The Fruit Of The Spirit As Seen In Christ

Feature 3 – September 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Fruit Of Spirit As Seen In Christ

One way to consider the fruit of the Spirit is to look at its nine-fold features in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him we see the perfection of this fruit.

1. Love
Having loved His own who were in the world, [He] loved them to the end. —John 13:1 JND
As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you: abide in My love. —John 15:9
The Son of God, who has loved me and given Himself for me. —Galatians 2:20

How great is the love of Christ for His own people! It led Him to give Himself for us. A rich man might give some of His wealth, a man of great worldly authority may delegate some of that authority to others, but our Savior gave Himself. As a hymn by B. G. Hardingham (1894–1973), “Lord Jesus, How Our Souls Adore,” says, “Thou gavest all that love could give!”

Who can comprehend the love of the Father for the Son? Yet, such is His love for us, His people! This love will never fade. He loves His own to the end* – not just up to the cross but even when He has us with Himself for all eternity. “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).

2. Joy
In the same hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I praise Thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth, that Thou hast hid these things from wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes: yea, Father, for thus has it been well-pleasing in Thy sight. —Luke 10:21
Jesus … in view of the joy lying before Him, endured the cross. —Hebrews 12:2

In Luke 10 the Lord Jesus spoke of the refusal of the cities where His mightiest works were done to repent. How very solemn. Yet, He can rejoice in spirit (His own human spirit), and praise the Father for hiding these things from the wise and prudent of the earth, while revealing them to babes, or young ones. What wonderful grace, that the truth of His person and work has been revealed to us!

We learn in Hebrews 12 about that joy set before our blessed Lord, for which He endured the cross. What was this joy? It was the joy of doing His Father’s will and of having His own special people redeemed to Himself (see Ti. 2:14).

Distinguishing joy from happiness is helpful. Happiness depends on circumstances: when good things happen, we may be happy; when bad things happen, we might be unhappy. Joy, by contrast, is not dependent on circumstances. The Lord has joy in spite of being rejected; He had joy even in enduring the cross. Dear fellow believer, we too can have joy despite pain or painful circumstances. Let us keep our eyes on the Lord, the source of our joy!

3. Peace
I leave peace with you; I give My peace to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it fear. —John 14:27

“I leave peace with you.” We believe this is the peace that Christ made at the cross. Colossians 1:20 says, “Having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

The Lord calls the second peace mentioned in John 14:27 ”My peace,” which speaks of His personal peace as the blessed Man in this world. He never was disturbed by circumstances; His feathers were never ruffled – to respectfully use our expression. He walked in peace through this world regardless of the circumstances He faced.

4. Longsuffering
Philip says to Him, Lord, show us the Father and it suffices us. Jesus says to him, Am I so long a time with you, and thou hast not known Me, Philip? He that has seen Me has seen the Father; and how sayest thou, Show us the Father? —John 14:8-9

What patience the Lord Jesus displayed toward the disciples and the religious leaders who opposed Him! Here the Lord lamented that after three and one-half years, Philip still did not know Him. With great patience, the Lord continued to instruct him and the other disciples.

The longsuffering of the Lord was shown in great measure to His earthly people Israel, even when they tried to catch Him in His words (Mk. 12:13; Lk. 11:54), they rejected Him (Jn. 1:11, 15:18; Mt. 23:37), they accused Him of having a demon (Jn. 7:20, 8:48), and they attempted to kill Him (Lk. 4:28-30; Jn. 8:59, 10:31).

5. Kindness
And there comes to Him a leper, beseeching Him, and falling on his knees to Him, and saying to Him, if Thou wilt Thou canst cleanse me. But Jesus, moved with compassion, having stretched out His hand, touched him, and says to him, I will, be thou cleansed. And as He spoke straightway the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. —Mark 1:40-42

What kindness, or “gentleness” (KJV), moved the heart of the Son of God. This man who came to Him was “full of leprosy” (Lk. 5:12 JND). He had no hope but in the Lord Jesus. The Lord did not send him away or tell him He was too busy.

So too now, the Lord is kind to us. His power and love remain the same, but He does not always heal in the same way. Dear fellow believer, His heart is the same – be assured of that fact! Yet as He told Paul, He might simply tell you that His grace is sufficient for you in your trial or thorn (2 Cor. 12:8-10). His grace and kindness is just the same for us today.

