Chapter Three

Fruit of the Spirit

The Fruit Of The Spirit Reflects 

The Personality Of God.

Permutations, Personality And Rubik’s Cube

What might surprise most people is that the fruit of the Spirit reflects the personality of God. When I raised this idea with my doctoral supervisor, he rejected it, saying that God was more complex than that and pointed out that the negative aspects of personality were not included in the nine attributes mentioned for the fruit of the Spirit—but that is his opinion. God is good, not evil, and possesses no negative aspects to His personality. Nevertheless, as far as he was concerned, there were many more aspects to personality than just nine fruits. Naturally, we would like to think and expect that the God who created the universe and all that is in it would be more complex than something as simple as a Rubik’s Cube, which has nine squares on each side of its six faces, totaling fifty-four different squares. The number of permutations (different arrangements) that are possible with that cube, having a face of nine squares, comes to forty-three quintillion, two hundred fifty-two quadrillion, three trillion, two hundred seventy-four billion, four hundred eighty-nine million, eight hundred fifty-six thousand (43,252,003,274,489,856,000). This is a mind-blowing number from a cube with a nine-square face. To put things into perspective a little more, in the book of Genesis, in the days just after the flood of Noah, we read this:

The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”

Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. (Genesis 11:1-6)

There was one language, and there were not many words either. Because there was only one simple language, the Lord said there would be nothing withheld from the people if they set their minds to do a thing. One could say that if we have generic combinations to form building blocks, we could rearrange things in so many different ways that there is no end to what we could do. In a similar way, computer language works on a binary code of the number one and a zero. From something as simple as the number one and the symbol for zero, computer language has developed. This basic code was thought by its discoverer, Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716), to be symbolic of God creating something out of nothing. By using the code and creating different size systems based on a grouping of the numerals zero and one, this enables the creation of combinations that produce incredible numbers of different arrangements, such as is evident with Rubik’s Cube.

The Nine Fruit of the Spirit of God

When talking about the nine fruit of the Spirit of God, we are only talking about nine different aspects of personality. We can combine these into three classifications to form three different manifestations of expression that are recognizable in humans: emotion, attitude, and character. We could say these are reflective of the triune Godhead—with the Father originating the desire for a new idea, the Son evaluating and defining the relevance of the idea, and the Holy Spirit bringing the idea into fruition. In saying this, we are not to be presumptuous and start analyzing God. We are like the smallest of ants or grains of sand when it comes to understanding God. The Creator is infinite in every aspect of existence. Yet we have been created in His image, as finite forms, to reflect the very nature of God. This is what is said of Jesus, that He reflects the very nature of the invisible God. But rather than say that the Son of God reflects the Father because He possesses the same nature, it would be better to say that He is “the very image of His substance” (Hebrews 1:3), the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).

The nine fruit of the Spirit of God are positive qualities. Even though we would not be inclined to think of God as possessing evil attributes—the god of this world does, but not the Lord God Almighty—experience tells us that where there is good, evil lies close at hand. Therefore, it makes sense that every positive has a negative. Likewise, we know right is contrasted with wrong, and what is true exposes what is false. We know love has an opposite emotion known as hate. Joy can turn into anger, and peace can give way to fear. Longsuffering can turn into restlessness, kindness into cruelty, and goodness can turn into meanness. Faithfulness can turn into untrustworthiness, humility into pride, and self-control can become impetuosity.

The Permutations of Personality

From nine positive attributes of personality, we can see that the negative effects increase the number of possible aspects for display. A combination of the many nuances of expression increases from being nine multiplied by nine for the positive, to nine multiplied by nine, four times, when the negative elements are mingled with the positive. Now if we consider that a finite being requires six sides, we are looking at something like the Rubik’s Cube. If a finite being were like Rubik’s Cube, it could possibly produce quintillions upon quintillions of personality facets. This is because a finite being has to have a top and a bottom, and four faces looking north, south, east, and west. This does not mean a finite being has to be a cube, for it could be like a coin or a pyramid, or even like a log in appearance. Whatever the shape of a finite object, it will still have six faces, even if one of those faces is the point of a pyramid or ninety degrees of the face of a log. Contrary to this, being infinite, God is really indescribable and indefinable. All we can know is the finite form revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ, who possesses the same nature and substance of the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, infinite, eternal, and immortal God.

We can understand what has been permitted for us to discover, but we cannot go beyond this without being presumptuous. No matter how much we try, we cannot put God in a box as we attempt to understand our relationship with Him and His purpose for Creation. As has already been stated, God is infinite and possesses no boundaries apart from going against His nature and doing evil. Evil is not something that originated with God, even though He may have been conscious of the possibility of evil. Evil is not something God Himself has known. Evil first came into existence through the act of Satan (i.e., Lucifer) attempting to usurp the purpose of God by tempting Adam and Eve. However, Satan’s act of treachery has nothing really to do with the fruit of the Spirit, apart from the fact that the goodness of God now has an evil opposite.

The fruits of the Spirit are positive attributes that God possesses and are available for possession by us. While it is true that God knows hatred, anger, and fear, these need to be understood correctly.

Esau

In the Bible, there is the statement that God hates Esau. However, it is not Esau that God hates, but the nation of Edom that was birthed from Esau’s progeny and what it represents. God does not hate individuals, but He does hate what they do. Even when it comes to having to judge the wicked, God hates having to impose the death penalty; but because of His righteousness, justice has to be executed. The wicked are to be judged and sentenced to an eternal state (a realm, a domain, a sphere, an area of existence) from which God extricates Himself, so they only experience their own evil and possess the knowledge of the reason why they have been judged for eternity.

Love: Also Expressed as Righteous Indignation and Justice

Anger is the negative attribute of joy. God is said to be angry. Unlike frustrated anger, God possesses righteous displeasure, which He expresses to those who try His patience and test His love to the point that He is grieved beyond measure. God is not impatient, but He is grieved because of persistent wickedness and injustice that occur among those whom He made in His own image. If we are persistently rejecting God’s kindness toward us, we will eventually perceive His righteous displeasure as anger. But this is not so much an attribute that we can identify with, nor associate as being the same anger we experience when frustrated—when we become angry with people, or even God, for that matter. We may think that it is because we feel God’s displeasure as a force we do not like—the same as we might say that an elephant is angry if it were, say, to wreck a hut we happened to build that obstructed the path of its annual migration. The elephant would be just looking after its interests, but we might perceive its actions as that of an angry elephant. Likewise, we may interpret the power of God expressed in opposition to our wishes as anger. The wicked feel God’s displeasure; but He takes no pleasure in exercising His righteous judgment when sentencing them.

Understanding what is perceived as God being angry is difficult for most people. This is because we can only understand matters from within our own framework of experience. Even when it comes to the punishment of wayward children, many people find it hard to distinguish between anger, sadism, and righteous punishment. For instance, a child might feel the pain of a parent’s admonition, even though the parent is grieved by having to administer the pain. The parent does not need to get pleasure from administering punishment to a child to inflict some penalty for wrongs done. The parent does not need to be angry to administer pain for the good of the child. Nevertheless, the child sees the parent as angry at the time of receiving the pain, even though the parent is grieved by having to punish the child for its own good. Children do not believe their parents when they say that it hurts them to administer punishment to their offspring. God is grieved also by the necessity for righteous retribution, which is often wrongfully perceived as Him being delightfully angry.

