Holy spirit fruit of love 2

HOLY SPIRIT FRUIT OF LOVE 2
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Galatians 5:22 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, forbearance, kindness,goodness, faithfulness,
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
But the fruit of the Spirit is love.
Galatians 5:22
The spiritual life
Emilius Bayley, B. D.
The works ofthe flesh are manifest, known and plain to all. But the fruit of
the Spirit is not so manifest: the life of God in the soul is a hidden life: still it is
a real life, producing genuine fruit; cherish therefore and cultivate it.
I. THE SPIRIT HIMSELF IS THE SOURCE OF ALL SPIRITUAL FRUIT.
II. THE NATURE OF THIS FRUIT. The list here given is not exhaustive. Nor
does it admit of very definite classification. The following three groups of
three eachhave been suggested.
1. Christian states of mind in their more generalaspect.
2. Those specialqualities which affecta man's intercourse with his
neighbours.
3. Certain generalprinciples which guide a Christian man's conduct.

III. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN, AND MUTUAL DEPENDENCE
UPON EACH OTHER, OF THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT.
1. They are all from one and the same source.
2. They all conform to one rule, the law of God.
3. EachChristian must possessthem all, at leastin germ. Grace in the soul is
the reflectionof Christ's glory (2 Corinthians 3:19); but that can be no true
reflectionwhich lacks any leading features of the moral glory of the Saviour.
IV. PRACTICAL INFERENCES.
1. Be careful to cultivate all the graces ofthe Christian character. Without this
there can be no symmetry and harmony.
2. Growth in grace is the best security for the crucifixion of the flesh.
3. Be filled with the Spirit. Avoid whatevergrieves and tempts Him to
withdraw His presence. Yield readily to His godly motions, His guidance, His
teaching.
4. Pray for increase ofgrace. The daily life must be lived, whether we will or
no. It rests with us whether it shall be lived in the powerand under the
influence of the Spirit.
(Emilius Bayley, B. D.)
The fruit of the Spirit is love
H. W. Beecher.
Not love like a June day breaking out in March, and everybody saying, "Was
there ever such a beautiful day? But you mustn't expectmore such days."
There are a good'many people who have love like that. It is a rare thing with
them. But the quality is to be permanent, pervading, atmospheric, automatic,
spontaneous. You are to be clothed with it, and it is to abide with you. What if

men had to run to an air reservoirevery time they wanted any atmosphere —
taking a breath, then going as long as they could, and then going back to get
another breath! But in this world of hurlyburly, strifes, conflicts, envyings,
jealousies,selfishness, andvarious attrition, a sweet, universal, unvarying,
atmospheric love is almost as rare as the illustration would indicate. Yet we
are brought into circumstances where every vengeful passionplays, and
threatens to supersede allour grace. We have to getup our grace. It is as if a
man, having laid aside his armour in time of warfare, and hearing some
warning bell strike, and being in his house, should spring up and cry, "Where
is my spear, my arrow, my armour? I must get on my things, and go out to
fight." That may do for warfare;but so sharp are our appetites and
temptations, that we have no time to put on our armour. Circumstances
require us to wearit all the time. "Put on the whole armour of God." If you
leave off any piece at any time, that is the point where death will enter. Love,
automatic, continuous. You see it now and then. You will see it in a
greatsouledman. He never moves from the stability of that state of mind; or if
he moves, it is only as an overfull vesselsometimes spills herself on one side
and on the other. Now and then you see it in a great-souledand saintly
woman, not only where she makes herselfradiant, but where the whole
household is filled with the atmosphere of her graciousnessandher goodness.
This is what you see in the Indian summer of life in the agedoften — namely,
that they have worn out, as it were burned out, the passions, and have been
releasedlittle by little from the temptations of the aggressive life. They have
brought themselves into a continued exercise ofthe higher Christian states of
mind, until, as they sit waiting for their sun to go down, that it may rise again
and never set, they are luminous and are clothed, and in their right mind.
(H. W. Beecher.)
The fruit of the Spirit is love
J. W. Cunningham, M. A.
Is it not the fact, that religion unlocks the closestbosoms,softens the most
rugged nature, touches the heart of stone, and melts it into tenderness and

love? I have lately been called to watchthe last years of an individual, who,
during a life of more than eighty years, barred out every feeling of compassion
and generosity;but no soonerdid the beams of the blessedgospelpierce his
heart, than I myself saw every sterner quality at once subdued, and all that
was large and generous and sympathizing occupy the vacantplace;no sooner
did he learn his own condition, as a sinner redeemed with the precious blood
of Christ — no soonerhad he been taught that, if saved at all, he must be
savedby an act of sovereignand unmerited grace and compassion, thanthe
frost of his soul seemeddissolved, his heart expanded, his affections were new-
born, he lookedover the world with a new eye, and literally drained himself to
supply the spiritual and temporal necessitiesofthose around him. And he is
not, by any means, an isolatedinstance;but simply a sample of the Spirit's
work in the souls of the regenerate. Who, I ask, was Howard — and who are
the men that tread in his steps, and dive into the depths of the dungeon, and
take the guage of misery in all nations of the world? Who was Wilberforce —
and who are those upon whom his mantle has fallen, the men that give
tyranny no rest, and count no sacrifice too great"to break the staff of the
oppressor, and let the prisoner go free?" In all casesthe answeris the same.
These are the men who look to the Spirit of Godonly, as the source of all that
is goodand greatas the living fountain of love, as their only stay and prop, as
the Author and Finisher of all real schemes ofbenevolence;they are men, in
short, whose help and trust are placedin God alone.
(J. W. Cunningham, M. A.)
The voice of love
C. H. Spurgeon.
Oh! there is a voice in love; it speaksa language which is its own; it has an
idiom and a brogue which none can mimic; wisdom cannotimitate it; oratory
cannot attain unto it; it is love alone which can reachthe mourning heart; love
is the only handkerchiefwhich canwipe the mourner's tears away. And is not
the Holy Ghosta loving Comforter? Dostthou know, O saint, how much the
Holy Spirit loves thee? Canstthou measure the love of the Spirit? Dostthou

know how greatis the affectionof His soul towards thee? Go, measure heaven
with thy span; go, weighthe mountains in scales;go, take the ocean's water,
and tell eachdrop; go, count the sand upon the sea's wide shore; and when
thou hast accomplishedthis, thou may'st tell how much He loveth thee! He
has loved thee long, He has loved thee well; He loved thee ever, and He still
shall love thee; surely He is the personto comfort thee, because He loves.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Love, the fruit of the Spirit
W. H. Murray, D. D.
The fruit of the Spirit is love. You know what the fruit as it hangs on the tree
is. It is the result of many causes. Look atthe apple as it hangs ripe and ready
for the mouth, on the bough. What a wonderful production! How symmetrical
its shape! How beautiful its colour!How mellow its substance!How pure and
gracious to the palate is its juice! Whence came it? It came from below and
from above. The earth owns part of it; the sun owns part of it; the dews have a
claim — even the wind and the stars have done something to make it what it
is. A dozen ministries — angels of the earth and the air, ingenious and active,
have joined hands in its manufacture. Fruit, then, is the lastresult — the
ultimate product of many forces acting conjunctively. Fruit is not crude; it is
finished. It is not a process;it is the end of a process;the end of many
processes;the consummation to which time and cause have alike tended. Now
there is one result in characterwhichhas the Divine Spirit for its cause;it is
love. It may be in embryo; it may be in maturity; it may be weak orstrong. It
may rule the life wholly; it may rule it only in part. But in whatever degree of
growth it may be — to whateverpoint it may have been carried forward and
upward, the element and principle of affectionin human nature never
happens by chance, never occurs by accident. To understand the works ofthe
Spirit, and how its fruits are generatedand ripened, you must understand the
nature on which it works and the forces in connectionwith which its potency

is rendered efficient. I say forces, forhuman nature is a forcefulnature. It is a
co-operative nature. It is not played on like an instrument of music that has
only a responsive power;it is powerful itself; it is actedupon and re-acts. It
has its own capabilities. It is strong enough to be resistful, and is essentially
independent. A greatmany think of God only as outside of themselves —
think of the Spirit as coming down upon them as winds come upon the sea,
being blown from afar. The action of the Spirit is thus made to seem
instantaneous, and the changes wroughtarbitrary. Many even think that it
would in some sort disparage the work of the Spirit if its actions were made in
any sense dependent on the human will, or to any considerable extent co-
operative with human faculties. But, friends, he who exalteth his own power
exalteth God; for is not God the makerof his power? The father is honoured
in the honour of his son, and the whole family becomes distinguished through
the glory of one. Let it be known, then, to all of you, that the work of the Spirit
is a co-operative work. He works in alliance with our own natural capacity.
Alas! that He is often compelledto work in resistance to it. Nor is the saving
work of God sudden. It is a peculiarity of destruction that it is always swift.
God kills in an instant, but He grows things slowly. The lightning smites the
tree in a flash, which a hundred years with laborious chemistry have grown. Is
it less honourable to God that He works through method and climbs to His
consummations through spiritual processes? After our way of thinking, the
Spirit's work in man is a slow work. Exceptions there may be, but swiftness of
operationis not the law. Human nature never blooms suddenly. Some are
born blossoms, but those that are born in the bud, as most of us were, sweeten,
colour, and unfold slowly. The work of the Spirit is to bring back and
reinstate in its original regnancythe Divine characteristic ofloving. This is
what it is striving to do in your bosom, fellow Christian. Faith in the Christ is
valuable, because it is the means, the greatand glorious means, of this
reinstatement. By faith we perceive the loveliness ofthis principle; by faith we
are made appreciative of it and are filled with longing that we may overflow
with it; by faith we are thus quickenedinto this new life of concordand
amiability and good-will towardmen, and hearty affectiontoward God. Now,
to start with in life, love is selfish. The love of the child, how unlike the love of
the mother! Hence, we all say that we love mother better as we grow older.
And why is this true? Becausethe selfishness which was in our early loving is

eliminated. To start with, we loved our mothers with our bodies, so to speak.
We have grownto love them with our minds and our spirits. Some of us have
had them takenfrom us. In their love for us they have passedout of the body;
and we, too, in our love for them have passedout of the body. They are spirits,
and we love them with our spirit. And thus has love been perfectedin us. The
best love is never perfect until it becomes thus unselfish. And the work of the
Spirit, as I understand it, is operating in human hearts to this end. When it is
made perfect in Christ, or after the manner of Christ's love, what will it not
do? what will it not bear? what will it not give? And one thing, especially, is
worthy of note in respectto this love which is the fruit of the Spirit in the
human heart: that it not only prompts them and enables them to die for the
Christ, and that truth, wide as the world of being and deep as the nature of
things of which He was the embodiment, and is and will be for ever the
cardinal illustration: but it qualifies them to die for it as men receive a favour.
It was not a task for men and womento give up their mortal lives in evidence
of their faith. They counted it joy so to do. They were in love with the
immortality which waits upon such sacrifice, anddeath was to them the happy
ministry which weddedthem to it for ever. What power is this, that charges
into human nature such sublime courage;gives to human minds such forecast
of wisdom; and lifts human souls so high that they forgetthe earth and are
mindful only of heaven? What power is this that renews the mind, transforms
the spirit, and gives to us inhabitants of the earth the sensationof angels and
the serenity of the skies? It is the Spirit. It is the glory of the Christian
characterthat in it, through the work of the Spirit, is generatedstrengthto
bear all things and hope all things. The courage that you need is the courage
to live — the courage to bear yet a while and faint not; to do this hopefully,
patiently; to find happiness amid your tears; to so order your sorrows that
they shall bloom; to look at emptiness as if it were fulness, and at poverty as if
it were wealth — this canonly come as the fruit of the Spirit. The love which
enables you to do this must be the love of right things; the love of truth; the
love of God. They who have this love have a new sight come to their eyes.
They see things far off and far up and far ahead.
(W. H. Murray, D. D.)

Love produced by the Spirit in regeneration
N. Emmons, D. D.
I. I am to show that THE SPIRIT OF GOD, IN REGENERATION,
PRODUCES NOTHING BUT LOVE. He does, indeed, often strive with
sinners, and sometimes very powerfully, without softening or subduing their
hearts in the leastdegree. He commonly alarms the fears and awakensthe
consciencesofthose sinners whom He intends to renew, some time before He
effectually changes their hearts. This He does to prepare them for
regeneration, in which He forms them vesselsofmercy. The only question
now before us is, whether, in the actof regeneration, He produces anything
besides love. And here we may safely saythat He does not produce anything
besides love in regeneration, becausethere is no need of His producing any
other effectin that saving change. Sinners possessallthe natural powers and
faculties which belong to human nature, and which are necessaryto,
constitute them moral agents, before they are made the subjects of grace.
Manassehwas as capable ofdoing goodas of doing evil, before he was
renewed;and Paul was as capable of promoting as of opposing the cause of
Christ, before he was converted. This is true of all sinners, who are as much
moral agents, and as proper subjects of moral government, before as after
regeneration. Whenever, therefore, the Divine Spirit renews, regenerates, or
sanctifies them, He has no occasionofproducing anything in their minds
besides love.
II. THAT LOVE IS THE EFFECT WHICH HE ACTUALLY DOES
PRODUCE IN REGENERATION. "The fruit of the Spirit is love," says the
apostle in the text. His words are very plain and emphatical. He does not say
that the fruit of the Spirit is a new taste, or relish, or disposition, or principle;
but is love, and nothing which is previous to it, or the foundation of it.
III. THAT LOVE, WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCES IN
REGENERATION,IS THE ESSENCEAND SOURCE OF ALL HOLY OR
GRACIOUS AFFECTIONS.It is generally supposedthat regenerationlays
the foundation of all the exercisesofgrace. Benevolentlove is the root from
which all holy feelings and conduct naturally spring. It produces everything

which the law requires, and which is necessaryto perfect obedience. When the
Holy Spirit produces love in the soul in which there was nothing before but
selfishness, he effects an essentialchange in the heart, and forms the subjectof
grace afterthe moral image of God, and prepares him for the kingdom of
heaven. And this is as great and as gooda change as canbe produced in the
human heart. Conclusion:
1. If the Spirit of God produces nothing but love in regeneration, then there is
no ground for the distinction which is often made betweenregeneration,
conversion, and sanctification. They are, in nature and kind, preciselythe
same fruits of the Spirit.
2. If the Spirit of God in regenerationproduces nothing but love, then men are
no more passive in regenerationthan in conversionor sanctification.
3. If the Holy Spirit, in regeneration, produces nothing but love, or holy
exercises,then the regenerate are as dependent upon Him for their future, as
for their first, exercises ofgrace.
4. If the Spirit of God produces nothing but love in regeneration, then it is no
more a supernatural work on the part of God than any other Divine operation
upon the minds of men.
5. If the Spirit of God produces nothing but love in regeneration, then sinners
have no more excuse for not beginning to love God, than saints have for not
continuing to love Him.
(N. Emmons, D. D.)
On holy love
John Thornton.
There can scarcelybe a more gross abuse oflanguage, than to call that
rational religion in which the affections have no share. It is clear, from the
Scriptures, that the heart is the seatof true religion. The sincere Christian is
animated and distinguished by the grace ofholy love.

I. THE OBJECTS OF THIS LOVE.
1. God as the source of all being, and the centre of all perfectionand
excellency, claims the chief place in our affection. The Christian, being
renewedin the spirit of his mind, feels his heart pant after God. He views the
Lord as his portion, and sets his affections on things above.
2. As God is the supreme objecton which holy love fixes, so creatures oughtto
have a subordinate measure of love, according to the degree in which they
bear His image.
3. There is a cleardistinction betweena love of complacence anda love of
benevolence. Bythe former, we delight in Godand what resembles Him; by
the latter, we show a regard for the welfare of bad men, though we detest their
ways. In this sense, the worstenemies must not be shut out of our affections.
II. THE LEADING PROPERTIESOF THIS LOVE.
1. Love is the purest principle of obedience. How many appear actuated in all
they do by the hateful principle of pride. Surely it is plain, without bringing
arguments to establishthe point, that no works canbe acceptable in the sight
of God, but such as spring from a principle of love, and are directed to
promote His glory. Whereverthis noble motive habitually prevails, it will in a
gooddegree harmonize the passions, bring the scatteredthoughts and
purposes into subserviencyto one grand end, and produce a simplicity of
intention, and uniformity of character, whichpeculiarly distinguish the
consistentChristian.
2. Holy love is the strongestprinciple of obedience. Love invigorates and
animates the soul. Many obstaclescannotdestroyits force;many waters
cannot quench its fire.
3. Holy love is the most permanent principle of obedience. All kinds of
religious affectionare not lasting. The fire on God's altar was kept alive by
being constantly fed; but the strange fire of Nadaband Abihu was but for a
moment. Cold chills not unfrequently follow feverish heats. But the love which
the true Christian feels to his God, and all that bears the stamp of His
authority or likeness, is not a vapour in the brain, or a vision in the fancy, but

a deep-rootedprinciple in the heart. He knows the solid excellencyofDivine
realities. "His faith is not grounded on slippery deductions of reason, or
slender conjectures offancy, or on musty traditions, or popular stories;but on
the sure testimonies of God."
III. THE ORIGIN OF THIS LOVE, AND THE WAY IN WHICH IT MAY
BE INCREASED.
1. It is by the eyes of the understanding being enlightened to see the
perfections of God, the excellencies ofChrist, and the unspeakable value of
eternal realities, that Divine love is kindled in the soul.
2. It is by the exercise ofliving faith that the flame of holy love is enkindled
and preservedin the heart. The objects which most men love are such as
strike the senses,orin some wayrelate to their present interests.
3. It is by communion with God, and one another, that holy love is promoted
and increased.Concluding reflections:
1. How awful is the state of those who are destitute of this love!
2. How happy is their state, who live under the habitual and powerful
influence of Divine love! Love, in the heart, melts the stubborn will to sweet
submission, consumes, the dross of sin, and fits the believer as a vesselof
honour for the Master's use.
(John Thornton.)
Love
R. A. Bertram.
I. THE SOURCE OF LOVE. "Love is of God." "Godis love."
II. ITS EXCELLENCE.
1. It is the life of the soul and of the moral universe.
2. It is the bond that unites all holy intelligences.

3. It is the supreme grace.
4. Its production is the end of Christ's missionand of all religious ordinances.
5. It renders all our services acceptable.
6. Its excellence is manifest in its influence on the heart and life.
(1)It casts out fear.
(2)It expels whatever is inconsistentwith itself.
(3)It kindles aspirations after holiness.
(4)It makes obedience easy.
(5)It inspires self-sacrifice.
(6)It makes the soul beautiful.
III. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUE LOVE.
1. It is practical.
2. It embraces Godand man.
IV. LOVE TO GOD.
1. God must be loved for His own sake:
2. God must Himself kindle our love to Him.
3. It is capable of being cultivated.
4. It leads to trust in God.
V. LOVE TO THE BRETHREN.
1. The badge of Christ's disciples.
2. Our love must be like Christ's.
3. We must love what is Christlike in them.
4. We must love them on accountof what they are to be.

(R. A. Bertram.)
Love
J. Reeve, M. A.
I.THE NATURE OF THIS LOVE.
II.THE OBJECTSON WHICH IT IS EXERCISED.
III.THE MARKS OF IT.
I. The love which stands first in the apostle's catalogue stands first also in the
estimate of God. Our Lord says, "Thoushalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and
greatcommandment" (Romans 13:10). This is the grace ofwhich so beautiful
a description is given in 1 Corinthians 13. It is setforth as a privilege, without
which all gifts are worthless. This love is no natural product of the human
heart; on the contrary (Romans 8:7; 1 John 4:7).
II. The OBJECTS ON WHICH THIS LOVE IS EXERCISED. These are
three principally —
1. The Father.
2. Christ the Son.
3. Our brother.
III. SOME MARKS OF THIS LOVE.
1. As regards God.
(1)In the desire to be like Him — holy in all manner of conversation
(Ephesians 5:1).
(2)In aiming at His glory.
(3)In delighting in communion with Him.

2. As regards Christ. Love shows itself —
(1)In obedience (John 14:15).
(2)In loving Christ still, though Providences be dark, and all things seem
againstus.
3. As regards the saints, love shows itself especially.
(1)In praying one for another.
(2)Bearing one another's burden, entering into their troubles, helping and
sympathising.
(3)By forbearing and forgiving one another, "even as God, for Christ's sake,
hath forgiven you."
(J. Reeve, M. A.)
The Divine source of love
H. W. Beecher.
As one familiar with the sonatas andthe symphonies of Beethoven, while
passing along the streetin summer, gets from out of the open window a snatch
of a song or of a piece that is being played, catching a strain here and another
there, and says to himself, "Ah, that is Beethoven!I recognize that; it is from
such and such a movement of the Pastoral," orwhateverit may be; so men in
life catchstrains of God in the mother's disinterestedand self-denying love; in
the lover's glow;in the little child's innocent affections. Where did this thing
come from? No plant ever brought out such fruit as this. Nature, dumb and
blind, with her lizards, and stones, andthousand accumulations of matter,
never thought anything like that. This and that harmony of light, the few hints
which we see here and there — these have been sprinkled into life, dropping
from above. And there is a fountain where exist elements and attributes of
which these are but the souvenirs. And to me they all point back to something
which we have not seen. As birds, when after moulting they begin to sing,
break down in mid-song, and give only a snatch here and a snatchthere of the

full volume of their summer strains; so these hints, these little tinkling notes of
love on earth, beautiful as they are in themselves, are not perfect, and are not
understood until we trace them back, and feel that there is above somewhere
One whose nature epitomises all these things. Go and look on the south side of
the Highlands. You shall see that, detachedfrom the rocks there, and lying in
a long trail, for miles and miles, are blocks of syenite, or of trap, or of granite,
as the case may be. And there is many a block which, if you choose, youcan
trace back to the very spot where the ice pried it out, or from which the flood
or the iceberg drifted it along the mountain side. Now, as it is with those
blocks of stone, so it is with these scatteredelements and traits that have
drifted out, as it were, from the mountain of God, and sweetenedthe
household, and refined civilized life. They are, after all, but the outflowing, the
drift, as it were, of the great Divine Soul, in this world.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Love, the heat of the universe
H. W. Beecher.
It is the heat of the universe. Philosophers tell us that without heat the
universe would die. And love in the moral universe is what heat is in the
natural world. It is the greatgerminating power. It is the ripening influence.
It is the powerby which all things are brought steadilyup from lowerto
higher forms.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Love casts out fear
Newton.
Love and fear are like the sun and moon, seldom seentogether.
(Newton.)

Love lightens duty
T. Watson., Archbishop Tillotson.
Love to God would make duties of religionfacile and pleasant. I confess to
him that hath no love to God, religion must needs be a burden; and I wonder
not to hear him say, "What a wearinessis it to serve the Lord." It is like
rowing againstthe tide. But love oils the wheels; it makes duty a pleasure.
Why are the angels so swift and winged in God's service, but because they love
Him? Jacobthought sevenyears but little for the love he did bearto Rachel.
Love is never weary; he who loves money is not wearyof toiling for it; and he
who loves God is not wearyof serving Him.
(T. Watson.)Nothing is difficult to love: it will make a man cross his own
inclinations to pleasure those whom he loves.
(Archbishop Tillotson.)
Labours of love light
C. H. Spurgeon.
It is of the utmost importance to keepup our interest in the holy work in
which we are engaged, for the moment our interest flags, the work will
become wearisome. Humboldt says that the copper-colourednative of Central
America, far more accustomedthan the European traveller to the burning
heat of the climate, yet complains more when upon a journey, because he is
stimulated by no interest. The same Indian who would complain, when in
botanizing he was loadedwith a box full of plants, would row his canoe
fourteen or fifteen hours togetheragainstthe current without a murmur,
because he wished to return to his family. Labours of love are light. Routine is
a bad master. Love much, and you cando much. Impossibilities disappear
when zeal is fervent.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)

Love ennobles
W. Braden.
True love alone can awakenandevoke all the nobility and grandeur of human
nature. Then we are like musical instruments touched by a master's hand.
That organyonder, many fingers have moved over its keys and drawn out its
stops;but the harmonies have not surprised us, our listening has not even
deepenedinto interest. But one day a strangercame and satbefore it, and
presently rich, exquisite melodies began to pour forth, new and wondrous
depths and changes of tone trembled in the air and thrilled our souls. It
seemedlike a living thing interpreting the secrets ofour hearts, so that we
hardly dared to breathe lest we should destroy the charm. What a revelation
that was!We never dreamed that the old instrument could discourse such
marvellous strains. But the capacitywas there, only the soulof the musician
was neededto inspire it. Thus too can love elicit in answerto its skilful touch
the grandestresponsive harmonies from the lowliesthuman heart. And it is by
love — God's love — that our greatnature shall revealall its greatness.
(W. Braden.)
Testof love
A loving wife, when her husband returns home from a far country, as soonas
she is sensible of his approach or hears his voice, although she be ever so
much engagedin business, or forcibly detained from him in the midst of a
crowd, yet her heart is not withheld from him, but leaps over all other
thoughts to think on her husband who is returned. It is the same with souls
that love God; let them be everso busy, when the remembrance of God comes
near them, they lose almostthe thought of all things else, for joy to see that
this dear remembrance is returned; and this is an extremely goodsign.
( Francis de Sales.)

Love, the test of discipleship
W. Gurnall.
So peculiar is this blessing to the gospel, that Christ appoints it for the badge
and cognisanceby which they should not only know one another, but even
strangers should be able to know them from any other sectand sort of men in
the world. A nobleman's servant is known, as far as he can well be seen, by the
coaton his back, whose man he is; so, says Christ, shall all men know you, by
your mutual love that you retain to Me and My gospel.
(W. Gurnall.)
A sermon to wives
Samuel P. Jones.
I. LOVE YOUR HUSBAND, he can beatyou in argument and stubbornness,
but you can beat him in love.
II. MAKE YOUR HOMES JOYOUS, and you will keepyour husbands at
home.
III. BE PEACEABLE and there will be no domestic jangles. Let others do all
the quarrelling.
IV. BEAR WITH YOUR HOUSEHOLD and you will conquer if you suffer
long enough.
V. BE GENTLE, and like the gentle horse all work will be easy.
VI. BE TEMPERATE, anddo not live beyond your means.
(Samuel P. Jones.)
Love first
A. Maclaren, D. D.

Love is the fruitful mother of bright children. "A multitude of babes around
her hung, Playing their sport that joyed her to behold." Her sons are
Strength, and Justice, and Self-control, and Firmness, and Courage, and
Patience, and many more besides;and her daughters are Pity with her sad
eyes, and Gentleness with her silvery voice, and Mercywhose sweetface
makes sunshine in the shade of death, and Humility all unconscious of her
loveliness;and linked hand in hand with these, all the radiant band of sisters
that men callVirtues and Graces. Thesewilldwell in our hearts, if Love, their
mighty mother, be there. If we are without her we shall be without them.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Nature is love
Thomas Jones.
And all things are possessedwith the spirit of giving, Flowers spendtheir
strength that they may make the air fragrant; fountains become streams, that
they may waterthe valleys;trees give us foliage, blossom, fruit, and beauty;
the clouds weepover us, swell, dissolve, and give themselves away;the distant
heavens send down their light; the universe is instinct with the free, generous,
glowing spirit of love.
(Thomas Jones.)
Love
W. C. E. Newbolt.
There is the greatmachine of life, standing ready in all its beauty and power,
with its wide open senses, its advising mind, its warning conscience, its
governing will; with the mighty flood of spiritual power pouring into it from
above; and its first fruit, the subtle influence which pervades it, the direction
given to it, is love. For that Holy Spirit of order, as He pours His influence into
us, has a definite work for our energyto spend itself upon, amidst all the vast

and complicatedmachinery of the world; and love is the initial, the foundation
motive, which is to start our force, our passions, our motives, our imagination,
our intellect, our strength, into their proper groove amidst the great
labyrinth-scheme of the Providential working of God. For love means, without
any attempt at a definition, a giving out of self to God, to Man, to Nature.We
live by admiration, hope, and love.And love secures thatall this splendid
machinery and endowment of strength shall be used for the right objects;not
for self-advantage orself-display, not for rivalry, or in the interests of pride;
but that it shall be at the disposalof God, the disposalof man, and of the
world, for good;and this not by an effort, not by a forcedresolution of surly
resignation, but in a bright spirit of instinctive willingness. Yes, there is no
doubt about it; if we are spiritual; the first fruit of the Spirit will be love. One
glance will be sufficient to show us the importance of love as a motive
principle, the strength of this loving nature becoming fulfilled with the
growing fruit of the Spirit. It is very hard to do God's will: it is harder still
sometimes to love it. We talk in a helpless way of resignation, as we feel
ourselves tossedup and down, and whirled hither and thither in the
irresistible currents of uncontrollable force. But the spiritual man wants
something more than resignationto circumstances whichhe cannot control;
he wants love, not to wish them otherwise — a far higher step. Love is just
that spirit in which a man offers him. self entirely to God. "O God, I offer
myself wholly to Thee, and then to whatsoeverwork Thougivest me to do."
And equally true is it if we look towards our fellow-men, that love is a
foundation virtue. Ah! love throws open wide all those points of contactwith
our friend and our neighbour, that is with the world: and does it not need
love? "Nothing but the infinite pity is sufficient for the infinite pathos of
human life." And the Spirit pours into the greatmachinery of our being,
which finds it only too easyto be rough and hard, the germ of that "infinite
pity" in His gift of love. "Love your enemies." Love is not a weak word, or a
weak emotion, and never can be. Love knows how to send for its two body-
guards, resentment and justice, and to prevent any enfeebling of its strength
or diminishing of its power. There is no doubt whatever that love of our
enemies, and nothing short of it, is required of us. And further, perhaps we
may believe that this Love will develop itself within us, when our powers are
working rightly under the influence of the Holy Spirit. And perhaps this

principle of love should be carried further still. Perhaps our Masterwould
have us feel that we ought to move amidst what we call Nature with a loving
tread, as a mediator betweenHim and the lowercreation, to discover, to
develop, and mature all the varied resourcesofthe world, and to try, as much
as in us lies, to roll awaysome of that failure (ματαιότης), whichhas passed
through from us to them, who share in the sorrows of the Fall, as they also
share in the hope of Redemption. Yes; surely this love, this fruit of the Spirit,
will carry us as far as this. Let us try now and see one or two characteristicsof
love, one or two signs of its indwelling, abiding presence. Firstof all love will
be THOUGHTFUL. "If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."
How much thoughtfulness may we.trace in the love of God! "Godso loved
us." There is all the thoughtfulness which lies around our creation, the beauty
of the world we live in, the wonderful adaptation of our life, the daily
tenderness and forethought of God, who clothes the lily, who feeds the ravens,
and marks the fall of the sparrow to the ground, who bids us castout our
cares and lay aside anxiety, for He is caring for us, and marking all our needs
and wants. Or, look again, if we may say so with reverence, atall the
thoughtfulness which lies around our Redemption. Or look once more at the
thoughtfulness which surrounds our sanctification. And so, must not our love
be equally thoughtful? Must we not try to do all we can to open up life to our
fellow-men? Ought we not to be thoughtful in trying to help on all those
specialworks ofthoughtful love which are in the world, such as schools, and
penitentiaries, and hospitals, and the like? And a secondcharacteristic oflove
will be SACRIFICE. Love is ready at any moment to sacrifice itself. Think
how our Divine Lord and Mastergave up His quiet and His retirement, His
food and His sleep, at the calls of love. Think how patient He was with the
misconception, the ignorance, and the unbelief which He encountered t Ah,
yes! It is goodfor us to think of all the work done out of sight for this hungry,
selfishworld. It is goodfor us to think of those who labour in the deep mines
of life, that we may be wanned and enlightened, of those who work the hidden
machinery, that we may cut the waves more freely, and barter and exchange
in the community of socialcommerce. It is goodfor us to think of the
missionary toiling under the burning sun of Africa, leaving home and kindred
and advancement, that he may spread among the heathen "the unsearchable
riches of Christ." Wherever we see it, wherever we find it, self-surrenderis a

beautiful thing; it is the secondcharacteristic of that fruit of the Spirit
growing within, which is love. And a third characteristic is surely
UNWEARIEDNESS. "Having loved His own which were in the world, He
loved them unto the end." Ah, yes! That continual uninterrupted love is hard
and difficult to maintain when the child of our love ceases to be interesting;
when it is rough and uncouth, and as yet unable to come back to us with any
return in its hands. It is difficult to love on in disappointment after
disappointment.
(W. C. E. Newbolt.)
END OF BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Galatians 5:22
by Grant Richison| May 8, 2000 | Galatians | 21 comments
ReadIntroduction to Galatians
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness,faithfulness…”
Now we move to a striking contrast from the works of the flesh (5:19-21)to
the fruit of the Spirit with its nine characteristics. There is a contrastbetween
the “works”ofthe flesh (5:19) and the “fruit” of the Spirit (5:22).
The nine characteristic qualities of the Spirit form three triads:
1) fruit directed toward selfinternally: love, joy, peace

2) fruit directed toward others horizontally: longsuffering, kindness,
goodness
3) fruit directed towards God vertically: faithfulness, gentleness, self-
control
But the fruit of the Spirit is
Fruit is something produced by living organisms such as trees or vines.
Human beings can produce living organisms calledchildren. Metaphorically,
the Bible uses “fruit” for characterordeeds such as giving praise to God. The
characterof the fruit comes from the organism that produced it.
“Bewareoffalse prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every goodtree bears
goodfruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A goodtree cannotbear bad fruit,
nor cana bad tree bear goodfruit. Every tree that does not bear goodfruit is
cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know
them” (Matthew 7:15-20).
Walking in fellowship with the Spirit yields the fruit of the Spirit. The
Christian does not produce this fruit. He is not the source of the fruit but the
Holy Spirit Himself.
The singular form of “fruit” suggeststhat the Holy Spirit produces a package
of character. Love, joy and peace do not stand alone but in relation to each
other. All nine manifestations of fruit stand in relation to eachother. The
works of the flesh are mutually antagonistic to eachother but the fruit of the
Spirit is the natural, coalescingresultof the Holy Spirit controlling our lives.
The Spirit-filled believer always manifests a unity of nine characterqualities.
He does not love at the exclusionof inner peace. He carries all of these
qualities when he is Spirit filled. It is possible to practice two or three fruit of
the Spirit but the Spirit-filled believer produces all of them. CarnalChristians

can produce some of these qualities but only a Spirit-filled believer produces
all of them.
The idea here is one of complete submission to the work of the Holy Spirit in
our lives. There are nine divine grapes hanging togetherin one cluster that
come from the Spirit filled life.
Principle:
The Holy Spirit is the source of the fruit of the Spirit.
Application:
Romans and Galatians are parallel books but with different emphases.
Romans is the work of the Sonof God for us and Galatians is the work of the
Spirit of Godin us. After God places enormous credit of His own
righteousness to our account, He then piles further blessing on our souls by
giving us operating assets to live the Christian life day by day.
Sin “works”in our sin capacitybut fruit comes from the Spirit. He produces
the fruit, not us. Fruit comes from the root; qualities of the Spirit come from
the Holy Spirit. It is the product of divine energy, the living Holy Spirit. This
is a power that comes from within, not without, like the works ofthe flesh.
The Holy Spirit is the agentof regenerationand comes to indwell each
believer at the point of salvation. Then the Spirit goes to work immediately
changing the believer. Before Pentecost,the Holy Spirit did not permanently
indwell eachbeliever. He workedaround them but not in them. Since
Pentecost, we have a close, intimate relationship to the Holy Spirit.
The moment we yield ourselves to the Spirit of God, this triggers a process of
dynamic Christian living. By this, the Spirit progressivelymolds us into the
image of Christ and, in turn, reproduces the characterofChrist in us – the
fruit of the Spirit. The purpose of sanctificationis that we might become more
accurate representativesofHis character. Godwill finish this work when we
meet Him face to face.
The Christian who walks in the Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit. The
flesh demands certain activity but the fruit of the Spirit naturally produces

the characterofChrist. The flesh is self-assertive andself-indulgent but the
fruit of the Spirit reaches out to others. The one is human manipulation but
the other is divine production.
The Holy Spirit does not produce some of the fruit of the Spirit in isolation
from others. We cannotseparate them for our convenience. We cannotisolate
one characteristic fromanother. The Holy Spirit does not first produce love in
us and then begins to work on joy at some later point. If that were the case,
none of us would live long enoughto finish the list!
https://versebyversecommentary.com/galatians/galatians-522/
Spiritual Fruit of Love
The spiritual fruit of love is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit.
It is the key to all the other manifestations, suchas peace, joy, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness,gentleness,faithfulness and selfcontrol. It holds them all
in place.
Paul says that love is the most important and greatestgift, surpassing gifts of
tongues, prophecy, knowledge andfaith. Without love, all the other spiritual
gifts means nothing to him.
Paul describes love in First Corinthians 13 as :

kind
does not envy
does not parade itself
not puffed up
does not behave rudely
does not seek its own
not provokeddoes not rejoice in inquity
rejoices in the truth
bears all things
endures all things
never fails
Love must be really important if Godhas included an entire chapter just to
describe it. God sent Jesus to redeem us because Godloves us. Jesus is willing
to suffer and die on the cross becauseHe loves us. Love is the primary
motivating factorof God!
Supernatural love, the kind of love that Jesus has, is given to us by the Holy
Spirit. Romans 5:5 says that "the love of God has been poured out in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
It is important to note that this spiritual fruit of love is not just an emotion or
feeling. It is a decision. The Holy Spirit causes us to make that decisionto love
others even when they are not lovely, or even if they hate and persecute us.

It is Paul's desire for Christians that "your love may abound more and more
in knowledge and all discernment (Phi 1:9)." To "abound more" means to
"grow more abundantly".
The Holy Spirit wants our love grow so abundantly that it will not only chase
people, but to overtake and overwhelm them.
When we manifest the spiritual fruit of love in our lives, sinners will be drawn
to us like how they were drawn to Jesus.
That is when we can confidently and effectively point them to Jesus.
http://www.holy-spirit-led-christian.com/spiritual-fruit-of-love.html
Question:"The Fruit of the Holy Spirit – What is love?"
Answer: Galatians 5:22-23 is one of the most beloved passagesin the Bible.
The "fruit of the Spirit" has also been misinterpreted as characteristicsthat
believers should somehow manufacture in their lives. But the keyto
understanding these qualities is in the name. "Fruit" is the natural result of
growth. And "of the Spirit" explains exactly Who causes thatgrowth—it’s not
our striving or straining, but the powerof the Holy Spirit. No amount of

human toil or gritty determination canproduce spiritual fruit, but the Spirit’s
influence in a yielded heart can work miracles. The fruit of "love" may be the
best example. We cannot produce the type of love God desires without the
leading and strength of the Holy Spirit.
The English word love has very broad meaning, but the Greek language was
very precise. The love which the Holy Spirit manifests in believers is agape.
This love is not a feeling, but a choice. It is the choice to be kind, to sacrifice,
to consideranother's needs greaterthan one's own (Philippians 2:3). Agape is
used in all of the “hard” love verses in the New Testament:
"Greaterlove has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends"
(John 15:13).
"Forthis is the message whichyou have heard from the beginning, that we
should love one another" (1 John 3:11).
“Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to
get anything back” (Luke 6:35).
"Forthis is the love of God, that we keepHis commandments; and His
commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).
It is because oflove that God carried out His plan to save the world: “ForGod
so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoeverbelieves
in Him shall not perish, but have eternallife” (John 3:16). It is only by love
that we can keepthe greatestcommandments:“Love the Lord your God” and
“love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).

