Fruit of the Spirit

Text and Content

The phrase appears in Galatians 5:22–23. The King James Version renders the passage: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." In the immediately preceding verses, Galatians 5:16–21, Paul lists the "works of the flesh," such as fornication, idolatry, strife, and envy, and then presents this list in contrast to them.

The Nine Qualities

Each entry gives the KJV term, followed in parentheses by the Greek original and the rendering used in the Korean New Korean Standard Version.

• Love (agapē; "love"): Self-giving love toward God and neighbor. See the article Agape.
• Joy (chara; "joy"): Joy that does not depend on circumstances.
• Peace (eirēnē; "peace"): Reconciliation with God and peace among people. It corresponds to the Hebrew shalom.
• Longsuffering (makrothymia; "patience"): A disposition that is slow to anger and able to endure.
• Gentleness (chrēstotēs; "kindness"): A generous and kind attitude toward others.
• Goodness (agathōsynē; "goodness"): A good heart and good conduct.
• Faith (pistis; "faithfulness"): The word can also be translated "faith" or "belief." Here it is often understood as trustworthy, steadfast faithfulness.
• Meekness (prautēs; "gentleness"): A disposition that is not harsh but gentle and humble.
• Temperance (enkrateia; "self-control"): The self-restraint that governs one's desires.

Background

Galatians was written amid a controversy over whether Gentile believers were also required to observe circumcision and the law. Paul states that all the law is fulfilled in one word: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Galatians 5:14). He then urges his readers to walk in the Spirit. The phrase "against such there is no law" at the end of the list should be read against the background of this dispute over the law. In the original text, "fruit" (karpos) is singular, while "works of the flesh" is plural. On the basis of this difference, many interpreters read the nine items not as separate virtues but as different aspects of a single fruit.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The Old Testament compares God's people to a vineyard or to a tree planted by the rivers of water, asking whether they bear the fruit expected of them (Isaiah 5:1–7, Psalm 1:3–6). Jesus said, "Ye shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). He also taught that the branches that abide in him bear fruit (John 15:1–8). The expression "fruit of the light" in Ephesians 5:9 (rendered "fruit of the Spirit" in the KJV) belongs to the same line of thought.

Interpretation and Issues

• Fruit and gifts: The fruit is commonly distinguished from the gifts of the Spirit. Gifts are abilities given differently to each person (1 Corinthians 12:4–11), whereas the fruit is the character expected of every believer. Whatever position one takes in the debate over cessationism and continuationism, there is broad agreement that the fruit is still required today.
• Relation to salvation: Reformation traditions such as the Presbyterian and Lutheran churches regard the fruit not as the ground of justification but as its result and as evidence of sanctification. Traditions shaped by Wesleyan theology, such as the Methodist and Holiness churches, emphasize the fruit in connection with growth in a life of holiness. Pentecostal churches, while emphasizing the power and gifts of the Spirit, also teach that the fruit is a standard for discerning whether such power and gifts are genuine.
• Interpretive schemes beyond the text: A scheme that groups the nine items into three sets of three—relating to God, to neighbor, and to oneself—is widely used in preaching. However, this is an arrangement made by interpreters, not a division made by the text itself. Many also hold that the list is not an exhaustive catalog of all virtues but a set of representative examples.

In Korean Churches

Across denominations, the fruit of the Spirit is a frequent theme for sermon series that treat the nine items one by one, as well as for Sunday school lessons and small-group materials. Often accompanied by the phrase "fruit-bearing faith," it is cited as a measure of spiritual maturity.