Sin and Discerning the Nature of Fear

Fear is also something that is attributed to God, even though many attempt to mask this truth, preferring to see our Heavenly Father as angry. They see the fear of the Lord in the same way that a person would fear someone because the person is angry. God is not angry. When the Bible does say, “Fear God,” this is a reference to the fact that He has the power of a righteous judge. However, this is not the fear of the Lord. The fear our Lord God possesses emanates from the knowledge of what sin can do. In fact, the Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil, but also the treasure of God (Proverbs 8:13; Isaiah 11:2–3; 33:6). Evil is sin. God hates sin. God knows what sin can do. Consequently, God fears sin. This is not to say that God is living in perpetual fear of sin and what it could do to Him. This is impossible because sin is not greater than God. God is greater than sin. However, the Lord God fears the consequences of what would happen if He were to sin. Fortunately, being righteous, God would never sin. For God to sin is contrary to His nature of holiness. Nevertheless, this does not mean God does not fear sin. If we fear sin, then we are like God and see no point in committing sin.

Sin originated with the Devil. Until Satan sinned, there would have been no need for anger to manifest, nor hatred, nor fear of evil. Nor would there have been any need for God to grieve and experience sorrow for having created anything. God would have been able to take joy in His love of peace. The rest of the attributes of the personality of the Lord God that we know as the fruits of the Holy Spirit emanate from the three emotions. These attributes are the attitudes and qualities of character that we know as patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.

About the Holy Spirit

For us to possess the aspects of personality attributed to God, we need to have the Holy Spirit within our spirits. If we have not been baptized into the Holy Spirit, these attributes of personality that showcase the holy quality of God’s character can never become a part of our lives. These are fruit of the Holy Spirit; they are not imitable behavioral traits or stage clothes that we can use for a performance. These fruits of the Spirit emanate from within the spirits of those in whom He resides, and when the going gets tough, the tough get going, because they decide to keep on keeping on in the face of adversity.

Emotions, Attitudes, and Character

The fruit of the Spirit should be evident in all people who are born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Every Christian ought to emanate the three positive emotions, three positive attitudes, and three consistent qualities of upright character. The negative elements need not be seen within Christians; for the negative traits that oppose the fruit of the Holy Spirit are not from God, but are from the flesh, which is the realm that is influenced by Satan.

Emotion is the driving force that is often the basis of our activity. People will argue that this is not the case, but when we look at the emotions of the Spirit of God, we will see how much they actually can motivate us, and why it is important to possess these in our lives. The three emotions of love, joy, and peace are very simple concepts for us to understand, but as we have already noted, the simple can become incredibly complex simply by combining one thing with another and creating different arrangements.

The Fruit of Love

Love is one of the most used words in the English language. What most people do not realize is that “love” is really “desire.” Having said this, it should come as no surprise to learn that the origin of the English word love is thought to have come from the Sanskrit word lubh, meaning desire, and through the Latin lubēre, meaning to please. Now, this might seem to have nothing to do with the Greek or the Hebrew concept of love, as some theologians—but not all—might attempt to inform us. Yet when we say that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life, we would not think of love as being desire, or desire embodying the idea “to please.” We would not say that God so desired the world or that He desired to please the world. The reason for this has to do with what the word desire can signify. This is reflected in our knowledge of the Scripture regarding those who love the world being enemies of God. Many Scriptures, in fact, express the same sentiment—that it is impossible to love the world and love God. However, look at what this Scripture states:

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

God desires all people to be saved. He would love for all people to be saved. God derives no pleasure from the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). The ideas inherent in the words "pleasure" and "desire" form part of what we understand as love. If we love something, we derive pleasure from it, and because of this, we desire to continue deriving the pleasure we have been obtaining from whatever activity it is that we have been doing. We do not derive pleasure from doing nothing; we derive pleasure from activities. Although this might seem contradictory, even resting is an activity, because while we are resting, we are actually breathing, and the physiological processes of our bodies are actively recuperating from having expended energy in order to be revitalized. Doing nothing, on the other hand, is a state where we are not resting with a purpose; instead, we are in a state of vacancy, where emptiness begins to consume us.

About Agape Love

In the Greek Bible, agape expresses love in general, and this has the connotation that God's preference is to do good, rather than the idea of infatuation or a state of delirium that some seem to confuse with being in love. In fact, many theologians express that God’s love is the expression of His will. This is somewhat removed from what we grow up thinking love to be. When we think of love, we do not think of something as clinical and academic as the word “will.” Instead, we may think of love as being comforted by a parent. Frequently, love is associated with feelings of pleasurable gratification or the delirium felt due to anticipation. Feelings of joy mingled with desire are really what this type of love that people experience would be, and there are numerous variations and reasons for the levels of intensity and excitement.

A Demand for Bread at Midnight

Emotion is the classification for three of the attributes of the Holy Spirit. Emotion is the driving force that causes us to get out of bed in the morning. Depressed people are said to be flat psychologically and are more inclined to stay in bed. They have no desire to get out of bed because there is nothing that they desire strongly enough to motivate them. People do get out of bed for reasons other than being motivated by emotion. However, desire is the emotion that motivates people to get up every morning. Why desire? One answer could be, at least in the world of the WEIRD (Western Educated Industrial Rich Democracies), many people only get out of bed because they desire to keep their job. There are many other scenarios; each will have desire as the motivator.

Jesus told a story about a person who had gone to bed and had no intention of rising from his bed that night when a friend called at midnight. We read:

He said to them, “Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,’ and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give it to you’? I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs. (Luke 11:5-8).

As strange as it may sound, the man in this story gets out of bed because he desires to go to sleep. He would not have risen from his bed if he had his own way, but because he was in a situation where he desired to go to sleep but could not, as he was being annoyed, he was motivated to get out of bed and give in to his friend’s request.

In this story, we do not see love mentioned instead of desire, and, because of this, we could not say that the man loved his friend so much that he got out of bed to help him. In fact, we do not see the word desire mentioned either. Nevertheless, we know what is implied. Jesus is saying that the man was not prepared to love his friend and meet his request because he desired his comfortable bed. The man desired his comfort more than he loved his friend, so he was not motivated to help him. The motivation to help his friend came from a negative response to what we perceive as love. The man may not have hated his friend, but he would have hated the fact that he had to get out of bed (in the cold, perhaps), or that he could not go to sleep.

The motivational element of this story is very illustrative of what it means “to love.” The clinical element is what most people might see here. But when we use the word love to understand the preferences of the man, we are actually starting to grasp the idea of love as far as God is concerned.

The Bible informs us that God is love. Juxtaposed to this, nobody would suggest that love is God. To do so would seem absurd to us, because love is a quality that is immaterial and also an emotion. God is more than love. Yet we have a statement in the Bible that declares, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Nevertheless, to consider love as being God is difficult for us to conceive—besides, an emotion did not create the universe.

The reason that love being God is difficult for us to comprehend is because we are looking at the Infinite Creator from our own viewpoint of the world. We all do. According to our experience in life, and according to the perceptions and insights that we are able to derive from our experiences, we form our worldview. Indeed, many different opinions abound among people even from the same culture. Nevertheless, people tend to polarize in their thinking, and they will tend towards either conservative values or progressive counter-culture values. We could say polarization is up or down, and there are four views that could affect these, depending on the direction a person is facing, which are primarily four (North, East, South, West), of which our natural gaze takes in a ninety-degree view—a complete circle being four times ninety degrees (i.e., three hundred and sixty degrees). Much has to do with the polarization of our worldview, as we can appreciate, when we consider the limitations of our gaze (looking in one direction) and the level of our understanding.

Those of us who draw near to God would say that He is love; whereas, if any of us were to fall away from God, we may tend to think of our Heavenly Father as a vengeful ogre.

When we consider the motivations for the two friends in the story Jesus told, we find that they are motivated for different reasons. The man seeking the loaves of bread wants to feed his friend. The man who gives the bread wants to enjoy his comfort. One knows the other has the bread, while the other knows that he is not going to get any peace until he hands over the bread. There is definite tension between the desires of the two characters in this story. We could take sides and say that the man who demands the bread is being arrogant and making an unwarranted demand from his friend. Conversely, we could say that the one with the loaves ought to realize how hungry his friend’s guest is after having travelled so far without food. For either party, we can present a case (and, if we so desired, get some support and turn a minor dispute into a civil war for control over the city’s bread). In the end, when the one who has the goods decides to resolve the problem by easing his friend’s discomfort and handing over the loaves, both parties find satisfaction in the peace that ensues.

About Jack and Joe and a Demand for Bread

The emotions that could have been involved in this scene portrayed in the parable are love, hate, joy, anger, peace, and fear. To illustrate this, we will review the story and give the story’s characters the names Jack and Joe. Jack wanted to take the bread back to his friend. Joe was the man telling him to go away, because he did not want to get up out of bed.

Out of his love for a travelling friend, and the joy of having him staying over, Jack goes to his friend’s house to get some loaves of bread. Jack knocks on Joe’s door and calls out. Joe hates the sound of the knock on the door and expresses his anger. Jack hates hearing the sound of anger in Joe’s voice and starts to feel a little fear; for in having upset his friend, their relationship might be impaired. However, because of his desire to see the traveler looked after, and because Jack knows Joe has the bread, he is prepared to risk a little capital in their friendship, hoping to make up the next day. Joe is so comfortable in bed and getting more angry as Jack repeatedly knocks at his door. Joe feels like killing Jack. Suddenly, fear grips Joe. The thought occurs that if he were to whack Jack, life would be miserable—not so much because Jack has been murdered, but because of all the moral, social, and legal consequences that follow murder. Joe now desires to get rid of his problem and gets the loaves of bread for Jack. Jack is overjoyed now he has the bread. Joe, relieved, feels at peace and finds some joy in jumping back into bed.

In this simple story, we can see how our emotions motivate us. In the description provided regarding the emotional elements involved, we see that love and joy motivate Jack to help the traveler. Fear motivates Joe to hand over the bread, even though he may have also been affected by hate and anger. Yet Jesus uses the parable in Luke 11:5–8 to teach that persistence pays off when it comes to seeking God (Luke 11:9–13). As a result, most people tend to interpret this as a story of one person having resources, another having none, and the idea that the right kind of persistence—or “haggling”—will eventually win the day.

When we apply this analogy to our relationship with our Heavenly Father, we recognize that He has all things, and we must seek Him to receive what we need.

However, the parable reveals truths that go beyond the simple statement that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who persistently ask. There is an implication that God may give the Holy Spirit even to those He deems unworthy, allowing them to perform healings and miracles—yet they remain unknown by Jesus. Hence, when such individuals say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord, did we not do many mighty works in your name?” we understand how that could be possible.

The story Jesus told—illustrated here with the characters Jack and Joe—does not present Joe in a favorable light. Joe represents the Lord God in the analogy, but he gives the bread unwillingly and only because of Jack’s persistence. This suggests that our Heavenly Father may grant the baptism of the Holy Spirit even to those He would prefer not to, simply because of their relentless seeking. Nevertheless, because of the person’s persistence, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is given.

About Desire and Faith

This is a story about desire and faith. The person seeking the Father has faith that he will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and so he persists in seeking God. Now we know that the Bible tells us that faith is essential if we are to please God, and we will not draw near to Him unless we believe He exists and will reward us for our efforts. In this case, Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit being given to those who seek the baptism. Initially, what is difficult for us to understand is the reason God would do such a thing if a person was unworthy, or if He knew the person would abuse the blessings in the end. However, if we realize that we did not ask to be born and God has all the resources, we have this right to seek Him, since He is our Heavenly Father. Notice what Jesus also says:

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 9:11-13)

Illegitimate Children

Notice that Jesus says that if those who are evil know how to give good gifts, how much more will the Heavenly Father give to His children. We are all children of God, but we might not be members of the family of God. There is a distinction. This distinction can be identified as the difference between legitimate children and illegitimate children. We are all illegitimate children of God until we are born into the Kingdom of God. How can we make this distinction and say that we are legitimate children if we are born into the Kingdom of God, but illegitimate children if we are not?

How can we be children of God and not be members of the family of God? How can a person be an illegitimate child of God and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? For many, these conundrums seem unanswerable. However, there are satisfactory answers that make sense and are easily understood if we want to understand them.

First, we are all children of God by virtue of the fact that we are born and our Heavenly Father is our Creator. Second, to become a member of the family of God, we have to be born into the Kingdom of God. Third, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is different from securing eternal salvation as a member of the body of Christ; the former can be lost, while the latter cannot.

We have seen how Jesus said that it is possible to obtain the baptism of the Holy Spirit by seeking God in prayer. The following Scriptures provide us with the distinction between those who are illegitimate children and those who qualify for inclusion as members of the family of God. Thus we read:

Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him. Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

(Matthew 6:8-15)

 

His mother and His brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to Him, calling Him. A multitude was sitting around Him, and they told Him, “Behold, Your mother, Your brothers, and Your sisters are outside looking for you.”

He answered them, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking around at those who sat around Him, He said, “Behold, My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35) 

We can see that Jesus appears to be speaking to people in general when giving His Sermon on the Mount and telling those present how they ought to pray. Then we see that when the members of Jesus’ human family seek Him, He denies that they are His family and qualifies family members as those who do the will of God. Doing the will of God is the distinguishing criterion between those who belong to Jesus and those who do not; between those who are members of the family of God and those who are not.

Doing the Will of God Is Conforming to His Desires

Doing the will of God is equivalent to conforming to His desires. We know God is just and does not show preferences to people based on an unrighteous standard. The Bible is very clear about the fact that God is not partial. Everyone is treated the same. There may be mitigating circumstances when it comes to judging people that lessen the charges against them, but from what we see in the book of Revelation, if our names do not exist in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15), then our destination is the Eternal Lake of Fire that has been created for the Devil and his angels.

Positive and Negative Emotions

At the basis of our actions lie our emotions. These emotions can be positive or negative, but they play a major part in the decisions we make. We may temper our emotions with reason; we have this ability. Even though desire, being at the heart of all our actions, determines much of what we do, we can suppress our desires and exercise control once we have completed the required training. However, training is not an overnight event that changes our character for good upon waking in the morning. Training is the progressive development of a person’s potential toward attaining the desired expression of fulfillment and completion.

