The Fruit of the Spirit
CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 4 April 2024
Photo by Jonas Kakaroto on Unsplash
Friends in Christ, this Sunday we begin a topical series on "the fruit of the Spirit". These are nine virtues of character mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.
"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (NIV84)
Over 3 x 3 Sundays, generally connected to next three school holiday periods, we expect to unpack each of the fruit, one at a time, majoring on a single illustrative passage.
This Sunday I begin with the cardinal virtue of love, in the context of the passage above, Galatians 5:13-26. I hope the result will be that trusting in Jesus, by the Spirit's power, we are able to become more like Jesus!
But I thought it wise to set this whole passage in the wider context of Galatians here, before we start.
Galatians is the only of Paul's letters where he does not begin with thanksgiving for the church! He is upset and even angry that the Galatians are abandoning the true gospel of Jesus (see Galatians 1:6-9).
The problem is that gentile Galatians are being caused to think that they had to become Jewish to be saved, or at least in order to be good Christians.
So in addition to trusting in Jesus, some were insisting they had to be circumcised or to submit to the law of Moses, for example, by observing the food laws. Even the Apostle Peter got caught up in this, and rightly earned a rebuke from Paul (see Galatians 2:11-14).
It was a case of where adding some kind of human works of law to Christ, actually resulted in subtracting from Christ and the sufficiency of what he had done for us at the cross, in his death for sins. So three times in the space of two verses, Paul insists we are saved by faith, not by works.
"We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." (Galatians 2:15-16)
Faith in these promises of God is the way you receive the Holy Spirit and begin the Christian life.
Faith in God's promises is also the way to continue in the Christian life and for which you receive the help of the Holy Spirit.
The Law of Moses had a temporary, preparatory and protective role, but it cannot save.
So Paul shows how adding other things to the gospel, like the obligation of law-keeping, actually leads people into slavery, not freedom.
But Christ has set us free from that so that we simply need to trust Jesus and express our faith by serving people in love, freely, willingly.
And the last couple of chapters of Galatians, where we find the fruit of the Spirit, means that the Christian gospel is certainly not an excuse for carelessness or selfishness or lawlessness.
Indeed, trusting Jesus as Saviour and Lord, and receiving the help of his Holy Spirit, is the absolute best foundation for a life of good works, honouring to God.
Reading and then lecturing on Galatians around 1519 was critical to Martin Luther's development from anxious Roman Catholic monk to steadfast proponent of the Protestant Reformation.
Reading Galatians again in the next week would also be a great foundation for our series on "the fruit of the Spirit".
Alternatively, as I recommended a couple of weeks ago, listening to Ed Loane's CMS Summer School talks on Galatians could also be a great help.
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney