Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Over the past eight days I’ve been delving into Galatians 5:22-23, and the Fruits of the Spirit described by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the early Christian churches in southern Galatia. He wrote his epistle specifically to end a theological divide between Gentiles and converted Jews who demanded that the Gentiles be converted to Judaism first, then become followers of Christ. Paul, of course, told the churches in no uncertain terms that salvation was justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Through that faith, the Christian is to live in the power of the Spirit and not of the flesh. As the flesh has been crucified with Christ, the Spirit bears His fruit in the life of the believer.
The Fruit of the Spirit is how we are changed by the Holy Spirit’s work in us. We don’t become a Christian on our own and we can’t grown on our own. Every good thing we do is the fruit of the Spirit’s work in our lives.
Today we see the last of the Fruits of the Spirit, self-control. While this seems to be an outlier compared to the other Fruits, it’s actually where others will see the most change in the newly-reborn Christian. Self-control is the Spirit-given ability to control our baser desires and fleshly lusts, replaced by moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to the distractions that take us away from God.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this nine-day journey through the Fruits of the Spirit, and have come away with a better understanding of how you are changed by your faith in Jesus Christ.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Galatians 5:22-23
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash