The Fruit of Love

Introduction

We live in a world of constant conflict. From fistfights caused by road rage to international hostilities stemming from religious, ethnic, and political differences, people are always fighting with one another. It's hard to see how peace can ever prevail in a world enslaved by sin. To save the world from its downward spiral, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to set people free and transform them into a new humanity. However, this is not without challenges. People, even Christians, often rely on their own ways rather than trusting in the power of God. For example, in the book of Galatians, we see a group of people who have heard the Gospel of Jesus but are now being tempted to depend on themselves, resulting in chaos and disruption in their communities. Today, the same thing is happening. Instead of living out the Gospel in our churches, families, and communities, Christians are engaging in conflicts with one another and even with those outside. What Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13-26 to the Christians in Galatia is also a message for us today: we are to bear the fruit of love in our lives. How?

Four Ways

1. Recall the Purpose of the Gospel (Galatians 5:13-15).

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

The Gospel is a calling from God to live in freedom. Through faith in Jesus, we are called to be free from the tyranny of sin so that we can love others. However, we should use this freedom not to follow our old, often self-centered desires, but to serve one another humbly in love. This aligns with the commandments and intentions of God, as expressed in Leviticus 19:18, for example. This is the purpose of the Gospel, which the Law cannot accomplish because of sin. If we "bite and devour each other," we will undermine the purpose of the Gospel and ultimately destroy one another.

Do you need to go back and recall the Gospel again? Its purpose is not just to make us decent people but to transform us into loving people.

2. Trust in the Power of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18).

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Our human ability (willpower plus manpower) is not sufficient to defeat the law of sin and death. Even if we try to obey God's commandments, we will always end up defeated. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can enable us to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. Through the Holy Spirit, we are set free, and we can experience the God-kind of life, which is eternal life. This life is first of all characterized by love.

Are you experiencing frustration in your Christian life? Maybe it’s because you are relying on your ability to keep the commandments of God. Repent from that and trust in the power of the Holy Spirit instead.

3. Hope in the Promise of God’s Kingdom (Galatians 5:19-21).

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We fight the good fight of faith in the meantime. Our hope is in the promise of the kingdom of God, where we will no longer struggle with sin. The world around us exists in constant conflict due to the "acts (or works) of the flesh," but we are a people participating in the realities of God's invisible kingdom as we await our future glory in the coming kingdom of God with hope. We must live in this kind of hope so that we do not lose heart.

Living a life of love is not easy. There will be challenges. Sometimes, even though we try our best to live according to God’s kingdom principles now, we still experience failures and drawbacks. But we must not lose hope. Our destiny is a renewed earth where there will be no more conflicts because there will be no more sin.

4. Align with the Truth of your Salvation (Galatians 5:22-26).

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Something happened to us when we trusted in the Lord Jesus for our salvation. We died with Christ, and God made us alive with Him. He also raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms. These are all past realities of our salvation by His grace. We had nothing to do with it. All we need to do now is count it as done and live according to its truth. In other words, we are to align ourselves and keep in step with the Spirit because He is now at work to make us willing and able to do His will.

Do you sometimes feel that it’s hard to live the Christian life? That is because we are not living based on the past realities of our salvation in Christ. We must reckon them as true and live accordingly.

Conclusion

In a world filled with hatred and discord, God's people are called to live differently. We are called to bear the fruit of love. This is the work of the Holy Spirit from beginning to end, but our role is to participate and cooperate in the process. We can only bear this fruit by remaining in Jesus, through prayer, loving obedience, and community. In other words, "The genuine fruit of remaining in Jesus is love."

Discussion Questions

1. In what ways have you been using your freedom in Christ—are you serving others in love, or are you indulging in self-centered desires?

2. Are you relying on your own strength to live the Christian life, or are you fully trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit?

3. How can you align your daily life more closely with the past realities of your salvation in Christ and walk in step with the Spirit?