The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, and Peace — Galatians 5:22-26

This Sunday is Season after Pentecost. For those preaching on Galatians 5:22-26, here is a complete sermon written in SermonSage — from passage selection to final draft. Read it first as a listener before taking it to the pulpit.

> ✓ Written on a 910K-chunk theological corpus; passed plagiarism and heresy-pattern checks.

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, and Peace

Title: The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, and Peace Theme: The believer's life is not a collection of outward deeds, but the inevitable overflow of the Spirit dwelling within.

Introduction

The morning commute felt like a daily march into a battlefield, and the relentless cycle of layoffs and job insecurity among my peers created an atmosphere of pervasive anxiety. I remember looking at my own schedule—overflowing with meetings, endless emails, and the mounting stress of a mortgage—and feeling a profound sense of spiritual dryness. It was as if my faith had become a series of checkboxes: attend service, serve on a committee, give to the offering. I was "doing" the things of God, yet I lacked the very essence of the life He promised. I was trying to manufacture goodness through sheer willpower, only to find that the more I pushed, the more frustrated I became. It is in that space of exhaustion that we often find ourselves wrestling with the text before us today. We live in a culture that prizes productivity above character. We want results, and we want them quickly. But the passage we are looking at today, Galatians 5:22-26, pulls us back from the frantic pace of our own striving. It reminds us that the transformation we so desperately seek—the peace that passes understanding and the joy that remains in the midst of turmoil—is not something we generate from within our own flesh. It is, instead, the fruit of a Person who has taken up residence in our hearts. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to a group of believers in Galatia who had been led astray. They had begun to believe that their standing before God depended on their own obedience to the law, specifically through rituals like circumcision. They were falling into the trap of thinking they could perfect their faith through human effort. Paul’s message to them is a radical pivot: you cannot produce the life of God by following a list of rules. You produce it by being connected to the Spirit. As we look at these verses, we must ask ourselves: are we still straining under the weight of our own expectations, or are we learning to walk in the freedom of the One who lives in us?

Body

Point 1. The Spirit’s Harvest: A Manifestation of Life

The apostle Paul begins this list of virtues by using the word fruit (καρπός, karpos, fruit). This is a crucial metaphor. In an agrarian society, fruit is not something you manufacture; it is something you grow. You cannot force a tree to bear fruit by taping apples onto its branches. Growth requires a root system, sunlight, water, and time. When Paul says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace, he is telling us that these qualities are the natural, inevitable evidence of a life that is rooted in the presence of God. If the root is the Spirit, the fruit must be the character of Christ. Love (ἀγάπη, agapē, God's self-giving love) stands at the head of this list, serving as the foundation for all that follows. This is not the love of human emotion or mutual benefit; it is the divine, sacrificial love that gives without asking for a return. It is the love that God demonstrated when He gave His Son for those who were yet sinners. Joy (χαρά, chara, joy) is not merely happiness—which is dependent on our circumstances—but a deep-seated gladness rooted in our eternal security. Peace (εἰρήνη, eirēnē, peace) is the tranquil state of a soul that has been reconciled to God. These are not optional additions to the Christian life; they are the baseline of what it looks like when a person is truly walking in the Spirit. Why is this important for our daily lives? Because we are tempted to settle for "behavioral modification." We try to act like Christians by gritting our teeth and suppressing our anger or pretending to be content. But Paul is pointing to something much deeper. He is saying that if you have the Spirit of God, these things will begin to emerge in your character. If you find yourself consistently lacking love or peace, the answer is not to "try harder." The answer is to return to the source. We must abide in Him. When we stop trying to fix ourselves and start inviting the Spirit to examine our hearts, we allow the divine gardener to prune away the dead wood of our fleshly desires so that His life can flow through us. [1]

