"16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and 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.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:16-25
For the longest time I thought that when we received the Spirit we received the fruits of the Spirit. Which are all separate fruits even though they are all fruit they are different but as I have learnt recently the passage does not use the plural but the singular. When you receive the Spirit you gain all of these things for Jesus is all of these things and it is his Spirit that lives within us.
When you really explore what each piece of the fruit is you can see clearly how it all fits together so that is what I'm going to do this blog marks the start of a series looking at each piece of the Spirit's fruit. I'll be looking at joy first and finishing with love because love is probably the best known and the most misunderstood of them all.
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