Training and Character

Training develops character, which is the feature of personality that distinguishes the degree of integrity each person possesses. Good character is improved upon, not only to become better but possibly the best it can be. Immaturity is character that has yet to develop; it is found in a juvenile state, full of flexibility but unproven durability. Potentially, we all have the ability to demonstrate competency and strength of character; it is just a matter of development. However, character development is more a question of desire, which resides within each individual and concerns the moral choices we make. Character results from our desire being tempered to bring about the desired consistency and quality that is required to overcome evil forces that are intent on corrupting our person and preventing each one of us from developing our full potential as members of the family of God. The Apostle Paul simply put it like this:

Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven char-acter; and proven character, hope.

(Romans 5:3-4)

The tempering of desire through sufferance and then perseverance, as we push on toward the hope we hold, enables us to develop character. If we do not persevere in suffering, then we will not realize our hope. Instead, we will remain immature, and by throwing in the towel, we will never become what we are potentially capable of becoming, nor will we enjoy the fulfillment that comes with it. Unfortunately, rather than obtaining the fullness of our potential blessing, we will be deceived into settling for a distorted version that becomes a stumbling block for many others seeking to know the Lord Jesus Christ.

Greater Works?

Within certain circles, there are those who emphasize that Jesus wants us to do greater works than what He did. In fact, there is much emphasis placed on the evidence of the miraculous as a sign of God’s blessings. Now, there is nothing wrong with God healing the sick, setting the captives free, and making the brokenhearted whole again. This is what God does; this is the promise of God. The problems occur when false perceptions lead to wrong desires and attitudes. One of the popular teachings among Pentecostals and Charismatics is based on the following Scripture:

Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the very works’ sake. Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father. Whatever you will ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:11-14) 

We learn that works are evidence of the Holy Spirit. We read that we can do greater works than what Jesus was doing. Finally, we learn that it is possible to receive whatever a person might ask. Effectively, this has translated into a movement that is scorned and labeled as "Name It and Claim It" or "Blab It and Grab It." At the crux of this movement is the teaching that the greater works are miracles; not to mention that health and wealth are but a prayer away. Deeply embedded in this movement is not just the idea that people want to see the power of God moving across the land, but also a fleshly desire for personal gain.

Many who operate from unbelief scorn those who participate in gatherings where manifestations of healings or speaking in tongues are attributed to the Holy Spirit. The unbelievers claim that the operation of supposed supernatural gifts is not of God but of the Devil. Some groups even claim that God does not heal people anymore because there are doctors to do this. Those involved in the movements where the miraculous occurs, or is sought, take the view that people suffering from unbelief are the ones whom Jesus spoke of as being blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, for they say that gifts given by God for good are evil.

In the book of Acts, when Peter was preaching about Jesus, he made the following statement:

 Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; but in every nation he who fears Him and works righteousness is acceptable to Him. The word which He sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of everything He did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging Him on a tree (Acts 10:34-39).

Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit and went around doing good. If someone were to be anointed in the same manner today, who would complain? From reading the passage above, we can conclude that only those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ would complain about people being set free from oppression by demons; in which case, they would have to be servants of the Devil. Such individuals can be found in both churches that oppose the miraculous workings of the Holy Spirit and in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.

Jesus wants us to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and go around doing good by setting people free from the Devil. It is not that any person is capable of setting others, or themselves, free from the Devil; rather, the person becomes a vessel anointed by God, who bears witness by healing people and liberating them from oppression. However, when we read what Jesus said about doing greater works than He did, we must consider that He surely did not mean merely healing the sick or performing other miracles, such as feeding thousands with a few loaves and fishes. Moreover, Jesus raised the dead. None of the people who claim to be anointed by the Holy Spirit are witnessing anything that even approaches what happened when Jesus was on Earth. Therefore, we need to ask the question: what would be a greater miracle that brings glory to God, other than doing the works that Jesus did?

There is nothing wrong with witnessing God bear witness to the preaching of the message of life by healing the sick, delivering the oppressed, and performing miracles. However, when it comes to the greater works, those external signs may be lesser works because Jesus told His disciples that these greater works would glorify the Father in the Son. The following Scripture also needs to be taken into account:

If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you. In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be My disciples. Even as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Remain in My love. (John 15:7-9)

Fruit Glorifies The Father

Fruit is how the Father is glorified, not works. While works may bear witness that God is testifying to His servants being of Him (John 10:25), good works can also bring glory to the Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16). Works may be of a supernatural kind, but they can also be of a natural kind; however, the one thing works cannot do is save a person (Rom. 3:20, 28; Eph. 2:9; Gal. 2:16). Works merely bear witness to what God is doing, and generally, we would expect people to praise God for them.

What Is Meant by Fruit, Exactly?

Notice that if we prove to be Jesus’ disciples, we have borne fruit to the glory of His name. When talking about fruit, exactly what is meant? We know Jesus said that we would know them by their fruits. In this case, it appears that the fruit has to do with love and remaining in the love of God. We know that God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would be saved. With this understanding, the fruit seems to indicate bringing people into the Kingdom of God. Interestingly, it is in the Pentecostal churches that the love of God is most evident, where the Holy Spirit is manifested not just in working miracles of healing but also in delivering the oppressed. The Pentecostal movement is a broad wave and is considered by many to be the last move of God before the return of Jesus. This is due to the number of people coming to salvation through the preaching of the gospel by individuals who identify with the movement. The same cannot be said for those who oppose the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

A Key Distinction

When considering the personality of God, one would expect to see this very much as an imprint upon any movement that has His blessings. However, as we have noticed, it is possible for people to have access to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and yet still be evil. This is because these individuals have a strong enough desire to claim the Holy Spirit, which God gives to those who have faith in Him. The reason for this is that we did not ask to be born into this world, and even though we may be considered illegitimate children of God—because we have not been chosen to be members of the Lord Jesus’ family—we still have access to the Father. Much depends on our desire to obtain the Holy Spirit. There is a strong probability that some people have been able to obtain what we perceive to be the Baptism of the Holy Spirit from God, but they will not secure eternal salvation.

What we need to understand is that there seems to be a distinction between having the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, witnessing signs and wonders performed, and being a member of the Body of Christ. The reason we can say this is that only those who know Jesus Christ as Lord can be genuine members of the Body of Christ. People can call upon the Holy Spirit to perform miracles in the name of Jesus yet remain unknown by Him. This is because, even though they call Jesus "Lord," they are workers of iniquity and do not abide in the truth. The fact that Jesus said there will be darnel and wheat mixed together helps us understand that even though we might be sitting next to a person who says the right things and appears to do the right things, that person might not be truly saved. This is what Jesus said about the wheat and the darnel:

He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and produced fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also. The servants of the house-holder came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?’

 “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’

 “But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13:24-30)

Some church buildings are like walking into a morgue, even when the congregation is in attendance. The hymns the congregation sings are sung as if they were a funeral dirge because Jesus had just been buried, rather than a celebration to the glory of God from the hearts of those who are participating in the resurrection from the dead. In these churches, there are people who believe in Jesus—in that they put their hope in Him. Yet there are those who go along to these traditional churches merely for social reasons. They are not interested in the Lord Jesus Christ and the plan and purpose of God for humankind. They may feign interest by participating in the service and some of the church activities, but they have another agenda of their own. These people are like the darnel. They are found among the Holy Rollers too, where they practice exhibitionism to convey the impression that they are being blessed by the Holy Spirit. These are the darnel. They exist among the true believers and, sadly, some true believers, because of their lack of knowledge, become entangled with the hypocrites who see religion as a means to an end.

