2. Joy: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17).
Joy is love’s reaction to God’s mercies, blessings, and benefits. Christian joy is not, however, dependent on circumstances. The joy which is a facet of love trusts God even in the most trying circumstances. Human joy looks at things upon earth and is affected by the condition of earth. Christian joy—a fruit of the Spirit—looks heavenward and is unaffected by surrounding conditions, because Heaven’s benefits are unvarying. Joy accepts trials as Divine blessing in disguise. The true Christian life is a joyful life. Those who would suppress all emotion in Christian worship, and who call all enthusiasm and rejoicing emotionalism, do not rightly interpret the Word of God. Not one sentence of condemnation of emotion can be found in God’s Word; but it does not teach emotionalism. Joy is natural to Christianity. Paul uses the word “joy” and “rejoice” seventeen (17) times in the short epistle to the Philippians. Emotionless worship is cold worship. Emotion is the condition of being inwardly moved. Emotionalism is the seeking of emotion as an end in itself—emotion for emotion’s sake. We carefully distinguish between emotional extravagance and the true operations of the Holy Spirit. In accordance with the teaching of the Scripture, we exercise control over our feelings so as not to selfishly interrupt more profitable phases of worship and the ministry of the Word. On the other hand, we believe in singing joyfully, in praying earnestly, in preaching zealously, in testifying forcefully, and in giving cheerfully; “for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). When the Spirit of God fills an individual, the joy of the Lord is bound to be there, “for in thy presence is fulness of joy” (Ps. 16:11).
3. Peace:
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17).
Peace is deeper and more constant than joy. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you” (Jn. 14:27). Paul speaks of “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). Peace with God is obtained as the result of being justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). But the fruit of the Spirit, peace, is an inner characteristic which manifests itself in peaceableness with others. It signifies freedom from a quarrelsome, contentious or party spirit. It seeks to live peaceably with all men. Thus the Spirit-filled believer may not only know peace with God, but he may have “the peace of God which passeth understanding” (Phil. 4:7), because of the promise, “And the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:9).
4. Longsuffering—Patience.
Virtually all modern translators render this word “patience.” This is not a very prevalent characteristic of the human spirit. Most of us are a little short of that gracious virtue of patience. It is, however, a very special characteristic of our loving Lord, and the Christian needs an ever closer abiding in Christ that this grace may become part of his life in Christ. It has been previously noted that “Longsuffering is love untiring.” It is love persevering through the storm and the flood. As each believer realizes how longsuffering the Lord has been with him it will enable him to be more patient with others. God is patient in seeking to win the unsaved: “The Lord … is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pt. 3:9). “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Ps. 86:15). How much today’s Christian needs the Holy Spirit’s help in this area of Christlikeness! This may very well be the place where he needs Him the most. James admomishes: “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (Jas. 1:4).
5. Gentleness—Kindness.
The NASB, NIV, and numerous other modern versions render this word as “kindness.” It is nowhere else, in the New Testament, translated as “gentleness.” The word is frequently used to depict God’s dealings with His people. They in turn bring glory to Him when they manifest this same graciousness to others. Kindness is love dealing with others in their faults. Perhaps nothing more frequently descredits one’s testimony and ministry than unkindness. No conceivable circumstance can possibly justify, on Christian grounds, unkind treatment of others. No matter how firm one must become in reproof, he never needs to become unkind. There is no greater mark of greatness and nobility of character than the ability to reprove in kindness. “Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering” (2 Tm. 4:2). “Love suffereth long, and is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4).
6. Goodness:
“For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Eph. 5:9).
The goodness mentioned here has reference to works and acts of goodness, to goodness shown to others, to practical works of love. If a man is truly good at heart, he does good to others. There is a kind of pharisaical, self-righteous goodness which is more of a blight to Christianity than a recommendation. Selfish goodness could well be a kind of badness. “Goodness is love in action.” It is love heaping benefits on others. The Christian does good because he is good. Negative goodness is not sufficient. When the Holy Spirit pervades the being, there is a positive outflow of goodness to all men.
