his writings, including Galatians. Our hope is in Christ and His love.

The next “fruit” is “joy.” This is the joy and confidence we have because of the grace of God already given to us and how blessed we are in Christ, on very happy days, but also in times of trouble. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say: Rejoice.” Paul was not perfect, but this “fruit of the Spirit” was evident in his life many times. See 2 Corinthians 6:4-10. Paul wrote of the many good and bad things he had been going through; and yet he was “always rejoicing” - or at least trying to do so. The only perfect one, again, was Jesus, who taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12), “Blessed are the poor in spirit… those who mourn… the meek… those persecuted for righteousness’ sake… when others revile you…  Rejoice and be glad.” Jesus even said, in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

Obviously, none of us is perfect. It is also very hard to have joy when bad things are happening, in our own lives and in the lives of loved ones, and when we hear the news in the world and even in our own community. Lenski says, though, “Pessimism is a grave fault.” But we sometimes think: How can I help not being pessimistic, when so many bad things are happening? Maybe that is part of our problem, for which many of us, including me, need repentance. We focus on the news and other social media and our own weaknesses and failings and all the grumbling and troubles we hear and failures of leaders and politicians, no matter what their names are; and we forget and neglect to spend more time also focusing on good news and “counting our blessings” and especially listening to and reading God’s Word, through which the Holy Spirit works to bring us the good fruit of love and joy in Christ that we need so much.

We also know Christian people who have been through hard times and have kept faith in Christ and found renewed joy even in their struggles, just as Paul did. Talk with those you know. If we think about it, we have all been through difficult periods in our lives, too, and the Lord has helped us through, as we remembered and leaned upon His promises.

The Lord has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And we know that eternal life in heaven awaits us. Not even death or anything else can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:34-39). All that can renew our joy, too, and help us in times of pessimism. And we seek to come to the Lord, when we fail, for His mercy and forgiveness. “If we confess out sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

That also brings us to the third “fruit of the Spirit” - “peace.” “Peace” does not mean the absence of war or trouble in our lives. Jesus Himself was very realistic, as He also lived in this very sinful world for our sake. He said, “In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace” (John 16:32-33).

Jesus also promised just what Paul was talking about in Galatians 5:22-23 - the coming of the Holy Spirit to bring the fruit of faith that we all need. Jesus said, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit does that for us through the Word of God, which He inspired the Biblical writers like Paul to write down for us.

Jesus went on to say, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). This peace with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit gives us “wholeness” and “well-being” (what the Old Testament word for peace, “shalom,” means.) Paul called it “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, which guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” It means that we can talk over anything now with our Heavenly Father in prayer, as His dear children, even in “anxious” moments and times of “suffering” (Philippians 4:6-7 and Romans 8:14-17).

If you go back now to Galatians 5:22-23, note that Paul added these words: “Against such things there is no law.” All this “fruit of the Spirit” was a gift from God for the Galatians and for us, too. We are all free in Christ to enjoy God’s love and peace. We are taken care of by our Lord already, through Christ, without worrying about more things we must do to try to earn God’s real favor and blessing for ourselves. We are free to think less about ourselves and to use more of our time and energy in this life to help others find the same love and joy and peace in Christ.

The list of the other six in the cluster of “the fruit of the Spirit” are virtues and qualities by which the Holy Sprit enables us to help and serve others. We will look at these next week and then hear Paul talking about what that would mean for us and others, in a practical way in our lives. The Lord’s continued love and joy and peace be with you all, in the days ahead.