God loves all of His creation and gets no pleasure in the death of the wicked, for He would rather they repent and come to the knowledge of the truth. Sadly, many who claim to know God are preaching heresies because they are entrapped in the system that predominates, where success is measured by worldliness rather than producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Andrew Murray

As we have been looking at the emotion of love, we see that this springs from desire. If we possess a desire to know God, we will seek Him out and not just the baptism of the Holy Spirit or evidence in the form of manifestations. In seeking God, we will be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is what Andrew Murray, a Reformed minister in South Africa, discovered after having been told about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the revivals that were occurring in the United States, Wales, and other places around the world by a missionary. He sought the Lord that he might be filled with the Holy Spirit, and over time this became his practice every morning. As a result, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and came to enjoy (what he called) an abiding presence of the Spirit of the Lord. Many others have discovered the same experience in their own lives as they have waited on the Lord God in prayer to be filled with His presence in the power of the Holy Spirit. What people overlook is that this is not a one-off experience that is only experienced by certain preachers or something that was experienced only by the early Christians.

About Abraham

After Abraham had believed God and obtained His salvation (Gen. 15:6), when he was speaking to the Lord, a great sleep came upon him (Gen. 15:12), and in the Spirit, he saw prophetic happenings. Abraham was a prophet and prayed to bring about healing (Gen. 20:7–17). Most people who read the Bible do not think of Abraham as having had these experiences that are associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Abraham probably experienced more than we are permitted to know about, just as the Apostle John said of Jesus (John 21:25), because the Bible is written for a specific purpose, which is to testify of the plan and purpose of God. Consequently, people tend to think of Abraham only as the father of the faithful and not much more, even though he is mentioned seventy times in the King James New Testament (Moses seventy-nine times). We can only assume people overlook the significance of Abraham in the New Testament because Jesus is revealed as Lord. However, if it had not been for Abraham, the promised seed would not have come. The reason God chose Abraham is of critical significance for salvation, and we can only enrich our understanding if we seek to know how and why our Heavenly Father chose this patriarch, since we are to be His children, if chosen to be members of the Kingdom of God.

Abraham desired a city that was built by God (Hebrews 11:10). This is probably because he had heard about what had happened at Babel, when men tried to create a name for themselves, for they thought they were equal to God. Under such circumstances, it would be no surprise if Abraham thought to himself that, rather than oppose God, it would be better to seek God and know Him. We are told the Gospel (Good News) was preached to Abraham and that he responded.

Even as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.” Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham. The Scripture, foresee-ing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. (Galatians. 3:4-9) 

Justified By Faith And Not Grace Alone

Notice that the Apostle says that the Gentiles were to be justified by faith and not by grace, and it is those who are of faith who are children of the faithful Abraham, not those who were chosen before the foundation of the world. This is a very important truth because it cuts to the heart of the matter. God is concerned with us individually, not as collective members of a nation, culture, or religious denomination. He wants to have a personal relationship with us based on trust. Trust is about giving oneself completely to another without expecting anything that would undermine the integrity of the commitment at any point. When Abraham arrived at this place, we read:

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. (Romans 4:3-5 RSV)

We cannot obtain salvation by our own efforts; we need to trust God to justify us. Without a complete surrender to God, salvation is unattainable. Nothing less than total surrender is required, but many do not understand this and insist on doing something that will elevate them above others. When this occurs, the Devil gains access to believers. What might seem like a small matter can be sufficient to steer them away from the truth. The reason Abraham obtained the blessing was not that he did not sin, but because he learned to trust God. Throughout the New Testament, and even in the Old Testament, the promise given to Abraham—and his acceptance that this promise was as good as done—is heralded as the reason why there is hope for humankind. This is the good news of the gospel message: “In Him [meaning Jesus Christ] shall all the nations of the Earth be blessed.” This is the revelation that the Apostle Paul understood: faith in Jesus Christ obtains the promise of God—a fact to celebrate, not mourn. The commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ is not a time for us to gather and mourn our sins; rather, it is a time for us to be raised to join Jesus in the resurrected life. This is the gospel message—we are to lift Jesus higher, as often as we meet.

A Note on Calvinism

Charles Spurgeon is a celebrated preacher. He made a claim in his autobiography: “Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.” Many have since used this to bolster support for five-point Calvinism, contrary to what the Bible teaches; for there is only one gospel, and it is not a divided gospel. This is what the Apostle Paul wrote:

Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name. (1 Cor. 1:10-15)

As soon as some teaching comes along that draws people away from earnest devotion to Jesus Christ, and individuals start taking a scriptural text out of context—so that it becomes a pretext and bears false witness—the deceivers become the deceived and are often numbered among the accusers of the brethren, doing the work of the Father of Lies.

Calvinism is said by some to be the same as the gospel. Why, then, do we need to distinguish one gospel from another? If the gospel is that of Jesus Christ, it does not need to be endorsed by men. Men only have to proclaim the gospel; God endorses it. While the 19th-century preacher Spurgeon claimed that Calvinism is the gospel, we also learn that there are people who assert there is no greater gospel than that proclaimed by Calvin. This implies that Calvinism might be in competition with the gospel of Christ. The mere fact that Calvinism has risen to such a status that people identify with Calvin rather than Jesus Christ is a clear indication that something foul is afoot.

Calvin’s gospel is expressed as follows: some men were created to be saved, but most were created to be tortured. This is the gospel of double predestination. These Calvinists do not believe in free will; they claim the heart is desperately sick and beyond cure, basing this on a verse found in the book of Jeremiah, where we read:

You, even of yourself, shall discontinue from your heritage that I gave you; and I will cause you to serve your enemies in the land which you don’t know: for you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever. Yahweh says: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Yahweh. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.  Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose trust Yahweh is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it? I, Yahweh, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. As the partridge that sits on eggs which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right; in the middle of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.  A glorious throne, set on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. Yahweh, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be disappointed. Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken Yahweh, the spring of living waters. Heal me, O Yahweh, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for you are my praise. (Jeremiah 17:6-14)

As we read that portion of Scripture, we learn that God is saying that those who decide to trust in Him will be blessed, while those who turn away from Him will be cursed. In addition, if anyone trusts in men, they will find themselves cursed because the heart of man is very deceitful. However, the way out is to cry out for healing and salvation, which is obtained from the Lord God. Nevertheless, the gospel of Calvinism disregards the context of verse seventeen and claims that because the heart is deceitful and exceedingly corrupt, people are unable to turn to the Lord God or turn away from Him. They assert that everyone’s will is bound by the Devil. Yet, we see from the context that people can turn away from God in the same manner that they can cry out to Him for help. Furthermore, when Jeremiah states, “Who can know the heart?”—meaning who can know the thoughts of a man’s heart—the Apostle Paul elaborates: 

For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God’s Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:11)

 

When speaking about things, this is often translated as "thoughts" in many Bibles. The idea is that the things of man are the thoughts of man, since things initially spring from thoughts; and not one thing exists unless there is thought to acknowledge its existence.

What this means, then, is that when Jeremiah asks who can know the mind of man, God knows it, and so does the individual. However, many individuals think that because others cannot see the evil in their hearts, neither can the Lord God, our Creator. How deluded are we who practice deceit? We deceive ourselves more than others because we think that we will not be held accountable for our actions. This is what Jeremiah is saying. Nobody can hide anything from God; therefore, why even trust man? Why not call out to our Heavenly Father and put our trust in Him to glorify His name in our lives?