6. Goodness
Indeed ye have tasted that the Lord is good. —1 Peter 2:3

The statements “the LORD is good,” “Jehovah is good” or “He is good” are repeated in the Old Testament about 16 times and once in the New Testament. When Christ, who is Jehovah, came into this world, He displayed this goodness. The Lord Jesus could say in the language of the parable, “Is thine eye evil because I am good?” (Mt. 20:15). How good He was to the multitudes who came to Him in their need. “Blind men see and lame walk; lepers are cleansed, and deaf hear; and dead are raised, and poor have glad tidings preached to them” (11:5).

He never tired of showing His goodness to those around Him. This goodness extends to His people – the Church – today too.

7. Fidelity
He that has sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, because I do always the things that are pleasing to Him. —John 8:29

The Lord Jesus was faithful to His Father and to His own when He was here. He, and He alone, could ever say, “I do always the things that are pleasing to Him [the Father].” He displayed perfect fidelity, or faithfulness.

When Mary of Bethany was criticized by Judas and the other disciples for pouring the spikenard on Jesus’ head and feet (Mt. 26:6-13; Jn. 12:3-8), He immediately came to her defense. Still today our Lord is faithful to His Father in all that He does, and He is faithful to us who believe. We can count on Him; we can rest upon Him.

8. Meekness
Learn from Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart. —Matthew 11:29
The meekness and gentleness of the Christ. —2 Corinthians 10:1

Moses was said to be the meekest man of his day (Num. 12:3). But he still failed by losing his temper when the people cried for water (20:10-13). We rejoice that there was no such failure in our Lord.

It is sometimes said in the world that meekness is weakness. However, this is not true. Meekness is not demanding my own rights and my own way, and it can be described as power under control. We see both of these things in the life of our Lord. He was always ready to do His Father’s will and to stand up for His Father’s glory, but the Lord never sought His own rights here.

Because of His meekness “He is despised and left alone [or rejected] of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). One day our God and Father will see that His beloved Son will have His rights in this world. Some of us greatly enjoy Ezekiel 21:27, which says, “I will overturn, overturn, overturn it! This also shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it to Him.” The Father will overturn all this present order until our Savior comes to establish His kingdom in this world. To Him alone this right belongs!

9. Self-Control
When reviled, He reviled not again; when suffering, threatened not; but gave Himself over into the hands of Him who judges righteously. — 1 Peter 2:23

What self-control the blessed Lord showed throughout His life on earth. In spite of men’s hatred, He alone displayed His love and the love of God toward them (Ps. 109:4-5). As we consider the closing scenes of His life here, we truly marvel at the self-control He displayed. When the religious leaders of the Jews accused Him before Pilate, the Lord Jesus remained silent, so Pilate “wondered exceedingly” (Mt. 27:14). After all the abuse and torture the Lord received from the soldiers, He only said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). As the Creator and Sustainer of all things, He held their very breath in His power (Col. 1:16-17), but our Lord did not seek revenge upon them – what a lesson for us!

The day of judgment is coming when accounts will be settled with God, during the seven-year tribulation on earth (Rev. 6–19) and at the great white throne judgment (20:11-15). Sometimes the retributive judgment of God falls even now when a wicked man is cut off.

However, today is a time of grace and salvation, when our Savior God still invites all to come to Him. He is slow to anger (Nah. 1:3). Let us imitate Him, not seeking to take justice into our own hands but committing ourselves to our God and Father who will judge righteously. We read: “Recompensing to no one evil for evil … not avenging yourselves, beloved, but give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:17,19).

In Summary
For to this have ye been called; for Christ also has suffered for you, leaving you a model that ye should follow in His steps. —1 Peter 2:21

Let us follow in Christ’s steps more and more, displaying the same features of the fruit of the Spirit we have seen were in Him. In our personal lives, in our families, in the local gathering of Christians and in the world, may we truly live out more of Christ until we see Him face to face.

We echo the words of Revelation 22:20 (KJV), “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

ENDNOTE
* “To the end” (Jn. 13:1) here, according to Vine’s Dictionary, means “‘the utmost degree’ of an act, as of the love of Christ toward His disciples.”

By Kevin Quartell