Fruits of the Spirit | Introduction

For this week's BlogThursday I will be introducing the topic of 'The Fruits of The Spirit' that is mentioned throughout the Bible, with the hope of furthering our knowledge in every aspect of our life so that we may seek and expand the kingdom of God.

What is The Fruit of The Spirit?

'The fruit of the Spirit' is a term used in Galatians 5:22-23, which lists the nine fruits( Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control) that believers must bear in order to receive the kingdom of God. Scripture tells us that the fruits of the Spirit are proof that the Holy Spirit is present in our life. Isaiah 5:7, for example, talks about God and His relationship with the nation of Israel. It describes Israel as the vineyard that God had planted, and how instead of them producing fruits of justice and righteousness, they instead produced bloodshed and injustice. Throughout the Bible we see this complicated relationship between God and Israel. While God planted vineyards in hope of producing a generation that loved the Lord, instead we see that God was countlessly disappointed in the behaviour of the Israelites. There was an expectation that was demanded of the Israelites, because God was investing in them and yet all they did was disobey. Scripture tells us in (John 15:1-8) that we are the branch, and Jesus is the vine, and that those who do not bear fruit He will remove, and for those who do He will prune so that they will produce more fruit. The fruits we bear are the results of our obedience to God. It is when we allow God to trim anything that prevents us from fully dedicating our time to the kingdom, that our life will start bearing fruit.

The fruits of the Spirit are a reminder of what is expected of us when we receive the Holy Spirit. For the next couple of blogs, we will dive deeper into each Fruit of the Spirit and how as believers it is fundamental we produce these fruits in our lives.