Love is the greatestgiftGod can give. First Corinthians 13 says that agape is
patient. Agape is kind. Agape never fails. God desires to show His perfect,
selfless love to a world that is routinely confused about what true love is.
God’s children are the conduits of His love, as they are empoweredby the
Holy Spirit. GOTQUESTIONS.ORG
Fruit of the Spirit: Love
by Eddie Foster
Love is probably the most well-knownfruit of the Spirit, but it is also
probably the most misunderstood. How do we make sure we are
demonstrating real love?
Think of all the ways the word love is used today: “I love you, man.” “I’m
falling in love!” “Only true love can break the spell.” “I love this chocolate.”
“Tellyour sisteryou love her and are sorry for hitting her.” “I don’t love you
anymore.” “If you loved me, you would let me ….”
What is love?
“Love” has been horribly abusedin today’s world. It has wrongly been used
to describe selfish sexuallust. It’s been given as an excuse for passively
enabling terrible sins to continue in the lives of loved ones. It’s been seenas an
uncontrollable emotion that leads to destructive behavior, or as empty words
thrown back and forth with no substance.
The love that is listed as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 is much
different. It is translated from the Greek word agape, usedhere to express the
highest form of love that comes through the Holy Spirit. The love we are

supposedto be demonstrating must be a godly love, which comes from God,
the being who personifies this attribute.
Notice 2 John 1:6, “This is love, that we walk according to His
commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the
beginning, you should walk in it” (emphasis added throughout).
The love Christians are expectedto demonstrate as a fruit of the Spirit is
basedon the two greatcommandments: love God and love your neighbor
(Matthew 22:35-40). Love canbe defined as outgoing concerndemonstrated
by following the commandments Godhas written in the Bible. The 10
Commandments show both how to have a true relationship with the Creator
(appropriate respectand worship practices)and how to interact with and
treat other human beings (avoiding what the Bible calls sin, which destroys
relationships).
What is love? Love is a greatgift from God. The Bible tells us that love suffers
long, is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not
behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not
rejoice in iniquity, rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things and never fails (paraphrasedfrom 1
Corinthians 13, often called the Love Chapter).
Becoming more like God
God is love. The apostle John describes this: “Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He
who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).
God loved the world so much that He gave up His Son to face torture and
crucifixion, taking the penalty of sin on Himself, so that we might have our
sins forgiven and have accessto His Holy Spirit (John 3:16). Those who say
they are Christian and who strive to walk as Christ walked(1 John 2:6)
realize that God wants us to demonstrate the selflessnessoflove because He
wants us to become more like Him.
Humanity has tried for thousands of years to get by without loving God or
loving one another, and it hasn’t worked. The world is full of misery, pain,

death, suffering and many other horrible realities. The world’s version of love
unfortunately does not come from God, but rather from Satan, an embittered
fallen angelwho will stop at nothing to twist anything goodGod has given to
man.
Why does God want us to demonstrate love? It is who and what He is, and He
wants us to experience that and show those around us that they don’t have to
settle for Satan’s mirage of shallow or twistedlove.
An example of love to follow
A goodexample of love for our fellow man and love for God can be found in
how Jonathanbehaved toward David (found in 1 Samuel 18-20). It was a
difficult time. David had been chosenby God as the next heir to the throne of
Israel; and Jonathan’s father, King Saul, hated this.
Jonathan’s father was seeking to kill David. But Jonathan’s unselfish love
toward David was so greatthat he did not resentor hate David for being
chosenby God, insteadof him, as heir to the throne. He also defied his
father’s sinful behavior, putting a higher value on love to God and outgoing
concernfor his friend (what is right) than loyalty to a family member bent on
sinning.
The example of Jonathanflies in the face of so many modern notions of love.
Jonathandidn’t enable sin to please others. He didn’t help only if it was a
benefit to him, and he didn’t leave God out of the picture.
An example to avoid
A very sad example of the wrong kind of love can be found in the story of how
one of David’s sons, Amnon, “loved” his sister. The story is found in 2 Samuel
13, and it occurredmany years into David’s reign as king of Israel.
Amnon let his heart and sexuallust guide him to the point of being physically
ill because he could not possesshis sisterTamar. When he finally had
opportunity, he raped her and then immediately afterward spurned her,
apparently forgetting how much he “loved” her. Even aside from the horrors

of rape, Amnon’s “love” was nothing of the sort. It was selfish, sinful and
certainly damaging.
The outcome of this was devastating to Tamar, who lived the restof her days
in isolation. Amnon also earnedthe hatred of his half-brother Absalom, who
later murdered him.
Amnon’s “love” didn’t care that rape is a sin and that there would be dire
consequences. Itled him awayfrom God and awayfrom basic decency. Even
modern societywould look at this example and be appalled. Unfortunately,
most today would not make the connectionbetweenAmnon’s selfish and
physical/sexual-only view of love and the views permeating modern society.
Love self-examination questionnaire
What is my definition of love? Does it coincide with what God has revealed?
Do my actions show God’s love? Or do my actions show the world’s idea of
love? Why?
Does my love mainly benefit me? Or does my love largely benefit others?
Do I love God more than any human being? What evidence in my life shows
this?
How do we demonstrate more love?
It wouldn’t be too much of a stretchto guess that love is the most important
fruit of the Spirit, simply considering that God is love. So how do we show
more of it?
Continually ask questions in our heads regarding our actions. (Was that
actionloving to God? To my neighbor?)
Write down selfishthoughts when we catchthem and determine how to
change the thinking from inward to outward. (For example: “I don’t have
time for his problems—I just need some ‘me’ time” compared to “My friend
needs someone to listen to his problems right now, so I’ll stick around a little
while to help him out if I can.”)

Study and internalize God’s 10 Commandments (instructions about how to
love God and our fellow man), and then strive to follow them every day of our
lives.
Modern societypromotes wrong types of “love” that have done everything
short of completely destroying humanity. Christians are to be the beaconof a
different love, a love that will ultimately save
humanity.https://lifehopeandtruth.com/god/holy-spirit/the-fruit-of-the-
spirit/fruit-of-the-spirit-love/
Love – Fruit of the Spirit Bible Verse
By: MichaelBradley
Last updated on: November19, 2018
If I had to rank all of the above fruit of the Spirit in their order of possible
importance, the quality of love would have to be #1. And this is why it may
have been listed as the first fruit in the above Scripture verse.
Due to the extreme importance of just this one quality, I am going to do
another article on this quality and title it “The Powerof Love.”
This article will also be listed in the SanctificationSectionof our site.
There are some very powerful and profound verses from the Bible on just this
one quality alone, and it needs to have its own article to do it proper justice.
Here are some of the different definitions on what love is from the different
Bible Dictionaries and Commentaries:
Unselfish, benevolent concernfor another; brotherly concern;the object of
brotherly concernor affection

The self-denying, self-sacrificing,Christ-like love which is the foundation of
all other graces
Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concernfor the wellbeing of another
The high esteemwhich God has for His human children and the high regard
which they, in turn, should have for Him and other people
To love, to have affectionfor someone;to like; to be a friend; the love of
brothers for eachother
One of the main messagesthat comes through loud and clearfrom studying
our Bible is the extreme importance that God the Fatheris placing on that
everyone learn how to love Him, love ourselves, love one another, and to even
go as far as to be able to love our enemies and those who will try and hurt us.
However, our abilities as fallen humans to love one another is very limited.
This is why it is so important for eachand every Christian to work very
closelywith the Holy Spirit to getthis fruit workedup into the core of our
personalities.
It is only when the love of the Holy Spirit starts to flow and enter into our
personalities canwe even begin to love God, love ourselves, and love one
another to the degree and to the intensity that God would really like to see
from eachone of us.
To those of you who will be entering into this sanctificationprocess withthe
Lord – this quality should be listed as the #1 quality you should really attempt
to put on into the core of your soul and personality.
The Holy Spirit will be moving on you very early and very quickly to get this
quality imparted into your mind, soul, and emotions due to the extreme
importance of it in your walk with the Lord.

You can be the greatestman of Godand have some of the greatestgifts of God
flowing through you – but if you are not walking with all of this in the spirit of
love and humility, it will have all been for naught.
Here is a listing of all the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit and the link to eacharticle
on the particular fruit.
Table of Contents:
An Introduction to The 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit
1. Love – 2. Joy – 3. Peace– 4. Longsuffering – 5. Kindness
6. Goodness– 7. Faithfulness – 8. Gentleness – 9. Self Control
Comments
14 Responsesto “Love – Fruit of the Spirit Bible Verse”
Readbelow or add a comment...
Newercomments are at the top.
andrew nande
- April 1, 2019 at11:26 pm
Expressing LOVE physically is genuine LOVE, emotional love is not fulfilling
enough. If we are truly willing to please LOVE HIMSELVE show love by our
actions
thank you for defining the gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT, really helped me
understand
GOD BLESS YOU
Reply
sonia

- November 8, 2018 at8:31 pm
The number 9 has appear in my dream I wanted to know what the lord was
trying to sayto me so as I began to researchand realized that is was the 9
fruit of the Spirit he wanted to study . it is so amazing the way how God speak
to us . Thank You Lord for exposing this to me so I can developa more
intermate relationship with you .
Reply
Jass
- November 2, 2018 at6:18 pm
As I learn to reverence the Holy Spirit completely, I find myself loving myself
and others more. It’s amazing how the power of the Holy Spirit will cause us
to move and be what we never thought possible.
Reply
JosephNwankwo
- October4, 2018 at8:39 pm
I thank GOD in JESUS NAME for HIS wonderful gift of the HOLY SPIRIT
to us for us to have the divine love of GOD to love as GOD wants us to love.
GOD’s kind of love is everlasting life. JESUS taught and practicedthis love.
May we practice divine love to the glory of GOD in JESUS NAME.
Reply
Marian
- March18, 2018 at5:30 am
I agree that love is the most important of the fruits of the spirit. If you don’t
have love then you won’t be able to receive anything else. GOD so love the
world that he gave his only son so that we could have a right to the tree of life.
we need to make it personaland say he did it just for me. Becauseofthe love
he shows us daily we must show love to others so that they can see christ in us
.

