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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Fruit of the Spirit
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8—NIV)
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:16—NIV)
Perhaps the main thing to understand about the fruit of the Spirit is that it is the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of the Christian. The nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are the very nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. They reflect the goodness of Divinity. They cannot be produced by our fallen nature.
However, we are exhorted by the Apostles to adopt this sort of personality and behavior as well as we can but in the meanwhile engage in the program of redemption until the bad is removed from us and the good is created. To the extent we think, speak, and act in the Spirit of God, to that extent we shall bear the fruit of the Spirit.
Every aspect of the new covenant, from freedom from the condemnation of the Law of Moses to the writing of the eternal moral law of God on our mind and heart, depends on our learning to think by the Spirit, speak by the Spirit, and act by the Spirit.
We who are Pentecostal are accustomed to saying "I was led by the Spirit to do this or that or to say this or that." I think more often than not we are following a lesser spirit than the Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit is God. He sovereignly issues gifts and ministries. He sovereignly directs their use. We are baptized into His name, just as we are the name of the Father and the Son.
Often we confuse good feelings we have in church with the Presence and will of the Spirit. This is understandable while we are spiritual children.
The Bible speaks of being led by the Spirit, saying those who are so led are the sons of God. A study of the context of this statement will reveal that we are led by the Spirit to put to death the sinful actions of our body (Romans 8:13,14).
The Spirit is not the "warm fuzzies" we think He is. He is very austere, not at all moved by our passions.
A great error is advancing on the Evangelical churches, particularly the Pentecostal-Charismatic branch of the churches. This is the idea we can use the Spirit or direct the Spirit to do what we will. This notion is proceeding from the personal ambition of religious leaders. It is an early sign of the False Prophet, the believers who maintain their own self-will but seek to use the power of Jesus Christ.
To be continued.