THE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT | Soyemi Temilola John

THE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Soyemi Temilola John

Introduction

The life of a Christian is a life of Zoe not a life of Bios. This is evident because he or she lives no longer for his or herself but for God who is the causer of his or her being. Furthermore, the name Christian means the follower of Christ but one cannot be an authentic follower of Christ without the baptism of the Holy Spirit which was promised by the Lord after his resurrection and ascension into heaven. The apostles who were afraid after the death and resurrection of Jesus went into hiding for fear of what the Jewish leaders will do to them, but when the Holy Spirit was poured out on them, they became fearless, because the Holy Spirit made them Soldiers of Christ. Therefore, in this paper we shall discuss about the fruits of the Holy Spirit, but before we begin, we shall clarify the terms: Holy Spirit and fruits, for a better understanding.

Clarification of Terms

The Holy Spirit

The word Holy is a derivative from the English word Holiness. Furthermore, the word Holiness is the English word for qōdeš, derived from the Hebrew root qdš, common to all Semitic languages and having essentially the same meaning. The concept of holiness is not established etymologically from the root; it comes from the sense in which its derivatives are used. Hence it signifies ‘‘separateness’’ from the nonholy or profane. What is ‘‘clean’’ or ‘‘pure’’ is also related to ‘‘holy’’ in a ritual sense, i.e., free from defilement by the profane and in a potentially holy state. The profoundest sense of holiness is that proper to God, absolute holiness consisting in His ‘‘otherness’’ or His uncreated transcendence and majesty, a meaning related to His GLORY. Then the primitive terms used to designate spiritual reality, such as the Sanskrit atman, the Hebrew rûah, the Greek pnévma, and the Latin spiritus, originally referred to air as breathed from the lungs; the soul left the body at death almost as air escaped from the mouth. We can say that the holy spirit in a literally sense means the breath of life. Furthermore, in the teaching of the Catholic Church there are three Divine Persons in the Trinity and the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. Therefore, according to Augustine in his work De Trinintatae (on the Trinity) says “The Father is a Spirit; the Son is a Spirit. The Father is Holy; the Son is Holy.” Therefore, Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is a name applied to the Third Person of the Trinity. The name of the Holy Spirit according to Aquinas is “Love.” The Father and the Son love each other by the Holy Ghost, not, however, as though the Holy Ghost were the principle of this love; for God is love by His essence, and not by a Person. He says that the name “Gift” is proper to the third Person of the Trinity. A gift is the fruit of love. Love itself which dictates the giving is the first gift. Hence, as the Holy Ghost has the proper name of ‘love,’ He is also properly called ‘gift.’

Fruits

The word Fruit comes from the Latin word Fructus whose root is Frui which means ‘to enjoy.’ In a Greco-Roman mythology, it is known as Carpus which is a minor character associated with fertility and springtime. Furthermore, it is known in Hebrew as P’ri.

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

According to the etymology above the fruit of the Holy Spirit is to enjoy the relationship with the third Person of the Trinity. In the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians 5:22-23, he says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We shall discuss these fruits individually so as to have an understanding of each of them.

Love

The concept of love in the secular world is different from the concept of love in Christianity. When we talk about love as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, we can see such love portrayed by Christ himself when he says to his disciples in the Gospel of John 15:12-13 “This is my commandment love one another as I loved you.” However, Robert Sternberg a psychologists formulated a triangular theory of love and argued that love has three different components: intimacy, commitment and passion. We can see these attributes been expressed by the early Christians because they lived their lives after the commandments of the Jesus Christ himself that was why the disciples were called Christians because they allowed the Holy Spirit be the force that directs their action. Furthermore, today Christians do not allow this love which is an essential fruit of the Holy Spirit to direct their actions. Imagine a Christian who is afraid of loving. The reason why we experience troubles in our world is because we have allowed the world to define love for us. And Jesus in the Gospel of John 15: 19 warned us as he says “if you belong to the world the world would love its own.” So we need to allow the Spirit of Love to permeate our lives and propel us to live according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Joy

When we talk about Joy as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, we are not saying that the life of a Christian will be sweet without sorrow. For one cannot claim to be a Christian without a cross. For Christ said in the Gospel of Matthew 16:24 “if you want to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.” A Priest once made a joke when he saw someone taking too much sugar that it seems his life is bitter that is why he is taking too much sugar. The Joy of the Holy Spirit gives is that type of Joy that in the midst of trouble and tribulation we still remain rock solid because our joy is not built on material things which does not last. The Joy of the Lord is our strength always for he gives us the Joy the world cannot give and cannot take away.

Peace

The Holy Spirit comes to us in our daily lives in the midst of and despite constant turmoil and uncertainty as a fruit. The peace of the Holy Spirit brings well-being, contentment and wholeness whatever the circumstances. But like other fruit of the Holy Spirit, we cannot produce this kind of spiritual peace on our own, because we are weak and in need of the Grace of God. We can however, ask the Spirit to work on our hearts to grow the fruit of peace that allows confident living and service to humanity. And we can be assured that the Spirit will give us the peace of God, which transcends all human knowledge and understanding and which guards our hearts and minds in relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Master.

Forbearance or Patience

When we talk about patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, we view at it from the perspective of how we become more like Christ who is patient. Patience comes from a position of power. A person may have the ability to take revenge or cause trouble, but patience brings self-restraint and careful thinking. Losing patience is a sign of weakness. We are patient through trying situations out of hope for a coming deliverance; we are patient with a trying person out of compassion. We choose to love that person and want what is best for them. The opposite of patience is agitation, discouragement and a desire for revenge. God does not want any of his children to live a life of agitation. He does not want any of his children be vendettist, instead He wants us to love everyone. Therefore, God who is patient wants us to be patient. When we are patient, we leave room for God to work in our hearts and in our relationships. In this way we let God be God of in all aspects of our lives.

Kindness

In the letter to the Ephesians 4:31-32, St. Paul admonished us to get rid of every bitterness or bad temper or anger or shouting or abuse but we should be generous to everyone, sympathetic, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave us in Christ. If we take a look at the aspect of relationship, for such relationship to endure and it must be nourished by kindness. Kindness begins with caring, being tenderhearted and compassionate. This could be in a form of paying for someone’s lunch or breakfast or writing a note of encouragement to a friend. This could also include words of encouragement, comfort, courtesy and compliments because it requires action. Therefore, our act of kindness should not be restricted to the people who are close to us, it should go out to all even to those whom we describe as our enemy.

Goodness

While growing up I thought that to be good is all about helping my mother with the house chores or getting good grades in school. But I found out that it is more than that. When we strive to be good for our benefit, it is a selfish way of living. However, when we act out true goodness is when we obey the commandments of God and seek the benefit of others. Then our actions become selfless because we place the needs of others before ours. The life of Jesus is a perfect example of goodness, as He died for the sins of humanity in order to give us the gift of eternal life.

Faithfulness

When we talk about faithfulness, we talk about steadfastness, constancy or allegiance. However, we are tempted to look at faithfulness in human terms such as being faithful to our friends, colleagues etc. This faithfulness is certainly necessary, however, this fruit of the spirit of faithfulness is actually referring to our faithfulness in Christ. This is foundational for all Christians necessarily to live a godly life. We know that God’s promises won’t fail and that his Word stands true for all ages. For He says that His Word will not return to hum empty until it has achieved what it was sent to do. There may be many times when we may not feel God’s faithfulness to us, but we must choose to trust and obey for there is no other way, because all that we are and have was given out of His love and mercy.

Self-control

The word self-control means inner strength. While this is the last of the fruit to be listed it is certainly not the least. In fact it takes a great deal of self-control to exercise the other eight. Daily, we all face temptation to sin, but people often lack the self-restraint and inner strength to stop when they should. Many of us find ourselves tempted to overeat, overdrink, overspend or overindulge. In the book of proverbs there is a comparison of someone who values self-control and the one who does not. Proverbs 25:28 “an open town, and without defenses; such is anyone who lacks self-control.” And Proverbs 16:32 “it is better to be patient than powerful. It is better to win self-control over yourself than over whole cities.” Some people mistake self-control with patience; however, they are starkly different. Self-control allows us to keep our mind focused on God while avoiding the temptation of our desires. Many worldly temptations can be strong, but our spiritual self-control can be stronger with the help of faith.

Conclusion

We have seen that the Holy Spirit the promised Advocate is truly a companion for the life of a Christian. Without His presence in our lives we will only be working for God instead of walking with God. These fruits of the Holy Spirit just like the physical fruit need time to grow because it will not ripen in our lives overnight. This is the mistake most Christians make because they have prayed for a particular fruit of the Holy Spirit and they see themselves not practicing it they get discouraged forgetting that when you plant a seed it takes time to germinate. Using the analogy of a farmer who plants a corn. He tills the land, manures it and then plant. Every day he goes there to water it and when he sees the shoot, he is happy. For some of us we stop here, forgetting that the journey has just begun. Some of us stop when the ear is out. At this point we allow the cares and worries of this life to overshadow this fruit. Then, when the full grain in the ear, at this point we begin to bear other fruits in sixty and hundred folds. It is my Prayer that the Holy Spirit our Advocate, our friend will fall afresh on us through Christ our Lord Amen.

Song: Spirt of the Living God Fall afresh on me. Come wake me, fill me, touch me, mold me. Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me.

Song:

Holy Spirit, Lord of Light,

From Thy clear celestial height,

Thy pure beaming radiance give:

Come, Thou Father of the poor!

Come, with treasures which endure!

Come, Thou Light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best,

Visiting the troubled breast,

Dost refreshing peace bestow;

Thou in toil art comfort sweet,

Pleasant coolness in the heat,

Solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal! Light divine!

Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,

And our inmost being fill;

Where Thou art not, man hath naught,

Nothing good in deed or thought,

Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;

On our dryness pour Thy dew;

Wash the stains of guilt away;

Bend the stubborn heart and will;

Melt the frozen, warm the chill;

Guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on those who evermore

Thee confess and Thee adore,

In Thy sevenfold gifts, descend:

Give them comfort when they die,

Give them life with Thee on high,

Give them joys that never end." Amen

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̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶. “The Fruit of the Holy Spirit: What is Kindness.” Osprey Observer. Accessed May 14, 2023. http://www.ospreyobserver.com/2020/09/the-fruit-of-the-holy-spirit-what-is-kindness.html.

̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶ ̶̶̶. “The Fruit of the Holy Spirit: What is Self-control.” Osprey Observer. Accessed May 14, 2023. http://www.ospreyobserver

.com/2020/09/the-fruit-of-the-holy-spirit-what-is-self-control.html.