1.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• Every Christian has the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit sets us free from sin.
• The Holy Spirit makes us fruit-bearers.
• By growing in the fruit of the Spirit, we become more and more like Jesus Christ.
• By growing in the fruit of the Spirit, we prepare for life in God’s kingdom.
• The fruit of the Spirit brings glory to God.

1.2 Galatians 5:16-26←⤒🔗

^5:16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

^5:17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want.

^5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

^5:19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity,

^5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions,

^5:21 envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

^5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

^5:23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

^5:24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

^5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit.

^5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.

© NET Bible

 1.3 Every Christian has the Holy Spirit←⤒🔗

Our passage comes from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Paul wrote this letter because the Galatians were starting to move away from the true gospel. Some people were teaching them that they needed to keep all the laws of the Old Testament, if they wanted to be saved.

In his letter, Paul makes it clear that faith in Jesus Christ is enough! Only faith in Jesus Christ can save us (Galatians 2:16). Paul also reminds the Galatians of how they received the Holy Spirit. It was by faith! When they believed the gospel that was preached to them, they received the Spirit (Galatians 3:2)

There are many reasons why the letter to the Galatians is important for us today. For example, today there are many people who believe in a “special baptism” of the Holy Spirit. But the letter to the Galatians teaches us that every Christian (everyone who believes the gospel of Jesus Christ) has the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who has given us faith. And after the Holy Spirit has given us faith, he stays with us forever.

1.4 The Holy Spirit sets us free from sin←⤒🔗

The Galatians thought that they had to be circumcised, just like the believers in the Old Testament. But Paul tells them that circumcision was only a sign of Jesus Christ who would come. Circumcision cannot remove sin.

Every person has a “sinful nature” (Galatians 5:16). Without the Holy Spirit, our lives will be full of sins such as sexual immorality, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, selfish ambition, drunkenness, and more (Galatians 5:19-21).

But the Holy Spirit sets us free from sin. That does not mean that a Christian never sins. But it means that sin is not our master anymore. Through the Holy Spirit, we can fight against sin. That is what we are called to do! Every day, we are called to kill our sins and live through the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-25).

1.5 The Holy Spirit makes us fruit-bearers←⤒🔗

Instead of doing more and more sins, a Christian can do more and more good things. In our passage, these good things are called “fruit.”

The Bible often compares a believer with a tree that bears fruit. For example:

• Psalm 1: The person who loves God’s Word is like a tree planted by a river. Its branches bear fruit.
• Psalm 92: Even when God’s people get old, their lives will still be full of fruit.
• Isaiah 61:3: Believers are “trees of righteousness,” planted by the Lord.
• Hosea 14:8: Here God calls Israel to repent. He reminds them: “Your fruitfulness comes from me.”
• Luke 6:44: Jesus says that you can tell the difference between a believer and an unbeliever, because “each tree is recognised by its own fruit.”
• John 15:8: Jesus tells his disciples, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit.”

It is the Holy Spirit who changes a person to bear fruit. That is why our passage speaks of “the fruit of the Spirit.” (By the way: The fruit of the Spirit is different from the gifts of the Spirit. All Christians do not have the same gifts from the Spirit. But all Christians should have the same fruit. To learn more about the gifts of the Spirit, you can do the Bible studies on “Spiritual Gifts.”)

1.6 Becoming more like Jesus Christ←⤒🔗

What is the fruit of the Spirit? Paul describes it with nine words: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These nine words describe Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is completely filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is even called “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11). The Spirit is the one who formed Jesus inside the womb of Mary. He anointed Jesus on the day of Jesus’ baptism. In everything that Jesus did on earth, he was led by the Spirit.

That is why the fruit of the Spirit was so clear in Jesus’ life on earth. Jesus was always full of love, joyful, a man of peace, patient, kind, and good. He was faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. The life of Jesus was a perfect and beautiful life.

Now the same Spirit is working in us! He is making us more and more like Jesus. That is the reason why God has given us the Spirit (Romans 8:29). Did you know this? God’s great plan for you is that you will become like his Son Jesus Christ.

1.7 Preparing for life in God’s Kingdom←⤒🔗

There is still a fight that is going on inside of us. The fight is between our sinful natures and the Spirit of God. But when Jesus comes again, God will give us new bodies. These bodies will be completely filled with the Holy Spirit. Then we will finally be perfect, like Jesus Christ. We will have perfect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

While you wait for that day, what should you do? You should prepare yourself. You should purify yourself of all your sin (1 John 3:3). You should pray for more and more of the Spirit’s fruit in your life. If you grow in the Spirit, it is a proof that you really belong in the kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:21).

1.8 Bringing glory to God←⤒🔗

There are many unbelievers who also show love and kindness. But they are doing it for themselves, not for God. An action can only be called “good” if it brings glory to God.

The Spirit gives all the glory to God. So, when the Spirit is working in you, your life will bring glory to God. People will see Jesus Christ in you. As Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8).