In the final analysis, everything boils down to our desires: what do we want to do, and what will our decision be?

Theologians see God’s love as His will because God’s desire is His will. The Amplified Bible expands on the word “love” and describes it as “reasoning, intentional spiritual devotion” when the Apostle Paul contrasts it with knowledge.

If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Cor. 13:1—AMPC[i])

Emotion is contrasted with reason as a motivational state, rather than a calculated state of existence. The general idea behind emotion is that of movement taking place or a change happening. Emotion is probably best thought of as the originating force. Hence, love, desire, or reasoning devotional intent is emotion expressed in a form that seeks fulfillment, whereas joy and peace do not; they are emotional expressions of fulfillment.

More About Love

People have so many different views on what love should be; although, in the end, it usually boils down to something like “all about me.” Very few people realize that love’s fulfillment is to be found in appreciation, which in itself is an intellectual evaluation of reasoned devotional intent that permits two individuals to cherish each other and know the joys of absolute intimacy within a peaceful existence that surpasses all understanding. In fact, this love is not something that humans are able to possess of themselves. Some of us might realize that such love exists, but only because we have experienced the intimacy of God’s presence. Nevertheless, desire is at the heart of everything—which can be for good or it can be for evil.

Anyone who desires to do the will of God will seek to bear the fruit of the Spirit in his or her life. When we possess the desire to do the will of God, we will seek to bring people back to the Father; but unless we bear the fruit of the Spirit, we will fail. Those who do not bear the fruit of the Spirit are like those who bear thorns and thistles. Some may begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit, but a root of bitterness may find its way into their hearts, and the fruit becomes bitter because it has ceased to be sound. The sound (i.e., good) tree will bring forth good fruit.

However, just as one tree does not bring forth every fruit, not every fruit of the Spirit is necessarily produced in the lives of every person baptized in the Holy Spirit. Some bring forth only some fruits of the Spirit.

As we have seen, love is the initial fruit, and it can be mixed with joy and peace. The three of them together create a state of bliss that is difficult to explain and really needs to be experienced. Those of us who have experienced love, joy, and peace all at once will think in terms of intoxication accompanied by feelings of lightness within a euphoric mood that seems like being in the clouds, yet still mentally alert with sharp reflexes. The intoxication is mild, uplifting, but not disorienting. Possessing this state as a constant psychological presence for long periods is not common, even among those who have enjoyed the experience. Nevertheless, the experience is a lure that reminds us that there is better to come than what the day-to-day grind might bring us.

A Positive Attitude

Once we possess a positive attitude, we will begin to develop the character that singles us out as people worthy of the name of Jesus Christ. Not every one of us moves through the developmental process as quickly as we would like. This is because of experiences that have resulted in emotional blockages and attitudinal hang-ups that need to be overcome. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit guides us through our own developmental program using many means—though mostly other members of the body of Christ—lest anyone should boast. What is important to understand is that God transforms us while we are working out how we might learn the counsel of His will. We are called to possess the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). However, obtaining the mind of Christ and conforming to the requirements to possess the mind of the Spirit is another matter. For this requires of us the pursuit of God’s will and a life of holiness. Once we acknowledge what is required of us to possess the mind of Christ, this helps us distinguish the true gospel from the counterfeit. When we demonstrate repentance from dead works and faith toward God, we can be sure that we have begun to lay the necessary foundational requirements toward possessing the mind of the Spirit—the mind of Christ. Essentially, our progress is dependent upon attitude.

Three Attitudes

There are three attitudes: patience, kindness, and goodness. An attitude is the position that we take in relation to another person, thing, or idea. As mentioned earlier, attitudes can be positive or negative, but the attitudes of God found in the fruit of the Spirit are positive. The negative attitudes such as impatience, cruelty, and miserliness belong to the flesh and are unknown in the Kingdom of God. Those who possess such attitudes are definitely not walking in the Spirit because their minds are set on the things of the flesh. Attitudes are a means by which we can quickly ascertain a person’s spirituality in respect to their walk with God. Those who possess patience, kindness, and goodness of heart in respect to their fellows are more likely to be walking with the Lord than those who do not possess these attitudes.

When it comes to the first test of being godly, not possessing an attitude of patience snares many people and prevents them from receiving the promises of God. Impatience brings grief for many people because, while they might possess a love for God and a desire burning within their bosom to tell people about their discovery regarding the truth of life, instead of learning how to work with the Holy Spirit, they become impetuous and do not learn how to remove specks from people’s eyes. Instead of learning to share their experience of what God is doing and has done in their lives, and waiting until the person they are talking to is interested, they will be like a wild bull barging into a bric-a-brac shop and start Bible-bashing. Often such people tend to forget that they themselves may not have wanted to hear the good news that was being told to them initially, when someone was attempting to tell them about what was written in the Bible. For many who take up the role of a pastor, riding roughshod over people is a sure sign that they are not walking with the Lord.

About Leadership Methodologies

One of the difficulties for many people today is that they have to overcome the worldly methodologies that are taught as part of leadership courses. These might work in corporate settings, but they have no place among the congregation of the saints. These leadership methods are oriented toward worldly success that is viewed in terms of numbers rather than quality. Those conditioned by the world think in terms of the number of people in the congregation, the number of dollars in the church coffers, and the number of accolades that can be achieved. Leaders who think in worldly terms are not thinking in terms of serving people to help them realize peace with God in the joy of the Lord of lords and the love of the Holy Spirit, as they grow in the knowledge of true salvation.

For those trained in modern leadership methods, only measurable statistics are valued, and this to the detriment of immaterial considerations that are of more lasting worth. The cost involved in comforting one person for long hours is viewed as a waste. Long-term personal development that is unidentifiable and immeasurable within short time frames does not merit follow-through and thereby is not pursued as a worthy goal. Any notion that it might take forty years to get through a period of transformation to secure the promises of God is untenable. However, often, this is God’s way.

One of the reasons there are many people who fail as pastors within the Christian world is that they are not yet ready for the role. Then there are others who decide to become pastors late in life because they think it might be a good idea. For some, being a pastor is like being a member of a corporation with certain activities that need to be performed; only the expectations are not as high as they would be in the business world. For others, being a pastor carries a status symbol and lifts them into a position of power that they abuse. Sometimes this abuse could be unintentional; more often than not, pride is the issue, and the Devil is able to manipulate ungodliness for the destruction of the work of God. Nevertheless, wherever possible, God uses all this to bring about His glory in such men. God is not mocked, for in the end, He has the final say.

Regardless of what happens, God only desires the best for us. But since we are not robots, we have to work out our own salvation. God is doing everything possible in the meantime for us to come to the knowledge of the truth by removing the log out of our inner eye. This log only comes out when we relinquish it to the Holy Spirit. Often the process can be brutal because we have a habit of holding on to our sins, and for the Lord to remove a sin can be difficult, because it is like a tooth with a long root and will not come out with a quick yank. This is usually because we are holding our sin with both hands and are not prepared to give it up. In situations like this, we might need to go through trials that we deem unfair, but in the end, we emerge more willing to trust God to take our sin away and replace it with His nature and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit.

