FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance) prove that the Holy Spirit has character. To exhibit character is an indication of a living entity. So, the Holy Spirit is, after all, God Almighty, in an evident contradiction to Jehovah’s Witnesses erroneous belief (especially in the scriptural light of being grieved – Isaiah 63:10 & Ephesians 4:30) that HE is just an inanimate neuter thing – lifeless! They are nine, to protect His people from number 10!
Ten is the number of trials that journeys a man through the vicissitudes of the toughness of life. Ten times, God spoke to test the veracity of His creative potency in Genesis chapter one. Ten plagues He used to judge unbelieving Pharaoh. Ten are the commandments He gave to Israel; and when the twelve tribes of Israel would pollute the holy passage of the Messiah, God divide her into two. Two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Two is of testimony and of witness – of the eventual advent of Christ. Judah means praise – of Jehovah; and Benjamin is: ‘son of my right hand’ – where Jesus is seated in heaven. Ten other tribes, overwhelmed by the spirit of ten, messed up spiritually.
Nine, therefore, is pretrial. It speaks of a purposeful readiness for an eventual harrowing experience. It is a period when the Holy Spirit takes us through an intensive induction course of preparedness. “The simplest definition of God,” ‘if you ask me,’ said Rev. Chris Okotie, “is love.” The (Galatians 5:22) tutorial commences with love, called in the Greek, agapē (ag-ah’-pay): ‘love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast.’ Love, they say, conquers all; and with this God’s kind of love occupying your heart no trial overcometh thee, you can be sure of that. Joy is: chara (khar-ah) ‘cheerfulness, that is, calm delight.’ Joy should naturally succeed love: for in the presence God, there is fullness of joy, which constantly reminds you of His banner (i.e. love) over you! Eirēnē (i-ray’-nay) is the Greek interpretation of peace; Strong’s Definition: Probably from a primary verb eirō ‘(to join); peace (literally or figuratively); by implication prosperity.’ This kind of peace passes understanding, which settles your spiritual life for good. The gradual ascent moves you to longsuffering: makrothumia (mak-roth-oo-mee’-ah) ‘longanimity, (objectively) forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude.’ With the character of longsuffering maturity has set itself into your spiritual system. Then we have gentleness: chrēstotēs (khray-stot’-ace) ‘usefulness, that is, moral excellence (in character or demeanor).’ No wonder Jesus teaches us to acquire the gentleness of a dove: it is useful as chrestotes points out. Goodness is: agathōsunē (ag-ath-o-soo’-nay): ‘uprightness of heart and life, goodness, kindness.’
It is a long process, it seems, coming to terms with faith: pistis (pis’-tis): ‘persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself.’ Faith is pivotal to walking with God: the only currency you need to do spiritual business with the Almighty! It is by faith we witness the occurrence of miracles. Meekness is praotēs (prah-ot’-ace): ‘gentleness, mildness, meekness by implication humility.’ The virtue of meekness was what qualified Moses to be God’s minister. Meekness makes you a teachable person! The last but not the least is temperance egkrateia (eng-krat’-i-ah): ‘self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites).’ Moses was teachable but he could not control his temperament, and unfortunately, he did not ask God, as close as he was to HIM, to help him to control what became his albatross. Somebody, I hope, is learning from Moses’ mistake!
Why the nine fruits {fruit in the Greek is: karpos (kar-pos’): ‘fruit (as plucked), literally or figuratively’} of the Holy Spirit allows ‘love’ to be the first to be plucked is because Jesus, in conferment with Deuteronomy 6:4 taught in Mark 11:29-31 that, (v. 29) “…The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: (30) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. (31) And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” I have always asked people that if one has to love the Lord with all of the heart, soul strength and thought; is there any other thing left for one to do any other thing? Love moved Jesus to die even while we were yet sinners! Does the Bible not teach that as good as faith and hope are in our business with God they will be rendered obsolete but love will continue for eternity (1Corinthians 13:13)? Do you see the scriptural truthfulness in Rev. Chris Okotie’s definition of love?
With love as your security, you enter into a new beginning because there remaineth 8 more fruits. Step into joy, flowing like a river in your heart, and you have received perfection (as 7 is left) to perform credibly in your walk. Peace of the Holy Spirit in your firm grip endows your ownership of 3 (perfect manifestation of Trinity) fruits, resulting in serenity known only of God. It is most assuring. Peace hopes for 6 (number of man) which transports you to Eden: the paradise the man of God returns to. Four is the number of creation and does it not take a one with strong character of fortitude to create?

For the 2nd and concluding part click here

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