It is of the greatest importance to a vital spiritual life and ministry that these two areas of spiritual blessing be fully understood in their relationship to each other. They are not the same. There must never be any confusion between them. One is not a substitute for the other. No one must ever say, as some have, “I do not believe in the gifts of the Spirit; I believe in love.” The gifts have their place and the fruit has its place, but they are in entirely different categories of spiritual blessing.
Note the following differences between these two: The gifts of the Spirit have to do with spiritual capabilities—what one can do in the service of the Lord. The fruit of the Spirit has to do with spiritual character—what one is in the Lord. The gifts are received as a result of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The fruit is the result of the New Birth and of abiding in Christ. Gifts are received instantly, while the fruit develops gradually. Gifts, of themselves, are not a means of judging the depths of one’s spiritual life, but the fruit is the basic criterion of the development of spiritual life and character. There are varieties of gifts, but there is only one fruit of the Spirit. Let us enlarge on these thoughts.
Spiritual gifts indicate spiritual capabilities, while the fruit denotes spiritual character. There are many natural gifts and talents with which people are endowed at birth. Without these inbred tendencies no one could really excel in any field (i.e., art and music). Jesus used the parables of the “talents” and the “pounds” to indicate that certain men were given these talents to use, and for which use they were held responsible. So in the spiritual realm, the Holy Spirit, at His Divine choosing, bestows certain spiritual capabilities to be used in spiritual service. The fruit of the Spirit, has nothing to do with what a person may be able to do in the service of the Lord. As we shall see, it will not have a great deal to do with what he does for the Lord, but how he does it.
The manifestation of gifts of the Spirit seem to have to do with the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Certainly the Apostles, and others, were possessed. There is a tendency among many to look with awe upon one who has many gifts of the Spirit as though this indicates a super-spiritual individual. It is well to realize that gifts are not, of themselves, the indication of the depth of one’s spiritual life. Paul said of the Corinthian church that they came “behind in no gift” (1 Cor. 1:7); in fact they were rather noted for the exercise of, at least some of, the gifts of the Spirit. At the same time the Apostle accuses them of being carnal and guilty of allowing many situations within their midst that were not evidences of spiritual advancement. Saul, the first king of Israel, was noted for his possession of the gift of prophecy. Just about the time of his anointing as king we read: “… and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it came to pass, that when all that knew him before time saw that he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Sm. 10:10, 11). Later in his reign, after he had dishonored the Lord and disobeyed His word, and God said He would no longer hear Saul’s prayers, and the Spirit of the Lord departed from him (1 Sm. 16:14), Saul got among a group of prophets and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied (1 Sm. 19:23, 24). But this certainly did not indicate that Saul was again a spiritual man. The measure of the development of the fruit of the Spirit in an individual’s life is, however, a real indication of the steadfastness of his abiding in Christ. (See also Balaam, as an example of one with gifts, but little spiritual life (Nm. 22–27].)
There are varieties of gifts, but one fruit of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, Paul lists nine different gifts of the Spirit. Other passages, such as Romans 12:6–8; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter 4:10, 11, indicate that there may be many more. But there is only one fruit of the Spirit, which is love. It is unscriptural to speak of the “fruits of the Spirit.” What is listed in Galatians 5:22, 23 are eight characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, love. All these other virtues which are mentioned are but facets of love. When the Spirit of God comes into one’s life, He invariably sheds abroad His Love in the heart. In Notes From My Bible, by D.L. Moody, this characterization of love is found in terms of all these other virtues, as follows:
Joy is love exulting.
Peace is love reposing.
Longsuffering is love untiring.
Gentleness is love enduring.
Goodness is love in action.
Faith is love on the battlefield
Meekness is love under discipline.
Temperance is love in training.
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E. The Relationship Between the Gifts of the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit.
While there are certain definite differences between the gifts and fruit of the Spirit, there is also a very vital relationship between these two. It is not by chance that the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians comes right between the twelfth and the fourteenth chapters. Chapters twelve and fourteen deal with the gifts of the Spirit, while chapter thirteen is all about love, the fruit of the Spirit. This emphasizes the importance of having the fruit of the Spirit in close relation to the gifts. Paul makes it very clear that the gifts without the fruit are powerless and of little use. In fact, he goes as far as to say that they are “nothing.”
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1, 2 NASB).
As has been stated above, love is the very essence of the fruit of the Spirit. So what Paul is saying is that though he has the gift of speaking with other tongues, of prophecy, wisdom, knowledge and faith, and does not have the fruit of the Spirit, these gifts mean absolutely nothing. The development of the inner nature of a Christ-like character must be behind any use of the spiritual gift. While he is emphasizing the negative fact that the gifts without the fruit is of no value, one must recognize the positive truth that the ministry of the gifts of the Spirit, accompanied by the fruit of a spiritual life is of great power and usefulness in the work of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is as much interested in character as He is in power. Every Spirit-baptized servant of the Lord needs to realize the importance of both of these blessings. (This subject is discussed again in Sec. VI. The Gifts of the Spirit, see J. The Relationship Between the Gifts and The Fruit of the Spirit.)
F. Detailed Characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit.
1. Love: “Now the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Gal. 5:22).
It would be impossible to over-emphasize the prominence of this gracious virtue as the chief characteristic of the Christian life. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7, 8). Thus, love is the evidence that one has been born of God. Not only is it the inner evidence, it is also the outer evidence. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (Jn. 13:35). He also gave His disciples the command: “… Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Lk. 6:27, 28). This is impossible to the natural man; it cannot be produced by human effort. Such love can only be the product of the Love of God being shed abroad in one’s heart by the Holy Ghost (Rom. 5:5). The love which the Spirit produces is something more than ordinary human affection, however sincere. It comes from abiding in Christ and experiencing His Love flowing through the soul. Love is the cement which binds all the other virtues of the fruit of the Spirit together into a united whole. It is the common denominator of all Christian character. One cannot love and fail to have any of the other virtues. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with love.
To be continued....
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