Conversation was going very nicely around the table at the coffee shop. Then at a slight pause, a student asked what I thought God was like. The Bible says that “God is love,” therefore, I said, “God must be like love, but God’s love is a sacrificial love. It is willing to pay the price required so that the person being loved is better for our love than before.” The student, who asked the question, thought for a moment and said, “If we were to love like that then we could throw away all the other books that try to explain how to live.”
I have been thinking about that and what I wrote in my blog entry titled “Comma or Colon”. I would like to record here some of my thoughts on Galatians 5:22. My thoughts are going to reflect the placement of a colon as suggested by the note found with the NET translation. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” The more I think about this the more I see these eight words as aspects of love, which is the fruit.
Joy – Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” As we keep his commandments we abide in his love, and then our joy is made full (John 15:10 – 12 NASB).
Peace – Love does not include jealousy, arrogance, bragging, and does not seek its own and as a result promotes peace (1 Corinthians 13:4 – 5). Love is diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3 NASB).
Patience – Love is patient (1 Cor. 13:4).
Kindness – Love is kind (1 Cor. 13:4).
Goodness – is uprightness of heart and life and is to be displayed in our behavior toward everyone. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27 NASB). Clearly goodness is an expression of love.
Faithfulness – is conviction of the truth. “It does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:5 – 6 NASB).
Gentleness – is a mildness of disposition. It is with all humility and gentleness and with patience that we are to show forbearance to one another in love (Eph. 4:2).
Self-control – In 2 Peter 1:6, self-control is linked to Christian love. To have self-control is to manage ones desires and passions, especially sensual appetites. God’s love is not about my desires, but about bringing benefit into the life of another.
I think love is the fruit and the other words describe that fruit. What do you think?
I have been thinking about that and what I wrote in my blog entry titled “Comma or Colon”. I would like to record here some of my thoughts on Galatians 5:22. My thoughts are going to reflect the placement of a colon as suggested by the note found with the NET translation. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” The more I think about this the more I see these eight words as aspects of love, which is the fruit.
Joy – Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” As we keep his commandments we abide in his love, and then our joy is made full (John 15:10 – 12 NASB).
Peace – Love does not include jealousy, arrogance, bragging, and does not seek its own and as a result promotes peace (1 Corinthians 13:4 – 5). Love is diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3 NASB).
Patience – Love is patient (1 Cor. 13:4).
Kindness – Love is kind (1 Cor. 13:4).
Goodness – is uprightness of heart and life and is to be displayed in our behavior toward everyone. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27 NASB). Clearly goodness is an expression of love.
Faithfulness – is conviction of the truth. “It does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:5 – 6 NASB).
Gentleness – is a mildness of disposition. It is with all humility and gentleness and with patience that we are to show forbearance to one another in love (Eph. 4:2).
Self-control – In 2 Peter 1:6, self-control is linked to Christian love. To have self-control is to manage ones desires and passions, especially sensual appetites. God’s love is not about my desires, but about bringing benefit into the life of another.
I think love is the fruit and the other words describe that fruit. What do you think?