7. Faith.
The majority of translators render this word as “faithfulness,” rather than “faith.” It has to do with character as it relates to others. J. Lancaster is quoted as saying: “While faith in God and His Word is the basis of our relationship with Him, and the avenue through which His blessings flow into our lives, what is in view here is the faithfulness of character and conduct that such faith produces.”13 The fruit of a tree is not for the tree, but for others. Thus, each of these beautiful characteristics indicate the Christian’s attitude to those with whom he comes in contact. Two thoughts have been suggested from this particular virtue. The first is expressed in the word “trustworthiness.” Jesus said to the two who multiplied their talents, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things …” (Mt. 25:21, 23), suggesting the characteristic of trustworthiness. According to this interpretation, the one who bears the fruit of the Spirit will keep his word with others; he will be faithful to his covenants, promises, duties and obligations. The true Christian does not shirk responsibility.
The second word is “trustfulness.” In his commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther says:
In listing faith among the fruits of the Spirit, Paul obviously does not mean faith in Christ, but faith in men. Such faith is not suspicious of people, but believes the best. Naturally the possessor of such faith will be deceived, but he lets it pass. He is ready to believe all men. Where this virtue is lacking, men are suspicious, forward, and wayward and will believe nothing, nor yield to anybody. No matter how well a person says or does anything, they will find fault with it, and if you do not humor them, you can never please them. Such faith in people, therefore, is quite necessary.
What kind of life would this be if one person could not believe another person?14
Paul plainly teaches this characteristic of love: “… Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things” … (I Cor. 13:6, 7).
Both of these viewpoints are possible, and certainly trustworthiness and trustfulness are both necessary virtues. A true Christian will be neither unfaithful nor suspicious.
8. Meekness.
Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Mt. 11:29). Meekness is slowness to anger and to take offense. The meek are not boistrous, noisy, or selfishly aggressive. They do not strive, quarrel, or contend. They are not argumentative or boastful. However, meekness must not be confused with shyness, timidity, or weakness, which are characteristics of an inferiority complex. W. E. Vine comments: “It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power … the Lord was ‘meek’ because He had the infinite resources of God at His command.”15 Spiritual meekness is not cowardice nor lack of leadership. Moses was the meekest man in Israel, yet he was their greatest leader. He was humble and patient, but he was also capable of firmness and great courage. Rather than a disqualification for leadership, meekness is an essential to it. Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5).
9. Temperance—Self-Control.
The word “temperance” is in reality “self-control.” Among the graces of the Spirit, which are the fruit of abiding in Christ, none is more important than self-control. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city” (Prv. 16:32). Temperance is true self-love. He who respects himself, who considers his body to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, will exercise control over his own impulses. True temperance is control over not only food and drink, but over every phase of life.
Temperance means full self-control. It means control over anger, carnal passion, appetites, desire for worldly pleasure, and selfishness. Before one can rule a city, a community, a club, a church or a nation he must first be able to rule his own spirit. Paul treats this subject admirably in his letter to the Corinthians; he says:
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient [profitable]: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord and will also raise us by his power (1 Cor. 6:12–14).
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Cor. 6:19, 20).
In concluding his remarks concerning the nine graces of the fruit of the Spirit, as Paul enumerates them in Galatians 5:22, 23, Samuel Chadwick makes this interesting statement:
In newspaper English, the passage would read something like this: The Fruit of the Spirit is an affectionate, lovable disposition, a radiant spirit and a cheerful temper, a tranquil mind and a quiet manner, a forebearing patience in provoking circumstances and with trying people, a sympathetic insight and tactful helpfulness, generous judgment and a big-souled charity, loyalty and reliableness under all circumstances, humility that forgets self in the joy of others, in all things self-mastered and self-controlled, which is the final mark of perfecting.16
In summarizing the subject of the Fruit of the Spirit, it is emphasized that these characteristics are not imposed upon the Christian from without, but are the result of the life of Christ within. They describe the character of Jesus Christ in the life of the believer. J. Lancaster explains:
In some ways the term “Christlikeness” is inadequate, since the Christian is called, not merely to resemble Christ, but to share His very life. With deference to a great Christian classic, the life of the believer is more than the imitation of Christ; it is becoming “a partaker of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). One might be bold enough to suggest that “Christness” would be nearer the mark, since the believer is more than a copy of Christ; he is part and parcel of His very being, “bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh,” as Paul daringly puts it in Ephesians 5:30. Our likeness to Christ is therefore not something applied from without—a cosmetic transformation produced by the formulae of some religious make-up department—but a genuine likeness produced by an intimate relationship with Him. Christ’s own analogy of the vine and the branches upholds this (John 15). The branches are not merely “vine-like,” they are part of the vine; likewise the fruit does not merely resemble grapes, but possesses their inherent structure and taste.17
No comments:
Post a Comment