Reply
Hope Ibe
- December6, 2017 at9:30 am
Your article here has really blessedme!
Reply
Paralee Shivers
- August 1, 2016 at 7:04 am
Love is essentialin all of our lives! This is why we must model and teachlove
to our children at an early age. Manyof our spouses needto see love lived out
as well. All true Christians MUST remember we are “light” in a dark
world….Let’s keepshining and leading the loss to Christ by our “love” for
God, ourselves, andothers to the Glory of God.
Reply
Victor Omondi
- July 7, 2016 at 11:12 pm
*The first level is to love Lord God with all your heart,souland mind-Mathew
22:37.
*Secondlevelis to love your neighbour as yourself; it all starts within you not
being self centeredbut the power of self love drives you tove your neighbours
more.-Mathew 22:39.
*this is powerful that you love now your enemy.
*Now I see LOVE as a centerplace to all the other eight fruits.Continue in
God’s love forever Amen
Reply
Lynn Hall

- June 6, 2016 at12:38 pm
I am so grateful to find you site and to study and understand the definitions of
the Fruits of the Spirit in a much greaterdepth. I feel I was led to this site.
What I am learning–in Love for me–Godwants to enable me to do and be
what I cannot do and be all on my own.
How this works via Holy Spirit rising up from within when we cooperate in
our Sanctification.
3. What the Fruits look like…in greatdetail.
Thank you…it beautiful.
Reply
JohnsonOnyekachi
- May 20, 2016 at1:52 am
I totally concurred with you that love is the major and first to be considered
among the nine fruits of the holySpirit.
It is through the same LOVE Godhave on humans that He sent Jesus to come
and die so that we human will be reconciledwith him to remain in Love
through Jesus Christ.
It is also through that LOVE that Jesus even acceptedto come and die for our
sins.
Love plays unmeasurable role in Christian life.
1Corinthians chapter 13 explained major qualities of Love.
But in our world today humans has mistakenLove to lust due to the fruit of
flesh statedin the book of galatians 5:19-21.
I think if the whole world lives in love there will be peace and unity.
Reply

Mark Recny
- April 23, 2016 at8:54 pm
God is Love therefore since we have receivedLove. We must allow this Fruit
to grow deep within so that His charactercancome out of us.. Mark Recny
Reply
Emmerencia
- April 19, 2016 at6:26 am
I have to agree with the teaching that (what ever in what ever we doing) it
must be to glorify God our Father(serving his people and not only our
favourite) in meeknessand Love.
My greatesttestwas whenI had to pray for the person who calledme Her
enemy. I was reminded on the cross Jesus hadto cry to father in Heaven
FORGIVE them for they do no not what they are doing. He was not blind to
not see their wrong, but He understood that it was not about him and how he
feels;but so they who are in slave of fear be freed and see and receive the
Love God have for them.
I am getting emotional typing these, I have to agree there is always a perfect
will for His acts.
and I believe this is the heart we all must have for we have to be holly as our
Father in heaven is. thank you for sharing the truth with us God Bless
Reply
Hermann Boshoff
- June 23, 2015 at8:11 am
Hi,
I do agree 100%that love must come first of all other fruits of the HOLY
SPIRIT for Love is the main action of the greatand main command, Matthew
22:37-38:

“37. And he saidto him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38. This is the greatand
first commandment. 39. And a secondis like it: You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.”
Love puts GOD first and all the rest of the fruits follows. Whenany one or
more of the nine fruits mentioned flow through one’s live it is also been given
to GOD Himself: Matthew 25:40
“40. The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the
leastof these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ”
Thanks and JESUS’blessings foryou!
Hermann Boshoff
Reply
Bobby L.Warren
- March30, 2015 at6:54 am
Truly grateful for your committed work.And it is at this point of my study
that I have found your work to be a veary compassionateblessings to me as
I’m sure to many other. Thanks
https://www.bible-knowledge.com/love-fruit-of-the-spirit-bible-verse/
How Does the Spirit Produce Love?
And Why He Does It This Way
Article by John Piper

Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org
The Holy Spirit is God. He has the powerto create love in our hearts any way
he pleases. Why then does he create that love only through our conscioustrust
in the promises of Jesus?
That is what he does. According to Galatians 5:22, “The fruit of the Holy
Spirit is love.” So it is clearthat the Holy Spirit is the one who produces
genuine love in the heart. But Galatians 5:6 says, “In Christ Jesus neither
circumcisionnor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through
love.” This means at least that love comes from faith. Faith “works through
love.”
So which is it? Is love produced by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22)? Or is
faith the thing that produces love (Galatians 5:6)?
Galatians 3:5 shows how the two sources oflove fit together. Paulasks
rhetorically, “Does[God]then, who provides you with the Spirit and works
miracles among you, do it by the works ofthe law, or by hearing with faith?”
This means (at least)that the powerful work of the Spirit in our hearts is not
owing to works oflaw but to hearing with faith. So the way that faith and the
Spirit combine to bring about love is that the Spirit works his miracles
(including love) through faith. When we exercise faith, the Holy Spirit is
flowing in the channel of that faith with love-producing power.
But let’s be more precise. It says that the Spirit works miracles through
“hearing with faith.” In other words, the faith that brings the Spirit is faith in
something heard. It is faith in God’s word, the gospel. Which means it is faith
in all that God promises to be for us in Christ. When we read or hear a
portion of God’s promise to us in Christ, and we believe it, that is, we trust
and rest in it and are satisfiedby it, then the Holy Spirit is flowing to our
hearts and love is being produced.
So we see that the Holy Spirit does not produce the fruit of love apart from
faith in Jesus and his word. Particularacts of faith in his promises bring
empowerments of love. Now the question rises, Why? Why does the Spirit

limit himself to bring about love only through conscious faith in the word of
Jesus?
The answerseems to be that the Holy Spirit loves to glorify the all-satisfying
dependability of Christ and his Word (John 16:14: “[The Spirit] shall glorify
me”). If the Holy Spirit simply caused acts of love in the human heart without
any clear, ongoing causalconnectionbetweenlove, on the one hand, and faith
in Christ’s promises, on the other hand, then it would not be plain that
Christ’s all-satisfying dependability is honored through love. But the Spirit is
utterly committed to getting glory for Jesus. Therefore,he keeps himself
quietly beneath the surface, as it were, and puts forward “hearing with faith”
as the conscious causeoflove.
You can see this againin John 7:37-38, “Jesus criedout, saying, 'If any man is
thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture
said, From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'" The next
verse says that this river of life-giving water flowing out from us is the Holy
Spirit. And surely he is flowing out in love. Which means again, then, that the
Spirit produces love where Jesus is trusted, that is, where Jesus is found
satisfying like a fountain of water.
Conclusion:When you want to become a loving person, by all means pray for
the transforming and empowering work of the Holy Spirit. But also take down
your Bible and look to Jesus in his word. Meditate longingly on his promises
until he satisfies your heart with all that God is for you in him. When that
happens, the Spirit and his fruit of love will flow.
Looking to Jesus’powerand love,
PastorJohn
The Fruit of the Spirit - Love
The Ground From Which Spiritual Fruit Springs

Postedon May 3, 2008 by Don HooserEstimatedreading time: 11 minutes
When God's Spirit is at work in a person, amazing things happen. The
person's whole life blossoms and bears beautiful fruit. And the most
wonderful fruit of all is the giving and receiving of true love.
Eli Defaria/Unsplash
Spiritual fruit doesn’t emerge from nothing. It springs forth from a rich,
fertile, nourishing source—fromthe kind of outgoing concernfor others that
the Bible defines as true love.
People long to love and be loved. Considerthe countless love stories, songsand
poems that have been written! Romanticists sing the praises of love, as in the
song “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing!” It seems the world is in love with
love.
The word love canmean many things, as can be seenfrom the numerous
dictionary definitions. We also find many kinds of love in the Bible.
Love usually refers to strong feelings, and feelings are important. God wants
us to really feel love for Him and for other people. But we will see that God
also wants us to experience a greaterlove that transcends human emotions.
Many people go through life receiving very little human love. However, God’s
plan is for every personto eventually experience His love flowing to him and
through him—so fully that eachcan honestly say, “My cup runneth over with
love.”
Ironically, when people are desperatelytrying to understand the “mystery of
love,” they seldomread the greatestbook everwritten about relationships, the
Holy Bible. If you study it for yourself, you will learn far more about love than
we can coverin this introduction to the subject. This brief look is meant to
help you getstarted.
The greatestlove and examples of love

Many of the examples of human love in the Bible didn’t involve any special
help from God. Even without His help, people can have a grateful type of love
and appreciationfor their Creator.
But the Bible also reveals how we can experience love for God and love for
people that far exceeds mere human capability! This highest and purest form
of love is God’s divine and sublime love that He offers to share with us!
In fact, love summarizes and epitomizes the ultimate nature of God. “He who
does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8, emphasis
added throughout). We can learn about love from Love Himself. God wants to
transform us so that our characteris also defined by love.
First, considerGod’s decisionto create human beings. He didn’t need us. And
God knew what to expect initially from His waywardcreatures—mostlygrief.
But because ofGod’s desire to share everything with others, He is creating
“sons and daughters” for His expanding family (2 Corinthians 6:18).
Even before creation, Godthe Fatherand the One who became Jesus Christ
knew that to transform human beings spiritually and bring them into the
Kingdom of God, Christ would have to sacrifice His life for humanity’s sins
(Hebrews 10:12; Revelation13:8).
“ForGod so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That
greatest-everdemonstrationof love was the ultimate sacrifice Godthe Father
and Jesus Christ made for eachof us.
What was “new” about the love Jesus Christ taught?
The two “greatcommandments” Jesus emphasizedwere not new. Contrary to
what many people think, the Old Testamentis full of teachings about love. But
Jesus Christ taught a whole new level of love and set a never-before-seen
example of love! Let’s see what was new about it.
A man well-versedin scriptural law, trying to testJesus, askedHim which
was “the great[most important] commandment in the law” (Matthew 22:36).

Jesus answered, “Youshall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
This is the answerthe lawyer probably expected, since Jesus was quoting from
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, a passage knownas the Shema (after the first Hebrew
word in it), which had become the Jewishconfessionoffaith, recited twice
daily by the pious.
But Jesus then went beyond what was specificallyasked, saying, “And the
secondis like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:39).
This was not a new commandment, since Jesus was quoting Leviticus 19:18.
But it seems the Jews had not coupled it with Deuteronomy 6:5 as another
“great” commandment. Therefore, the first thing we notice is that Jesus
raised“love your neighbor” to a much higher level of importance.
Jesus also expandedthe conceptof “who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). He
told the parable of the goodSamaritan, which shows that God wants us to
regard everyone as a “neighbor” we would gladly assistin any waywe could.
We are to be neighborly to all, regardless ofrace, nationality or socialclass
(Luke 10:30-37).
Nowhere does the Old Testamentsay, “Hate your enemy,” but that had
become the traditional thinking by Jesus’day (Matthew 5:43). Jesus then
shockedeveryone by saying the opposite:“But I say to you, love your enemies,
bless those who curse you, do goodto those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). This was a “hard
saying” and revolutionary, as it is completely contrary to human nature.
When the Bible speaks oflove, note that love has more to do with what we do
than what we think or feel. For example, considerthe Golden Rule (Matthew
7:12), usually paraphrasedas:“Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you.” Works are more important than words, although what we sayis an
extremely important part of how we treat people (James 2:22-26).
Interestingly, this emphasis on action and commitment is indicated by Jesus’
choice of Greek words. Usually Jesus usedthe most generalword for love—
agape as a noun or agapao as a verb—which implies thought-out decisions

and determined effort to show love. OccasionallyHe used phileo, which
implies affectionate feelings.
Understanding how the word hate is often used in the Bible helps us to
understand the meaning of love. Both usually emphasize action. Treating
someone badly is equated with hate and treating someone wellis equated with
love.
Therefore, whenJesus said, “Love one another,” He meant for us to show love
even when it is not natural or easy—evenwhenthe other person is not
appreciative or responding. When Paulwrote, “Husbands, love your wives”
(Ephesians 5:25), he meant that we should treat our wives lovingly all the
time, even when we don’t feel like it. And generally, the more we show love,
the more we will feel love.
Christ’s perfect example of love
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34, New
International Version). What was “new” aboutit? The secondhalf of the
verse explains: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Jesus’teachings aboutlove setthe highest standards ever (Luke 6:27-38). And
He backedthem up with His perfect example, showing a love greaterthan the
world had ever seen!
First, considerhow Christ was willing—for the sake ofmankind—to sacrifice
His heavenly glory and powerto be incarnated as a mere human being
(Philippians 2:5-11).
Second, He continually “wentabout doing good” for everyone as a humble
servant—teaching, encouraging, healing the sick, comforting the oppressed
(Acts 10:38; Matthew 8:1-17). He “did not come to be served, but to serve”
(Matthew 20:28).
Jesus said, “Greaterlove has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for
his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus laid down His time and energycontinually,
and then laid down His very life for His beloved. He was willing to go through
the most terrible suffering and then death—for eachand every one of us.

So we see from Christ’s teachings and example that godly love is deep
outgoing concernfor and generous giving to others. And it is a continual
willingness to be self-sacrificing so we can assistothers. It is the opposite of
selfishness andself-centeredness.
Learn to love as God loves
We canlearn how to love God and to love others by following the Bible’s
examples, teachings and laws. “Forthis is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).
God showedHis love to us by giving us His perfectlaws. We show our love for
God by obeying those laws. The first four of the Ten Commandments tell us
how to love God and the last six tell us how to love our fellow man.
Other biblical laws give us further details on how to apply the Ten
Commandments. To understand all this and why the author of Psalm119
exclaimed, “Oh, how I love Your law!” (Psalms 119:97), readthe free booklet
The Ten Commandments .
We canalso learn godly love by being in fellowship with other believers in
God’s Church. True Christians are to love all people, plus they are to have a
speciallove for eachother. We “ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”
(1 John 3:14-18).
Jesus made it clearthat the main way we show our love for Godis by acts of
mercy and service to His other children. Jesus said, “Inasmuchas you did it to
one of the leastof these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40;
compare 1 John 4:20-21).
The original Christians were wonderful examples of ideal brotherly love (Acts
2:41-47;Acts 4:31-37). Jesus saidthat “love for one another” was to be the
primary distinguishing feature of His disciples (John 13:35).
1 Corinthians 13: The Bible’s “Love Chapter”
One Bible chapter—1 Corinthians 13—is aptly knownas the love chapter
since it gives us a beautiful description of what godly love is like!

The fruit of God’s Spirit is love
Our human efforts alone can never produce godly love. But the goodnews is
this: People canhave the divine-type love towardGod and toward other
people if— if —they have the indwelling of God’s Spirit.
The apostle Paulreferred to it as “the love that comes from the Holy Spirit”
(Romans 15:30, Contemporary English Version). He said God’s Spirit is the
Spirit “of powerand of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
To the Galatians he wrote, as we are exploring in this article series, that “the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [patient endurance],
kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”(Galatians 5:22-23).
Love tops the list because it is first in importance! It also encompassesallthe
other aspects ofthe fruit of the Spirit.
The previous article in this series explains God’s Holy Spirit. The key
scripture on how to attain God’s Spirit is Acts 2:38, which says, “Repent, and
let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
[forgiveness]of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
For those of us who have receivedGod’s Spirit, “Godhas poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5, NIV). We begin with a little
love, but God helps us to keepgrowing until we have a lot of love. In fact the
previous verses outline the step-by-step growth process made possible by
God’s love and Spirit (Romans 5:1-5).
By His Spirit, God offers us a continual supply of His limitless love. He
continually fills our wells so that we have plenty to give to other thirsty people.
An analogyChrist used is that His love is like a river that comes from the
greatSource and will flow through us (John 7:38).
God will keepHis love flowing into us as long as it keeps flowing out from us.
It must flow back to God—a grateful, reciprocal, responsive love for God—
and it must flow out in love and service to other people. The more you give it
away, the more you will have. And the more you love others, the more you will
be loved.

Loving in a world of hate
When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he was alarmed that bad influences were
causing them to lose their love for one another (Galatians 5:13-26 - Galatians
6:1-10). They were exhibiting more “works ofthe flesh” than the “fruit of the
Spirit.” Today, the influences towardhatred and selfishness are evenworse.
Paul wrote that “in the last days, perilous times shall come. Formen shall be
lovers of their own selves . . . without natural affection. . . lovers of pleasures
more than lovers of God . . .” (2 Timothy 3:1-4, King James Version).
And Jesus, foretelling conditions in the end time, said that “because
lawlessnesswill abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).
All around us we see indifference, resentment, anger, abuse and even cruelty.
There is more loneliness and heartbreak in the world than real love.
But the return of Jesus Christ will bring about the fulfillment of this prophecy
of Ezekiel36:26:“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh”—
that is, a soft, yielding heart instead of a hard, stubborn heart.
In the meantime, we can swim upstream againstthe world’s influence. With
God’s Spirit, eachof us can be a light of love in the midst of the darkness.
God initiates—letus respond
All true love comes ultimately from God: “We love Him because He first loved
us” (1 John 4:19). God takes the lead in establishing the relationship.
God’s calling is like a marriage proposal. It is up to us to respond by humbly
submitting and committing to Him. If we do, God will love us forever and will
forever fill us with His love.
When God’s people are “led by the Spirit of God,” that Spirit produces
wonderful and abundant “fruit to God” (Romans 8:14; Romans 7:4).
Don Hooser
United Church of God Pastor

In what way is love a fruit of the Holy Spirit?
Philippians 2:13 points out a spiritual truth that we too often forget: "for it is
God who works in you, both to will and to work for his goodpleasure."
Obedience, maturity, and successfulministry are only possible when we allow
God to work through us. This truth needs to be kept in mind when
contemplating the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. The "fruit"—
or end results of work—is ofthe Spirit. It is not of our own effort.
First on the list of the Spirit's work in a believer's life is "love." This is not the
lust of eros or even the brotherly affectionof phileo. This is agape, the hard,
sacrificialchoice that sent Jesus to the cross (John15:13). The most complete
description of agape is found in 1 Corinthians 13:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy
gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand
all mysteries and all knowledge, andif I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give awayall I have, and if I
deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gainnothing. (vs. 1-3)
These three verses speak ofreligionand ministry. Dynamic preaching,
limitless knowledge, unshakeable faith, and even extreme charity are nothing
without a conscious choiceto seek the welfare of another beyond one's self.
Jesus made this point to the Pharisees in Luke 1:42-44—theytithed
relentlesslyand covetedthe respectof public ministry but disregarded"the
love of God." As Jesus taught in Matthew 6:5 and 16, when Christian ministry
is performed for the purpose of garnering attention, that attention is all the
reward that will be given; God will not reward acts done for selfish motives.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast;it is not arrogantor
rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does
not rejoice atwrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
These verses delve more deeply into the characteristicsofagape. The
sacrificialchoice to love is above honor and pride. Agape love choosesto be
kind and patient in the face of insult. It is humble despite others' arrogance.It
doesn't worry about honor or revenge. Becauseagapelove is empoweredby
the Holy Spirit, it canignore worldly values and focus on the hope that others
will come to God, as well.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away;as for tongues, they
will cease;as for knowledge, itwill pass away. For we know in part and we
prophesy in part, but when the perfectcomes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasonedlike
a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. Fornow we see in a
mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know
fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide,
these three; but the greatestofthese is love. (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)
The lastsectionof 1 Corinthians 13 speaks ofthe permanence of agape love.
Some gifts are temporary, but there will always be love. In eternity, when we
have glorified bodies with sinless minds, the Holy Spirit will be able to
manifest His characterin us even more. "Godis love" (1 John 4:8). It is
essentialto His nature, and when we love—whenwe seek to benefit others
with no regard for the costto ourselves—weshow that we know God.