Some of us learn faster than others do. Therefore, we are not inclined to hold too many pity parties, where we find ourselves bemoaning our trials and tribulations and the drastic discipline of the Lord. If we are stubborn or stiff-necked and inclined to hold our head too high, we tend to fight the Holy Spirit and find ourselves suffering without necessity. Self-absorption is a terrible sin. When we think that the world revolves around us, we find ourselves persecuted unnecessarily. We cry out to the Lord to see the desires of our heart met but never seem to see them eventuate as we expect. The road of persecution seems to be our lot in life, but often what we do not realize is that if we could learn to be still and wait on the Lord, the trials would suddenly disappear. Nevertheless, to persevere under persecution takes courage and a conviction that what one is doing is absolutely beyond reproach. As human beings, we are conditioned by the world in which we live, and then when we become Christians, we need unconditional surrender before we can be spiritually reconditioned—as in transformed—to do the works that God has predestined for us to do, so that we can be a blessing to other people and bring glory to His name. Unconditional love, as expressed by the righteous Creator of life, is not the same as that which is called “unconditional love” by unrighteous sinners.

God accepts us as we are; but because He loves us, He desires that we allow Him to bring about change in our lives. The sooner we learn this lesson, (somewhat ironically) the quicker we can move on to the next one.

The Fruit of Patience

Patience is an attitude many understand as longsuffering. This is because they suffer longer than need be, as they tell other people that they are wrong for doing what they do and think—mainly under the illusion that they themselves are not to be faulted in their righteousness toward God. Nevertheless, Jesus did say that those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake would receive a great reward. Unfortunately, for many of the people who suffer as Christians, the suffering they endure results from their pointing at the sins of others while they ignore their own shortcomings. Once we realize that we are sinners and cannot overcome death, we need to put our trust in the Lord—not in a belief system whereby we see ourselves as being righteous and other people as the wrongdoers. Recognizing our own ineptness is really the key to developing a “wait and see” attitude rather than an “I can do it, get out of the way” attitude.

Actually, the second fruit of the Spirit that needs to become evident in our lives is patience. Patience is the tempering of our individuality to trust in the Lord. Until we learn this, and this becomes an absolute fixture within us, regardless of what people might claim in respect to possessing any of the other fruit, we have not produced those fruit in the Holy Spirit. This is because there is a massive difference between producing fruit and tasting fruit—to learn what it is like to have joy and love and peace mixed together when we encounter Jesus. Unless the Spirit of God produces patience in us, when times of testing come, we will fail. The Devil will have our measure. Therefore, know that this fruit of patience comes as a result of learning to submit to the Lord so that we can resist the Devil. Many fail to understand this. They are often heard speaking about having learned longsuffering because they suffered long periods of pain during their Christian lives, from all sorts of victimization, as a result of persecution by those possessing the antichrist spirit. The sooner we learn to hand over our sins to the Lord, the quicker we will become patient and rejoice in the discipline of the Lord. For the discipline of the Lord is not punishment but training in righteousness, so that we can walk above the Devil—even if he bruises our heel. Once we possess the fruit of patience, we will be only too willing to wait on the Lord to see what He is going to do in every situation.

The Fruit of Faithfulness

Eventually, when we have learned how to be patient and wait upon the Lord to see what He is going to do, we will become faithful in this activity. Faithfulness is the fruit that emerges from being patient. If we are faithfully patient, the Devil will not be able to throw his fiery darts at us and harm us, and his flaming arrows will not get through our shield of faith. This is because we will have learned by now to trust the Lord in situations wherein otherwise we would have suffered doubt and unbelief. Some people press on for decades with a strong conviction of the righteousness of God and the truth of the gospel, only to learn that they need to wait on the Lord. But they have been faithful in their commitment and consequently have been used variously of the Lord—but not as much as they would have, had they learned to be patient in the first place, rather than being like a locomotive that is full steam ahead.

Believe it or not, the Apostle Paul was such a person. The Lord Jesus told Ananias, in a vision, to meet up with Paul after his conversion. What we read in this account appears contrary to the gospel message of Jesus suffering on our behalf. We read:

But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is My chosen vessel to bear My name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.  For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:13-16)

We see here that the Lord Jesus is saying that the Apostle must suffer much for His name’s sake. This is contrary to the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nobody needs to suffer to be saved; Jesus has suffered on our behalf. He became the sin offering so that we might be saved. We read:

For Christ hasn’t entered into holy places made with hands, which are representations of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place year by year with blood not his own, or else He must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, without sin, to those who are eagerly waiting for Him for salvation. (Hebrews 9:24-28)

The Once And For All Offering

The contention is that Jesus did not have to offer Himself often to put away sins or suffer repeatedly in doing so. Rather, the suffering of Jesus and His death on the cross have completed the necessary suffering for us all. However, there is another reason why we suffer. This concerns being transformed into fully-fledged children of God and has nothing to do with us earning our salvation through any personal sacrifice of suffering. This is what the Apostle realized:

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:16-17)

 

Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming conformed to His death; if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:9-11)

Contrary to the popular view of the revered Paul, the Apostle was renowned for entering cities and being perceived by the inhabitants, so to speak, as barking like a mad dog. Consequently, he found himself on many occasions being whipped and stoned to near death. Although it took some time, after periods in jail, the Apostle Paul eventually learned that it is far better to walk in the footsteps of the Lord than to run ahead of Him and suffer unnecessarily. The reason the Apostle was so gung-ho had to do with his personality, particularly his tendency to boast; he saw himself as better than others. All of the Apostle’s conceit and self-image had to be literally cut out of him through the process common to us all who desire to do the will of God. The Apostle was not exempt from this process, just as none of us are exempt; our pride must be cut out of us through a circumcision that is not made with hands (Colossians 2:11). The sins of the flesh must be handed over to the Lord so that they can be cut away, allowing the fruit of the Spirit to manifest. Surprising as this may be (and would be to many Christians), the cutting away of the flesh cannot be accomplished unless we are faithfully seeking the Lord and learning to abide in His presence.

Steve Lightle

Steve Lightle became a Christian and had a business with a three million dollar turnover back in 1973. God spoke to Steve and instructed him to leave everything he had if he desired to do His will for his life. In August of 1974, Steve was pinned to the floor for six days at the place where he was staying. During this time, Jesus appeared to him with an axe in His hand and revealed to Steve the sin that he had to cut out of his life so that he could be used to bring glory to His name. Once the circumcision had been executed, Steve Lightle received the joy imparted to those freed from sin (John 8:36), a joy he had not known prior to this. Then God began giving Steve visions of the fall of Communist Russia and Jews returning to Israel.

The Fruit of Joy

Those who learn the secret of abiding in the Lord—i.e., resting in Him and allowing the circumcision of the soul to take place (even though it is painful)—experience the joy of the Lord as a regular feature of their daily expression. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and this emotion causes us to rejoice in all situations. Once we have the joy of the Lord as an abiding fruit within our lives, we are immensely grateful. Whenever difficult circumstances arise, the joy of the Lord enables us to overcome obstacles. People may complain and become a burden, but when we have the joy of the Lord, we tend to look at the brighter side of life. While people can have a positive outlook, the joy of the Lord is another dimension altogether. Having the joy of the Lord is essential if we are to be victorious in Jesus. We overcome the world by our faith, but the joy of the Spirit is akin to being resurrected from the dead. Joy enables us to see people differently. The following passage provides insight into what to expect from those who are walking in the joy of Jesus:

Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!” Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things. 

