Before we can begin to manifest the fruit of the Spirit, we must desire a deeper life with God. It is not just to be dead to certain external things, it is to filled with love for God. This is internal.
C. S. Lewis said, “Every Christian would agree that a man's spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God.”
Finding our life IN Him by having love FOR Him. That is the fountain head from which all spiritual fruit must grow.
The manifestations of the flesh are plural, and therefore discordant and often at odds with each other. It would be impossible for a man to practice ALL of these habitually.
The multiplicity of discordant sins produced exist in a state of alienation from God. They are the direct result of an absence of love for God. Thus, we become the enemies of God (Ro. 5:10).
The fruit of the Spirit, on the other hand, express themselves in harmony and unity and bring us into a state of alliance with God; as the heart is now filled with love for God and other people. Thus, in Christ we now become the friend of God (Jn. 15:14).
The Fruit of the Spirit is written in the singular form to suggest the unity and harmony of the character of Christ and are therefore mutually consistent and complementary.
It is right that the list begin with love since love is primarily an internal quality.
Love is the internal vine from which all of the external qualities, or fruit of the Spirit, are its tender chutes.
“[Love] is the life and soul of all religion, without which all things that wear the name of virtues are empty and vain” (Edwards; p4).
Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Cor 16:14)
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