The expression the fruit [karpos, singular in both places] of the Spirit occurs only twice in the Bible — Gal 5:22 and Eph 5:9.
Other similar expressions are the peaceable fruit [karpon, singular] of righteousness (Heb 12:11), the fruit [karpos] of righteousness (Jas 3:18), the fruits [karpōn, plural of karpos, in the MT, singular in the CT] of righteousness (Phil 1:11), the fruits or harvest [genēmata, plural of genēma] of your righteousness (2 Cor 9:10), your fruit [karpon] to holiness (Rom 6:22), and being fruitful [from karpophoreō] in every good work (Col 1:10).
If we had not been told what this meant, we would be inclined to see it as a rather simple and easy-to-understand expression. This would be fruit that is produced in us by the Holy Spirit. We would have to look at the context and the teaching of the rest of Scripture to find out HOW this fruit is manifested in our lives and WHAT this fruit is. But the expression itself would be simple.
Unfortunately, many pastors and theologians have turned this simple expression into a sort of secret to the Christian life. Much confusion exists about what the fruit of the Spirit is and how a believer can gain this fruit.
In an online article at LifeTrainingCounseling.org titled, “The Fruit of the Spirit Is Singular,” David Ralston suggests that those who “have the Holy Spirit within them,” necessarily manifest the fruit of the Spirit. He added “that if the Spirit is truly in us, then we should see the evidence through the presence of the entirety of the ‘fruit’…Not one or two characteristics, but all [nine] of them.” See here.
Calvinists might understand the concept in this way, since for the Calvinist, all “true believers” persevere in faith and good works until death.
Enid Oa has an article at theGospelCitizen.com titled, “The Fruit of the Spirit.” She suggests that the one who sees this fruit in himself is “a person [who] engages more and more with the Holy Spirit.” See here.
Her explanation sounds charismatic and possibly Arminian.
Three keys to this fruit are that it is something that is (1) produced in us (2) corporately (3) when we abide in Christ.
These virtues are corporate. If your church is walking in liberty, the point of Galatians 5, then these nine virtues are evident. Note how all nine are corporate. We do not see things like prayer, encouraging others, confessing Christ, giving, meditating, reading, etc. being carried out by believers as individuals. These are group experiences.
This is what the Spirit produces in the body of believers that is walking in liberty.
Here is what Hodges writes about James 3:18:
The person who behaves as v 17 describes is among those who make peace…His behavior (his seed) has its ultimate fruit in righteousness, since righteousness among believers grows and flourishes when they dwell together in peace. Given James’s concern for congregational peace (cf. 4: 1-3), it is probable that the phrase in peace goes actually with the phrase, the fruit of righteousness, rather than with sown, as in the NIV (i.e., we should read: “the fruit of righteousness in peace, is sown by … “). The point is that this righteousness is experienced in an atmosphere of peace when the peacemaker has done his work of sowing and the harvest has been reaped in the church.
Phil 1:11 reads “fruits of righteousness” in the MT and “fruit of righteousness” in the CT. I believe that the plural is correct.
These are fruits “which spring from righteousness” (Moule).
The contrast in Galatians 5 generally and Gal 5:19-24 specifically is between the flesh and the Spirit.
But the Spirit does not produce this fruit by our simply being born again or “engaging more and more with the Holy Spirit,” whatever that means.
Biblically, our lives are transformed by having the mind of Christ (Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 2:14-16; 2 Cor 3:18), not by praying some prayer, yielding to the Holy Spirit, engaging with the Holy Spirit, etc.
Paul says in Galatians 5 that seeking to be justified by law (Gal 5:4) is how one gets the works of the flesh. Legalism produces the works of the flesh. The issue here is not that alcohol, marijuana, or social media produce works of the flesh. It is that a legalistic mindset does so.
The way that we gain the fruit of the Spirit is by walking in the liberty by which Christ set us free (Gal 5:1). That is a mindset. Here are some practical examples of what this looks like:
- Remaining certain of my eternal security.
- Being watchful for Christ’s soon return.
- Being in a loving church where God’s Word is clearly taught, thereby renewing my mind.
- Having examples of godly believers.
If you are in a church that bites and devours its members (Gal 5:15), get out. Run, don’t walk! If your church is characterized by the nine virtues listed in Gal 5:22-24, soak up the teaching and the fellowship.