(Philippians 4:4-8) 

Joy provides us with an enviable mindset. So much so, rather than gloating over people’s shortcomings, we are more inclined to eagerly seek out what the Lord is going to do, for we are readily willing to forgive others.

The Fruit of Kindness

Kindness is about overlooking other people’s faults and showing a willingness to make amends immediately. Kind people are not inclined to be belligerent or to castigate others for their personal misdeeds. This does not mean that people should be let off the hook for evil actions, wrong attitudes, or false ideas. Kindness simply means that instead of taking vengeance and belittling others, they are given another chance to redeem themselves. When we think of kindness, we envision people who are not judgmental or harsh in their condemnation of an action. Kindness also means being respectful and polite, even if a situation calls for assertiveness to uphold people’s rights. In being kind, we are quick to forgive, slow to anger, and willing to use tender words rather than abusive ones. Reasoning with others is something we are inclined to do if any of us is a forgiving and kind person; however, this is not always possible, as not everyone is open to working through a matter; some insist on being stubborn or rebellious. While we are forgiving and kind and exercise a degree of tolerance, this does not mean we are tolerant of sinfulness, and we will draw the line when required. Nevertheless, if we are kind, our nature tends toward the gentleness found in humility.

The Fruit of Gentleness

The fruit of the Spirit known as gentleness is often translated as meekness. The quality of meekness is a gentle strength possessed by the person who is walking in the Spirit of God. Instead of being like a raging maniac or acting like a bull out of control among cases of glassware, the person possesses the ability to execute action without exerting undue force. The reason for this is that a person walking in the Spirit is filled with an enthusiasm expressed through kind words, even if assertive, which shows a measure of concern for others that is not common. Many leaders in the world seem to possess this quality, but unfortunately, when the pressure is on to achieve targets, the façade cracks, and what is perceived as meekness is often nothing but cowardice masquerading as a gentle spirit. This façade is often carried over by those who become leaders or pastors in churches; however, those who possess the gentleness of the Spirit also have the courage to assert their convictions in the face of adversity, without belittling others, embodying a spirit of meekness and humility.

When Jesus overturned the tables in the temple, many see this as a show of anger. It is doubtful that Jesus actually picked people up and threw them out of the temple. Neither would He have acted without an intended effect. Even though Jesus spoke with authority, the temple eviction would have demonstrated a calmness that exuded gentleness. There is every possibility that when Jesus spoke, the deep resonance of His voice possessed the stillness associated with a large pond or small lake surrounded by forest or jungle—an unusual quality that commanded attention. Rather than expressing what we perceive as the frustrations of an angry person, after attracting the people’s attention with the whip, Jesus demonstrated the complete authority of a man of peace, which transcends our understanding, as He methodically went about His business, remarkably, without being arrested by the authorities. We read:

He made a whip of cords, and threw all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables. (John 2:15) 

The crack of the whip would have probably frightened many of those to whom He was speaking. And while it is reported in the other gospels that Jesus drove out those who bought and sold and overturned their tables, this could have been done in a very gentle, compelling, and calm manner under the circumstances, as stricken consciences clanged loudly within. When we think of gentleness, we think of tenderness rather than a compelling force. Instead of a roaring wind, Jesus would have been more like the gentle, overpowering force of water as He calmly overturned the tables and authoritatively declared the temple a house of prayer—not a den of thieves. Jesus was being humble, for had He so desired, He could have obliterated them all with a word. Instead, the gentleness that is found in the meekness of humility was on display. This is the fruit of the Spirit to which we make reference—the gentle meekness of humility demonstrated in a subdued display of power possessed by the Almighty, which could be compared to water as it moves to form a tsunami. The water itself is gentle, but the power that it possesses is destructive. Likewise, Jesus cleared the temple of the corrupt and devious moneychangers while still being calm and meek, even though incorrectly perceived as angry by onlookers. Even today, all who do not know this power and cannot grasp how this could be possible form the same view.

The Fruit of Peace

Once a person is humble, peace becomes a way of life. When we think of peace, we do not think of peace as a motivator; neither do we think of peace as an emotion. Mostly, humans think of peace as an absence of hostility, an absence of an urge, or an absence of energy in motion—or something along those lines. It is difficult for us humans to think of peace as an emotion that produces positive action, because we think in terms of people finally coming to a place where they rest in peace. Thus, we equate peace with death and an absence of life, as expressed by the acronym R.I.P. Although life in human terms is more of a struggle for survival, an effort to overcome personal frustrations—even in societies where there is no reason for such things to exist. The peace in communities amid the tranquility of isolated forests and other regions removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in busy cities is not like the peace that is an emotion and fruit of the Spirit of God. We might think of tranquil places and serene vistas that seem to refresh and enliven the soul with their stillness; yet even these are an understatement compared to the ever-expanding depth of God’s peace.

Unlike the tranquility and peace that comes from being alone in a forest by a still pond, the emotion of peace results from a circular velocity of energy that travels faster than the speed of light—in fact, so fast that it overlaps itself to expand outward. This is the peace that passes all understanding. Time no longer exists. When a person possesses this emotion and is able to walk in it, we are talking about being able to walk on water and calm violent storms. Tornadoes will bow down and yield their power. Hurricanes will vanish before a person’s eyes find time to blink. This peace I experienced once, on its own, but only for a matter of a minute. And having done so, I can explain it now as being energy seemingly traveling faster than the speed of light in a rotary motion. Once we experience this peace and it becomes our experience all day, every day, we will know the goodness of God; because we will possess the power to command anything according to His will.

The Fruit of Goodness

Goodness is the generosity that abounds from the attitude of an individual who possesses an unlimited resource of everything. Since God alone possesses this, only He can provide such goodness—which explains why this is a fruit of His Spirit. In a finite sense, goodness in us is evidenced when we go beyond being kind and simply provide for the needs of others from our own resources. When we have an attitude that we want to meet the needs of people, we are beginning to understand what the goodness of God is like. To possess this as a natural manifestation of our nature is going to be beyond description. To give is good, to be generous and give bountifully is worthy of the highest praise, but to possess goodness as one’s own expression is to be as God—for only God is good (Luke 18:19). How different is this from acquisition for one’s own gratification? To desire abundance is one thing; to desire abundance that God might be glorified requires a heart that delights in the Lord and a tongue that is under control.

The Fruit of Self-Control

Self-control is the ultimate in leadership. Only someone who has power over death can truly have self-control. We can imitate this fruit and give the impression that we are in control of everything that is affecting us, but to truly produce this fruit as a manifest expression of our true nature is to be glorified in the presence of the Lord God Almighty.

As we have seen, the fruit of the Spirit is not simply a matter of emotions, attitudes, and traits, but the road to glorification. Many people might manifest glimpses of these fruit in their lives as they allow the Spirit of God to have control and reign within their very beings at times; but the fullness of the fruit of the Spirit is really a dream for us on Earth. Nevertheless, those who claim to be God’s servants ought to be able to display some of the fruit much of the time, even if they are unable to display all of the fruit all of the time. The real test occurs in the time of trouble, when those who are true to their convictions and desire to glorify God will stand up to be counted. Whether they will be a suffering servant or a humble servant is really the key to the degree of godliness they will possess. A glorified servant might be something we would all desire to be—even the Apostle Paul had his eyes on the possibility. However, of this we can be sure: we will know who is of God and who is not of God, by their fruit.

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[i] Amplified Bible, Classic Edition. Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.