Nothing can artificially manufacture the love of God in us. Love is a fruit of
the Spirit. It grows in His presence. As we allow Him to change us, we can love
God and love others as we should. "If we love one another, God abides in us,
and his love is perfected in us" (1 John 4:12b).
https://www.compellingtruth.org/love-fruit-Spirit.html
"THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE."
Bible / Our Library / Classics/ Absolute Surrender and Other Addresses /
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ABSOLUTE SURRENDER. SEPARATED UNTO THE HOLY GHOST.
I want to look at the fact of a life filled with the Holy Spirit more from the
practicalside, and to show how this life will show itself in our daily walk and
conduct.
Under the Old Testamentyou know the Holy Spirit often came upon men as a
Divine Spirit of revelation, to revealthe mysteries of God, or for power to do
the work of God. But He did not then dwell in them. Now, many just want the
Old Testamentgift of power for work, but know very little of the New
Testamentgift of the indwelling Spirit, animating and renewing the whole life.
When God gives the Holy Spirit, His greatobjectis the formation of a holy
character. It is a gift of a holy mind and spiritual disposition, and what we
need above everything else, is to say:
"I must have the Holy Spirit sanctifying my whole inner life if I am really to
live for God's glory."
You might say that when Christ promised the Spirit to the disciples He did so
that they might have power to be witnesses.True, but then they receivedthe

Holy Ghostin such heavenly powerand reality that He took possessionof
their whole being at once and so fitted them as holy men for doing the work
with poweras they had to do it. Christ spoke of powerto the disciples, but it
was the Spirit filling their whole being that workedthe power.
I wish now to dwell upon the passagefound in (Gal. 5: 22:
"The fruit of the Spirit is love."
We read that "Love is the fulfilling of the law," and my desire is to speak on
love as a fruit of the Spirit with a twofold object. One is that this word may be
a searchlightin our hearts, and give us a test by which to try all our thoughts
about the Holy Spirit and all our experience of the holy life. Let us try
ourselves by this word. Has this been our daily habit, to seek the being filled
with the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of love? "The fruit of the Spirit is love." Has
it been our experience that the more we have of the Holy Spirit the more
loving we become? In claiming the Holy Spirit we should make this the first
objectof our expectation. The Holy Spirit comes as a Spirit of love.
Oh, if this were true in the Church of Christ how different her state would be!
May God help us to get hold of this simple heavenly truth, that the fruit of the
Spirit is a love which appears in the life, and that just as the Holy Spirit gets
real possessionof the life, the heart will be filled with real, divine, universal
love.
One of the greatcauses whyGod cannot bless His Church is the want of love.
When the body is divided, there cannotbe strength. In the time of their great
religious wars, when Holland stoodout so nobly againstSpain, one of their
mottoes was:"Unity gives strength." It is only when God's people stand as
one body, one before God in the fellowship of love, one towards another in
deep affection, one before the world in a love that the world cansee—itis only
then that they will have power to secure the blessing which they ask of God.
Remember that if a vesselthat ought to be one whole is crackedinto many
pieces, it cannot be filled. You cantake a potsherd, one part of a vessel, and
dip out a little water into that, but if you want the vesselfull, the vesselmust
be whole. That is literally true of Christ's Church, and if there is one thing we
must pray for still, it is this: Lord melt us togetherinto one by the power of

the Holy Spirit; let the Holy Spirit, who at Pentecostmade them all of one
heart and one soul, do His blessedwork among us. Praise God, we can love
eachother in a divine love, for " the fruit of the Spirit is love," Give
yourselves up to love, and the Holy Spirit will come; receive the Spirit, and He
will teachyou to love more.
I.
Now, why is it that the fruit of the Spirit is love? BecauseGodis love.
And what does that mean?
It is the very nature and being of God to delight in communicating Himself.
God has no selfishness, Godkeeps nothing to Himself. God's nature is to be
always giving. In the sun and the moon and the stars, in every flower you see
it, in every bird in the air, in every fish in the sea. Godcommunicates life to
His creatures. And the angels around His throne, the seraphim and cherubim
who are flames of fire— whence have they their glory? It is because Godis
love, and He imparts to them of His brightness and His blessedness. And we,
His redeemedchildren— God delights to pour His love into us. And why?
Because, as I said, God keeps nothing for Himself. From eternity God had His
only begottenSon, and the Fathergave Him all things, and nothing that God
had was keptback. "God is love."
One of the old Church fathers said that we cannot better understand the
Trinity than as a revelation of divine love—the Fatherthe loving One, the
Fountain of love; the Son the beloved one, the Reservoirof love, in whom the
love was poured out; and the Spirit the living love that united both and then
overflowedinto this world. The Spirit of Pentecost, the Spirit of the Father,
and the Spirit of the Son is love. And when the Holy Spirit comes to us and to
other men, will He be less a Spirit of love than He is in God? It cannotbe; He
cannot change His nature. The Spirit of Godis love, and " the fruit of the
Spirit is love."
II.
Why is that so? That was the one greatneed of mankind, that was the thing
which Christ's redemption came to accomplish:to restore love to this world.

When man sinned, why was it that he sinned? Selfishness triumphed — he
sought selfinstead of God. And just look! Adam at once begins to accuse the
woman of having led him astray. Love to God had gone, love to man was lost.
Look again: of the first two children of Adam, the one becomes a murderer of
his brother.
Does not that teach us that sin had robbed the world of love? Ah! what a
proof the history of the world has been of love having been lost! There may
have been beautiful examples of love even among the heathen, but only as a
little remnant of what was lost. One of the worstthings sin did for man was to
make him selfish, for selfishness cannotlove.
The Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven as the Sonof God's love.
"Godso loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon." God's Son
came to show what love is, and He lived a life of love here upon earth in
fellowship with His disciples, in compassionoverthe poor and miserable, in
love even to His enemies, and He died the death of love. And when He went to
heaven, whom did He send down? The Spirit of love, to come and banish
selfishness andenvy and pride, and bring the love of God into the hearts of
men. "The fruit of the Spirit is love."
And what was the preparation for the promise of the Holy Spirit? You know
that promise as found in the fourteenth chapter of John's gospel. But
remember what precedes in the thirteenth chapter. Before Christ promised
the Holy Spirit He gave a new commandment, and about that new
commandment He said wonderful things. One thing was:"Even as I have
loved you, so love ye one another." To them His dying love was to be the only
law of their conduct and intercourse with eachother. What a messageto those
fishermen, to those men full of pride and selfishness!"Learn to love each
other," said Christ, " as I have loved you." And by the grace of God they did
it. When Pentecostcame they were of one heart and one soul. Christ did it for
them.
And now He calls us to dwell and to walk in love. He demands that though a
man hate you, still you love him. True love cannot be conquered by anything
in heaven or upon the earth. The more hatred there is, the more love triumphs

through it all and shows its true nature. This is the love that Christ
commanded His disciples to exercise,
What more did He say? "Bythis shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another."
You all know what it is to weara badge. Many of you weara blue ribbon
badge, and everybody knows whatthat means. And Christ saidto His
disciples in effect:
"I give you a badge, and that badge is
LOVE.
That is to be your mark. It is the only thing in heaven or on earth by which
men can know me."
Oh! do not we begin to fear that love has fled from the earth? That if we were
to ask the world: "Have you seenus wearthe badge of love?" the world would
say: "No;what we have heard of the Church of Christ is that there is not a
place where there is no quarreling and separation." Letus ask God with one
heart that we may wearthe badge of Jesus'love. Godis able to give it.
III.
"The fruit of the Spirit is love." Why? Becausenothing but love can expel and
conquer our selfishness.
Self is the great curse, whetherin its relation to God, or to our fellow men in
general, or to fellow, Christians; thinking of ourselves and seeking our own.
Self is our greatestcurse. But, praise God, Christ came to redeemus from self.
We sometimes talk about deliverance from the self=life—andthank God for
every word that can be said about it to help us—but I am afraid some people
think deliverance from the self=life means that now they are going to have no
longerany trouble in serving God; and they forgetthat deliverance from
self=life means to be a vesseloverflowing with love to everybody all the day.
And there you have the reasonwhy many people pray for the powerof the
Holy Ghost, and they getsomething, but oh, so little! because they prayed for

powerfor work, and powerfor blessing, but they have not prayed for power
for full deliverance from self. That means not only the righteous selfin
intercourse with God, but the unloving self in intercourse with men. And
there is deliverance. "The fruit of the Spirit is love." I bring you the glorious
promise of Christ that He is able to fill our hearts with love.
A greatmany of us try hard at times to love. We try to force ourselves to love,
and I do not saythat is wrong; it is better than nothing. But the end of it is
always very sad. "I fail continually," such an one must confess. And what is
the reason? The reasonis simply this: Becausetheyhave never learned to
believe and acceptthe truth that the Holy Spirit can pour God's love into their
heart. That blessedtext; often it has been limited!---. "The love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts." It has often been understood in this sense:It means the
love of God to me. Oh, what a limitation! That is only the beginning. The love
of God is always the love of Godin its entirety, in its fulness as an indwelling
power, a love of God to me that leaps back to Him in love, and overflows to
my fellow men in love—God's love to me, and my love to God, and my love to
my fellow men. The three are one; you cannotseparate them.
Do believe that the love of Godcan be shed abroadin your heart and mine so
that we can love all the day.
"Ah!" you say, "how little I have understood that!"
Why is a lamb always gentle? Becausethat is its nature. Does it costthe lamb
any trouble to be gentle? No. Why not? It is so beautiful and gentle. Has a
lamb to study to be gentle? No. Why does that come so easy? It is its nature.
And a wolf—why does it costa wolfno trouble to be cruel, and to put its fangs
into the poor lamb or sheep? Because thatis its nature. It has not to summon
up its courage;the wolf=nature is there.
And how canI learn to love? Neveruntil the Spirit of God fills my heart with
God's love, and I begin to long for God's love in a very different sense from
which I have sought it so selfishly, as a comfort and a joy and a happiness and
a pleasure to myself; never until I begin to learn that "Godis love," and to
claim it, and receive it as an indwelling powerfor self=sacrifice;never until I
begin to see that my glory, my blessedness, is to be like God and like Christ, in

giving up everything in myself for my fellow= men. May God teachus that!
Oh, the divine blessedness ofthe love with which the Holy Spirit can fill our
hearts! "The fruit of the Spirit is love."
IV.
Once againI ask, Why must this be so? And my answeris: Without this we
cannot live the daily life of love.
How often, when we speak about the consecratedlife, we have to speak about
temper, and some people have sometimes said:
"You make too much of temper."
I do not think we canmake too much of it. Do you see yonder clock? You
know what those hands mean. The hands tell me what is within the clock, and
if I see that the hands stand still, and that the hands point wrong, and that the
clock is slow or fast, I saythat there is something inside the clock that is
wrong. And temper is just like the revelation that the clock gives ofwhat is
within. Temper is a proof whether the love of Christ is filling the heart, or not.
How many there are who find it easierin church, or in the prayer=meeting, or
in work for the Lord, diligent, earnestwork, to be holy and happy than in the
daily life with wife and children and servant; easierto be holy and happy
outside the home than in it. Where is the love of God? In Christ. God has
prepared for us a wonderful redemption in Christ, and He longs to make
something supernatural of us. Have we learned to long for it, and ask for it,
and expectit in its fulness?
Then there is the tongue! We sometimes speak of the tongue when we talk of
the better life and the restful life, but just think what liberty many Christians
give to their tongues. They say:
"I have a right to think what I like."
When they speak about eachother, when they speak about their neighbors,
when they speak about other Christians, how often there are sharp remarks!
God keepme from saying anything that would be unloving; God shut my
mouth if I am not to speak in tender love. But what I am saying is a fact. How

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