Point 2. The Crucified Self: Making Room for the Spirit

We must address the difficult reality Paul introduces in verse 24: "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." This is the necessary context for the fruit to grow. You cannot have the harvest of the Spirit if you are still trying to protect the garden of your own selfish desires. The word crucified (σταυρόω, stauroō, to crucify) is violent and final. It does not mean a gentle adjustment of our habits; it means the death of the old self that demands to be the center of the universe. In our modern context, this sounds incredibly counter-cultural. We are told to "honor our truth" and "pursue our desires." But Paul argues that the life of the flesh—our unredeemed, self-centered impulses—is in direct opposition to the life of the Spirit. When we allow these passions to dictate our actions, we choke out the fruit. Crucifixion is not a one-time event that we put behind us; it is a daily posture. It means that when the impulse to envy, to hold a grudge, or to seek revenge rises up, we recognize it for what it is—a part of the old life that has been put to death—and we refuse to feed it. This is the great tension of the Christian walk. We live in the Spirit, yet we still feel the pull of the flesh. We face the daily pressures of suburban life, the stress of college applications, or the weight of political polarization at our own dinner tables. In those moments, we are tempted to react with the "flesh"—with anger, arrogance, or fear. But to "walk in the Spirit" (στοιχέω, stoicheō, to follow) means to keep in step with the rhythm of God. It means that even in the chaos of a busy calendar or the uncertainty of our finances, we choose to surrender our right to be the master of our own destiny. We offer our frustrations to Him, trusting that He is at work in the very places where we feel most broken. [2] This daily surrender, however, is not a grim march toward self-denial; it is the very gateway to freedom. We often mistakenly believe that freedom is the absence of restraint—the ability to do whatever we please, whenever we please. Yet, the testimony of the Church throughout the ages reminds us that the person who is a slave to every passing impulse is, in truth, the most captive of all. When we are driven by the "flesh" (σάρξ, sarx, the unredeemed nature), we are constantly tossed by the waves of our own volatile emotions. One moment we are elated by a compliment; the next, we are crushed by a perceived slight. We are at the mercy of our own desires (ἐπιθυμία, epithumia, craving or longing), which are never satisfied, only momentarily quieted before they demand more. Consider the reality of our lives in the modern workplace or the home. We live under the crushing weight of "performance culture," where our value is constantly measured by our output—our grades, our promotions, our social media presence. We feel the pressure to be conceited (κενόδοξος, kenodoxos, vainglorious), constantly comparing our behind-the-scenes struggles with everyone else's highlight reels. This is the very soil in which the weeds of the flesh grow. When we base our identity on these external metrics, we inevitably begin to provoke (προκαλέω, prokaleō, to challenge or stir up) one another, creating an atmosphere of competition rather than communion. We find ourselves acting out of envy (φθονέω, phthoneō, to feel resentment), secretly hoping others might stumble so that we might look better by comparison. This is the opposite of the life that is to live (ζάω, zaō, to possess true, spiritual life) in the Spirit. [3] To walk in the Spirit, therefore, is to step out of this cycle of vanity and into the calm assurance of our identity as God’s children. It is to move from a life of frantic self-preservation to a life of quiet, fruit-bearing (καρπός, karpos, the natural result of spiritual vitality) presence. When the apostle Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, he is not presenting a "to-do list" for the weary soul. He is describing the inevitable consequence of a branch that remains attached to the Vine. If we are truly in Christ, the peace (εἰρήνη, eirēnē, inner tranquility) that passes understanding will begin to leak into our most stressful hours. When we are stuck in the morning commute, frustrated by the gridlock and the short tempers of other drivers, the Spirit whispers that our worth is not tied to our arrival time or our productivity. When we face the anxiety of medical bills or the insecurity of layoffs, the Spirit produces a patience (μακροθυμία, makrothumia, long-suffering endurance) that refuses to panic, because it knows that the God who provides our daily bread is the same God who holds the future. [4] This is not a transformation that happens in a vacuum. It is nurtured in the messy, beautiful reality of the local church—in our small groups, our Sunday school classes, and our times of prayer. It is where we confess our failures to one another, not to earn approval, but to find grace. Because we have been forgiven, we can afford to be kind (χρηστότης, chrēstotēs, moral integrity and gentleness) to those who are difficult. Because we have received goodness (ἀγαθωσύνη, agathōsunē, active benevolence) from God, we can extend it to our neighbors, even when they do not deserve it. And because we have faith (πίστις, pistis, firm persuasion and trust), we can stand firm when the world around us is shifting. This gentleness (πραΰτης, prautēs, mildness of spirit) is not weakness; it is the strength of a soul that has been mastered by the King of Kings. [5] We must remember that the fruit of the Spirit is not something we manufacture; it is something we cultivate by staying near to the Gardener. We do not try to be "loving" by sheer willpower; we look at the cross, where the depth of God’s love (ἀγάπη, agapē, God's self-giving love) was revealed, and we allow that love to soften our hardened hearts. We do not try to be "joyful" by ignoring our pain; we look at the empty tomb and find a joy (χαρά, chara, profound delight) that persists even through the shadow of death. We do not try to be "self-controlled" by gritting our teeth; we look at the ascended Christ, who sits at the right hand of the Father, and we find the self-control (ἐγκράτεια, egkrateia, mastery over one's own desires) to say "no" to the impulses that would lead us into bondage. [6] So, as we head into this coming week, consider where you are most tempted to rely on your own strength. Is it in the exhaustion of a busy calendar? Is it in the fear of how your children are turning out? Is it in the resentment you feel toward a colleague? Wherever the struggle is, do not run back to the law (νόμος, nomos, the divine standard of righteousness) to try and fix it with a new set of rules. Instead, run to the Jesus (Ἰησοῦς, Iēsous, the Savior) who has already fulfilled the law on your behalf. Bring your brokenness to your small group, confess your need for the Spirit, and walk in the confidence that you are not alone. You have been crucified with Christ, yet you live—not by your own fragile resolve, but by the power of the One who loves you and gave Himself for you. As the old hymn "Blessed Assurance" reminds us, this is our story, this is our song, praising our Savior all the day long. [7]

Point 3. Living and Walking: The Inseparable Union of Creed and Conduct

The final verses of this chapter, verses 25 and 26, bring us to the ultimate synthesis of the Christian life: "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." Here, the apostle Paul moves from the internal evidence of spiritual fruit to the external reality of our communal walk. If the Spirit is the source of our life, then the Spirit must also be the pace-setter of our daily conduct. The word live (ζάω, zaō, to possess true, spiritual life) denotes our new standing before God, while walk (στοιχέω, stoicheō, to follow or keep in step) refers to our practical, daily movement through the world. Paul is arguing that there can be no divorce between our theological convictions and our social behaviors. If we claim to have the life of God, we must demonstrate the rhythm of God. This distinction is vital for a congregation living in a culture of fragmented integrity. We often compartmentalize our lives, separating our Sunday profession of faith from our Monday practices in the marketplace or the home. Yet, Paul insists that the life of the Spirit is not a static possession; it is a dynamic movement. To walk in the Spirit means to align our steps with His direction, just as soldiers align their steps with the rhythm of a march. If we are truly living in the Spirit, then our interactions with others—our work performance, our response to the political polarization at our dinner tables, our handling of the pressures of high school sports or college applications—must bear the mark of His influence. [8] The warning in verse 26 against becoming conceited, provoking, or envying is not merely a moralistic "to-do list," but a diagnosis of the flesh trying to reclaim the throne. When we fail to walk in the Spirit, we inevitably fall back into the metrics of the world. We begin to measure our worth by comparison. If I am not walking in the Spirit, I must secure my identity by proving I am better than my neighbor, by stirring up conflict to distract from my own insecurities, or by resenting the successes of those around me. This is the death of community. It replaces the cross-centered humility of the gospel with the self-centered pride of the ego. [9] Why is this internal transformation so elusive? We often feel that our lives are a battleground where the "flesh" and the "Spirit" are in constant deadlock. But the gospel tells us that the deadlock has been broken at the cross. We are not left to our own devices to manufacture kindness or humility. Because Christ has finished the work of reconciliation, we are liberated from the need to compete. We do not need to provoke others to make ourselves feel significant, nor do we need to envy others to feel secure. We have been brought into the family of God, where the Spirit dwells in each of us. Therefore, the walk of a believer is a walk of mutual grace. [10] In your specific context this week, consider the environments where you feel the strongest pull to prove yourself. Perhaps it is in the workplace, where layoffs and job insecurity make you feel that you must outshine your peers to stay relevant. Perhaps it is in the local church, where the pressure to serve on every committee can lead to burnout and judgment of others who seem "less committed." In these spaces, let the Spirit redirect your steps. When you feel the urge to compare, stop and recognize that your standing is already secure in the perfect record of Christ. When you feel the urge to provoke, remember that you are called to bear the fruit of peace. The walk of the Spirit is the walk of one who knows they are deeply loved, and therefore, has nothing to prove and no one to fear. This freedom from the ego's demands allows us to view our neighbors not as rivals, but as fellow recipients of grace. When we look at those around us, the lens of the Spirit filters out the competitive noise that our culture amplifies. In a world defined by the relentless pursuit of social status, where every interaction is measured by what we gain or lose, the Spirit invites us to a different rhythm. This is the rhythm of the cross, where the power of God was revealed not in self-assertion, but in self-emptying. We are called to live in such a way that our very presence suggests to others that they, too, are valuable enough for Christ to have died for them. This is the antidote to the "vainglory" Paul warns against; it replaces the hollow hunger for applause with the quiet, sturdy confidence of being known by God. [11] Consider the practical implications of this during your Sunday school or mid-week small group gatherings. It is easy to attend these meetings with a hidden agenda—hoping to be noticed for our insights or seeking validation for our personal struggles. But what if we walked into those rooms with the specific intent of seeking out the one who is quiet, the one who feels overlooked, or the one whose life seems marked by heavy burdens? When we do this, we are not performing a duty; we are participating in the very fruit of the Spirit. We are moving from the transactional nature of suburban life—where we trade favors and favors are returned—to the transformational life of the kingdom. [12] Furthermore, this transformation addresses the anxieties that keep us awake during the late hours of the night. Whether it is the weight of student loans, the precarious nature of your mortgage, or the exhaustion of balancing high school sports schedules with professional demands, the Spirit offers a peace that is not dependent on circumstances. The "flesh" tells you that your worth is tied to the stability of your bank account or the success of your children. The Spirit, however, whispers that you are a child of the Father, and your identity is anchored in a reality that no economic downturn can touch. This is the promise of the gospel: we are not defined by our achievements or our anxieties, but by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which has been credited to us as a free gift. [13] As you head into the coming week, pay close attention to the moments when you feel the surge of pride or the sting of envy. When you see a colleague receive the promotion you wanted, or when you notice another family in your neighborhood appearing to have it all together while you feel like your life is unraveling, use those moments as a prompt for prayer. Instead of letting the "flesh" dictate your reaction, pause and ask the Spirit to remind you of your status in Christ. Invite the Lord into those raw places of your life. Do not try to suppress the struggle through sheer willpower; rather, bring your brokenness to the One who was broken for you. It is in this honest, ongoing conversation with the Savior that the fruit of the Spirit begins to ripen. You are not meant to bear this fruit alone. You are attached to the true Vine, and His life, His joy, and His peace are flowing into you even now, enabling you to walk in a freedom that the world can neither give nor take away. [14] Remember the words of that old hymn, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." This is the foundation upon which your walk is built. Because your hope is not in your own performance, you can afford to be kind when others are harsh; you can afford to be patient when life is chaotic; you can afford to be generous when the world is grasping. You are free to be the person God has created you to be, precisely because you are no longer a slave to the opinion of others. Walk in that freedom, and watch how the Spirit uses your life to bear witness to the goodness of our God.

Conclusion

The fruit of the Spirit is not a list of moral goals to achieve through sheer effort, but the inevitable overflow of a life that is fundamentally joined to the risen Christ. Throughout this passage, we have seen that the Spirit’s harvest—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—is the divine evidence that we belong to Him. We have looked at the necessity of crucifying the flesh and the call to walk in step with the Spirit’s rhythm, moving away from the vanity of worldly competition and into the freedom of being God’s children. This transformation is not a product of our willpower, but a gift of the grace that flowed from the cross. It was there, at Calvary, that the old self was truly crucified, and it is there, in the light of the empty tomb, that we find the power to walk in newness of life. We do not try to be good so that God will love us; we are loved by God, and because of that, His Spirit creates goodness within us. Lord, we come before You in the simplicity of our need. We thank You for the life-giving presence of Your Holy Spirit, who makes Your home within us. Forgive us for the times we have tried to manufacture our own righteousness through the works of the flesh, and for the moments we have allowed envy, pride, and strife to take root in our hearts. We surrender our calendars, our anxieties over our future, and our need for human approval into Your hands. May Your Spirit guide our steps this week, that our lives might be a true reflection of the love, joy, and peace we have found in Your Son, Jesus Christ. May we walk in the freedom of Your grace, knowing that we are Yours, now and forever. Amen.

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References

Commentaries this sermon is grounded in. Bracketed numbers in the text refer to the entries below.

[1] The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians 5:22-26

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Verse 22. - But the fruit of the Spirit (ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματος). As it was with a hortatory purpose, to warn, that the apostle has before enumerated the vices into which the Galatian Christians would be most in danger of falling, so now with an answering hortatory purpose, to point out the direction in which their endeavours should lie, he reckons up the dispositions and states of mind which it was the office of the Holy Spirit to produce in them. In the Epistle to the Colossians (Colossians 3:12-15), written several years after, most of the features here specified reappear in the form of direct exhortation ("kindness, meekness, long-suffering, love, peace, thankfulness") - "joy" being there implicitly represented by thankfulness. The word fruit here takes the place of "works" in ver. 19, as being a more suitable designation of what are rather states of mind or habits of feeling than concrete actions like most of those previously enumerated "works." The word "fruit," moreover, describing in the vegetable world a matured product, is very commonly used in the New Testament with reference to such product as is not only of a pleasant but also of a useful kind; thus, "fruits meet fo

The Pulpit Commentary · 스펜스·엑셀 †1917 · Galatians 5:22

[2] Calvin's Commentary — Galatians 5:22-26

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 22. Fructus vero Spiritus est charitas, gaudium, pax, tolerantia, comitas, benignitas, fides, 23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 23. Mansuetudo, temperantia: adversus ejusmodi non est Lex. 24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 24. Qui autem Christi sunt carnem crucifixerunt cum affectibus et concupiscentiis. 25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 25. Si vivimus Spiritu, etiam Spiritu ambulemus. 26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 26. Ne sinms inanis gloriae cupidi, invicem provocantes, invicem invidentes. 22. But the fruit of the Spirit. In the former part of the description he condemned the whole nature of man as producing nothing but evil and worthless fruits. He now informs us that all virtues, all proper and well regulated affections, proceed from the Spirit, that is, from the grace of God, and the renewed nature which we derive from Christ. As if he had said, "Nothing but what is evil comes from man; nothing good comes but from the Holy Spirit."

Calvin's Commentary · 장 칼뱅 †1564 · Galatians 5:22–26

[3] The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians 5:26

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Verse 26. - Let us not be desirous of vain glory (μὴ γινώμεθα κενόδοξοι); let us not be vain-glorious. The communicative form of exhortation in which the speaker conjoins himself with those whom he addresses in order to soften the tone of superiority implied in exhorting them, connects this verse closely with the preceding one, in which also it is employed. Indeed, as in outward term of expression this verse coheres with ver. 25, so also in substance it coheres strictly with the whole passage beginning with ver. 13; for this is throughout levelled against a spirit of contentiousness then rife in the Galatian Churches. One cause to which the apostle thinks this ill state of things to be especially due was the spirit of vainglory or self-vaunting - a weakness to which the Celtic race has ever been markedly prone (see Lightfoot's 'Introduction,' p. 14). The softened form of exhortation visible in the use of the first person plural has been traced also by many critics in the use of the verb γινώμεθα as if the writer meant to imply that they were not as yet really vainglorious, but were in danger of becoming so. This, however, is not so clear. This verb is often used when there is no re

The Pulpit Commentary · 스펜스·엑셀 †1917 · Galatians 5:26

[4] Matthew Henry's Commentary — Galatians 5:22-23

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Verses 13-26 In the latter part of this chapter the apostle comes to exhort these Christians to serious practical godliness, as the best antidote against the snares of the false teachers. Two things especially he presses upon them:— I. That they should not strive with one another, but love one another. He tells them (v. 13) that they had been called unto liberty, and he would have them to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ had made them free; but yet he would have them be very careful that they did not use this liberty as an occasion to the flesh—that they did not thence take occasion to indulge themselves in any corrupt affections and practices, and particularly such as might create distance and disaffection, and be the ground of quarrels and contentions among them: but, on the contrary, he would have them by love to serve one another, to maintain that mutual love and affection which, notwithstanding any minor differences there might be among them, would dispose them to all those offices of respect and kindness to each other which the Christian religion obliged them to. Note, 1. The liberty we enjoy as Christians is not a licentious liberty: though Christ has redeemed us f

Matthew Henry's Commentary · 매튜 헨리 †1714 · Galatians 5:13–26

[5] Ellicott's Commentary — Galatians 5:22-23

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(22) The fruit of the Spirit.—There does not seem to be any essential difference between this term and that used above: “the works of the flesh.” The fruit of the Spirit is that which naturally grows out of the operation of the Spirit, in which it naturally results. The expression “fruit” is, however, generally used by St. Paul in a good sense. The list which follows brings out in a striking manner the peculiar finish and perfection which belongs to the Christian morality. It will be seen at a glance how it differs from any form of pagan or philosophic ethics. At the head of the list is “love,” which Christianity takes as its moving principle—not being, perhaps, alone in this, but alone in the systematic consistency with which it is carried out. Next comes “joy,” a peculiarly Christian grace, which has a much deeper root than mere natural cheerfulness of temper, and is rather the unfailing brightness and equanimity which proceeds from calm and settled principles animated by the Divine Spirit itself. It may be questioned whether “peace” is here the tranquility which is shed abroad in the heart by the sense of reconciliation with God, or rather, from the context that follows, peaceab

Ellicott's Commentary · 찰스 엘리콧 †1905 · Galatians 5:22

[6] Adam Clarke's Commentary — Galatians 5:22-23

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But the fruit of the Spirit - Both flesh - the sinful dispositions of the human heart and spirit - the changed or purified state of the soul, by the grace and Spirit of God, are represented by the apostle as trees, one yielding good the other bad fruit; the productions of each being according to the nature of the tree, as the tree is according to the nature of the seed from which it sprung. The bad seed produced a bad tree, yielding all manner of bad fruit; the good seed produced a good tree, bringing forth fruits of the most excellent kind. The tree of the flesh, with all its bad fruits, we have already seen; the tree of the Spirit, with its good fruits, we shall now see. Love - Αγαπη· An intense desire to please God, and to do good to mankind; the very soul and spirit of all true religion; the fulfilling of the law, and what gives energy to faith itself. See Galatians 5:6. Joy - Χαρα· The exultation that arises from a sense of God's mercy communicated to the soul in the pardon of its iniquities, and the prospect of that eternal glory of which it has the foretaste in the pardon of sin. See Romans 5:2. Peace - Ειρηνη· The calm, quiet, and order, which take place in the justified so

Adam Clarke's Commentary · 아담 클라크 †1832 · Galatians 5:22

[7] Wesley's Explanatory Notes — Galatians 5:24-25

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22 Love - The root of all the rest. Gentleness - Toward all men; ignorant and wicked men in particular. Goodness - The Greek word means all that is benign, soft, winning, tender, either in temper or behaviour. 5:23 Meekness - Holding all the affections and passions in even balance. 5:24 And they that are Christ's - True believers in him. Have thus crucified the flesh - Nailed it, as it were, to a cross whence it has no power to break loose, but is continually weaker and weaker. With its affections and desires - All its evil passions, appetites, and inclinations. 5:25 If we live by the Spirit - If we are indeed raised from the dead, and are alive to God, by the operation of his Spirit. Let us walk by the Spirit - Let us follow his guidance, in all our tempers, thoughts, words, and actions. 5:26 Be not desirous of vain glory - Of the praise or esteem of men. They who do not carefully and closely follow the Spirit, easily slide into this: the natural effects of which are, provoking to envy them that are beneath us, and envying them that are above us.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes · 존 웨슬리 †1791 · Galatians 5:22–26

[8] The Expositor's Bible commentary — Galatians 5:25-26

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THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. Galatians 5:22-23"THE tree is known by its fruits." Such was the criterion of religious profession laid down by the Founder of Christianity. This test His religion applies in the first instance to itself. It proclaims a final judgment for all men; it submits itself to the present judgment of all men-a judgment resting in each case on the same ground, namely that of fruit, of moral issue and effects. For character is the true summum bonum; it is the thing which in our secret hearts and in our better moments we all admire and covet. The creed which produces the best and purest character, in the greatest abundance and under the most varied conditions, is that which the world will believe. These verses contain the ideal of character furnished by the gospel of Christ. Here is the religion of Jesus put in practice. These are the sentiments and habits, the views of duty, the temper of mind, which faith in Jesus Christ tends to form. Paul’s conception of the ideal human life at once "commends itself to every man’s conscience." And he owed it to the gospel of Christ, His ethics art the fruit of his dogmatic faith. What other system of belief has produced a like resu

The Expositor's Bible · 윌리엄 로버트슨 니콜 †1923 · Galatians 5:22–26

[9] Meyer's NT Commentary — Galatians 5:26

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. Special exhortations now begin, flowing from the general obligation mentioned above (Galatians 5:16; Galatians 5:25); first negative (Galatians 5:26), and then positive (Galatians 6:1 ff.). Hence Galatians 5:26 ought to begin a new chapter. The address, αδελφοί (Galatians 6:1), and the transition to the second person, which Rückert, Schott, Wieseler, make use of to defend the division of the chapters, and the consideration added by de Wette, that the vices mentioned in Galatians 5:26 belong to the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:20, and to the dissension in Galatians 5:15 (this would also admit of application to Galatians 6:1 ff.), cannot outweigh the connection which binds the special exhortations together. κενόδόξοι] vanam gloriam captantes. Php 2:3; Polyb. xxvii. 6. 12, xxxix. 1. 1. Comp. κενοδοξεῖν, 4Ma 5:9, and κενοδοξία, Lucian. V. H. 4, M. D. 8. See Servius, ad Virg. Aen. xi. 854. In these warnings, Paul refers neither merely to those who had remained faithful to him (Olshausen), nor merely to those of Judaistic sentiments (Theophylact and many others), for these partial references are not grounded on the context; but to the circumstances of the Galatians generally at th

Meyer's NT Commentary · 하인리히 마이어 †1873 · Galatians 5:26

[10] The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians 5:25-26

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Verse 25. - If we live in the Spirit (εἰ ζῶμεν Πνεύματι); if we live by, or to, the Spirit. Exact critics have commonly recognized the difficulty of precisely determining either the sense in which the dative case of Πνεύματι, is used, or the meaning of the verb "live." This verb is here distinguished from the verb of the next clause (στοιχῶμεν) in much the same way as it is distinguished from the verb "walk" (περιπατεῖν) in Colossians 3:7, "In the which ye also walked aforetime when ye lived in these things." In both passages it denotes the moral sphere of existence in which it is our ruling choice to live. In Colossians 3:7 the apostle says that their chosen sphere of existence was once worldliness and vice; and, when it was so, then they had followed in detail those different forms of degrading sin which he has specified in ver. 5. The verb "live" is used in the same sense of the general setting of our moral habits viewed as a whole in Colossians 2:20. "If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances, Handle not, etc.?" So, likewise Romans 6:2, "We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live ther

The Pulpit Commentary · 스펜스·엑셀 †1917 · Galatians 5:25

[11] Ellicott's Commentary — Galatians 5:26

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(25) If we live in the Spirit.—It seems, on the whole, best to translate: If we live by the Spirit; if we derive our life from the Spirit; if it is by the action of the Spirit that our moral activity as Christians is kept alive. At the same time, another way of taking the words is possible: If we live to the spirit, following the analogy of Romans 14:8 : “Whether we live, we live unto the Lord,” &c. Let us also walk in the Spirit—i.e., by the rule of the Spirit, as the Spirit dictates (comp. Galatians 5:16, and the Note). The life which the Spirit quickens needs human co-operation, an active effort on the part of the Christian, to realise it completely in practice. St. Paul first sets before his readers what food has done for them, and then uses this as an argument and stimulus to renewed efforts on their own part. (26) Let us not be.—Strictly, Let us not become. When he left the Galatian Church St. Paul was satisfied with their condition, but he fears that they will change. The warning that he addresses to them exactly hits the weak points in the national character—fickleness, vanity, and a quarrelsome disposition.

Ellicott's Commentary · 찰스 엘리콧 †1905 · Galatians 5:25–26

[12] The Expositor's Bible — Galatians 5:22-23

Same source text as [8]

[13] Vincent's Word Studies — Galatians 5:24

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They that are Christ's (οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ) The best texts add Ἱησοῦ they that are of Christ Jesus. Belong to him. The exact phrase only here. But see 1 Corinthians 1:12; 1 Corinthians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 2 Corinthians 10:7, Galatians 3:29. Have crucified the flesh (τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν) The phrase only here. Comp. Galatians 2:20; Galatians 6:14; Romans 6:6. The line of thought as regards death to sin is the same as in Romans 6:2-7, Romans 6:11; as regards death to the law, the same as in Romans 7:1-6. Affections (παθήμασιν) Better, passions. Often sufferings, as Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 1:5, 2 Corinthians 1:6, 2 Corinthians 1:7; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 2:9. Often of Christ's sufferings. Comp. passions of sins, Romans 7:5 (see on motions). olxx, where we find πάθος in both senses, but mostly sufferings. Πάθος also in N.T., but rarely and Po. See Romans 1:26; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:5 : always of evil desires.

Vincent's Word Studies · 마빈 빈센트 †1922 · Galatians 5:24

[14] Adam Clarke's Commentary — Galatians 5:25

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If we live in the Spirit - If we profess to believe a spiritual religion, let us walk in the Spirit - let us show in our lives and conversation that the Spirit of God dwells in us.

Adam Clarke's Commentary · 아담 클라크 †1832 · Galatians 5:25