The Fruit of the Spirit Is or The Barren Fruit Tree of Christianity

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22,23)

I spent the first 50 years of my life in the Christian church. I spent 25 years pastoring churches in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. I have met thousands of Christians in my lifetime. Even now, three plus years removed from being a Christian, I continue to meet Christians and interact with them on this blog, through email, and on Facebook.

My exposure to the personal lives of hundreds of Christians allows me to draw some conclusions about Christianity. I include myself and my family in the sample set. For all their talk about being Spirit-Filled it seems that Christians are anything but.

According to the Bible, every Christian has the Holy Spirit living inside of them. The Holy Spirit is their teacher and guide. He teaches them everything that pertains to life and godliness. Why is it then that most Christians live lives contrary to the basic, foundational teachings of the New Testament? WWJD, what would Jesus do, is rarely a reality among Christians. Christians are commanded to follow the Lamb (Jesus) wherever he goes. How many times have Christians heard their pastor say, “we need to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.” Yet,any causal observer can see that most Christians seem to walk wherever the hell they want. If Jesus wants to follow along that’s ok, but if not, fine, because the mall has some great sales going on. Smile

The passage at the top of this post says, “the fruit of the spirit is.” The fruit of the spirit is the evidence, the proof that a person a Christian. Notice that it says IS. This is a very important word. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and Greek Dictionary, the word IS in this verse is “third person singular present indicative.” Simply put, the fruit of the spirit is not some lofty objective to hope for or aspire to. The fruit of the spirit is to be in evidence in every Christian’s life. Since the Holy Spirit lives inside every Christian, the fruit of the spirit should be readily evident in the lives of EVERY Christian.

The present tense, continuing life of the Christian should evidence the fruit of the spirit every moment of every day. With such a great power as God himself living inside them, surely this should not be a difficult way of life to maintain.

But what does reality tell us? It tells us that Christians are not much different than anyone else. It is chic these days for Christians to admit that they are just sinners saved by grace or that they are a work in progress. A popular bumper sticker says, Don’t judge me, God isn’t finished with me yet. However, such statements are directly contrary to what Galatians 5:22, 23 says.

The Bible is very clear…every Spirit-Filled Christian (and ALL Christians are Spirit-Filled, yes?) should evidence the following each and every day of their life:

  • love
  • joy
  • peace
  • longsuffering
  • gentleness
  • goodness
  • faith
  • meekness
  • temperance

A wonderful list of admiral character traits, to be sure. Every one of us would do well to strive to live lives that demonstrate these traits. However, we know, on our best days we fail miserably in demonstrating these character traits. We are, after all, humans.

Christians aren’t given the luxury of claiming they are human. Remember, the fruit of the spirit IS. There is no place in the Christian life for anything less that perfect obedience to the Christian God. After all, the Christian has EVERYTHING they need to live a life of perfection. Surely, God did not leave them lacking in any way….

Within Christianity we find many reactions to what I have have written above:

  • Some Christians believe in perfection. They are entirely sanctified and do not sin.
  • Some Christians think there are two classes of Christians, Ordinary, every day Christians and Spirit-Filled Christians. Most Christians are the former and very few ever attain to the latter.
  • Some Christians think they are saved by grace and how they live doesn’t matter. They are like the people the Apostle Paul mentioned, people who sin more so the grace of God may abound more.
  • Some Christians think that God gives a special anointing of the Spirit to some people. All the TV preachers have this anointing.(along with the ability to extract large sums of money from people’s bank accounts)
  • Some Christians believe in progressive sanctification. They believe that the Christian life is one, long process where sin is progressively dealt with and forsaken. It is a wash, rinse, and repeat kind of process.

All of these reactions, except the first one, reject the clear teaching and meaning of Galatians 5:22,23. Again, the fruit of the spirit IS!

Of course the first reaction is ludicrous. There is no such thing as a Christian who does not sin. The evidence of this is everywhere we look. Christians are no different than the rest of us.

Here’s a dirty little secret that many Christians don’t want non-Christians to know…..For all their talk about God, Jesus, and Spirit-filled living they live just like the rest of us. While they may be experts at putting on the good Christian face, underneath the façade they are no different than an atheist, Buddhist, or Democrat. Try as they might, they still live lives that are a mixture of good and bad actions.

My purpose here is not to poke at people who are followers of Jesus. All I am trying to do is knock them off their high horse and get them to see that they are not any different than the rest of us. I am trying to get Christians to see how offensive it is when they try to force their moral code on others when they themselves can’t even keep it. Even with God living inside of them, they “sin” just like everyone else.

Christianity would be better served if Christians presented their moral code, as one code among many, worth aspiring to and not as a “God says, Do this or else.” Not many atheists are going to disagree with Christians about the value of the character traits listed in Galatians 5:22,23. The world would be a far better place if we all tried to evidence these character traits (and others) in our lives.

Related posts:

  1. If Christianity Doesn’t Matter Why Do You Bother With It?
  2. You Can’t Judge Christianity By Product it Produces
  3. Christianity is the Only Rational Worldview says Dan Phillips
  4. A Few Thoughts About Christianity
  5. Millions of People are Christians so Christianity MUST be True.
  • Lynn123

    This whole thing with the Holy Spirit never made sense to me.  And boy did I take it seriously.  I worried for years that I had committed the unpardonable sin.  Why?  Because that’s the way my mind works.

    Anyway, my main point is the Holy Spirit is supposed to be sacred and powerful, yet seems to need so much help.  He doesn’t really change people (as we all can plainly see as we deal with Christians, who are just as unlovely as the rest of us.)  But the funny thing I saw yesterday was an ad online for some kind of church program that churches needed to purchase.  It said something like, “Let us help you accomplish the dreams God has for your church!”  Now if that’s not ridiculous, I don’t know what is!

    • Lynn123

      Another example of God or the Holy Spirit (who created the universe) needing some “hep.”  Why do so many not see the ridiculousness of this kind of thing?  I think it’s because they hear these phrases over and over all their lives in church, so they just don’t hear them with fresh ears anymore.

    • Jim Jones

      “… 
      the Holy Spirit is supposed to be sacred and powerful”

      The “Holy Spirit” is a translation. In the original, as far as I can tell, the “Holy Spirit” is more like the “Breath of Life”, or perhaps the “Life Force”. The ancients understood that it could leave the living – perhaps they believed it could be put in, or even put back in?

      • http://fallenfromgrace.net Bruce Gerencser

        Except that the Bible teaches differently. If you are going to be a Bible critic, Jim, you must work with the text. in the Greek text, Holy Spirit is two words. hagios pneuma

        So you are right about the last word Spirit but you fail to mention that hagios means sacred. So, the Holy Spirit is a sacred breath or a breath from the sacred.

        The word breath is only used one time in the NT and it translated from Greek word pnoe which means respiration. In one other place it is translated wind.

        In the Hebrew text there is one word for spirit and a different word for breath. (though there are some instances were the Hebrew word for breath is translated spirit.)

        • Jim Jones

          Clearly they had a meaning in mind. I simply can’t figure out what it is. Perhaps it’s a concept that can only be grasped ‘environmentally’, like the difference between ecru and eggshell. To me, the point isn’t the word itself, it’s the concept they are trying to express. After all, if it only means breath (or wind), why is it holy?

          • http://fallenfromgrace.net Bruce Gerencser

            The meaning is what the text says. Unless we have evidence that there was some secret agenda we should take the text at face value. Doing this requires us to look at how the words are translated in other books, verses of the Bible. We must view the big picture before we can look at a specific word. I was an expositional preacher so I spent a lot of time looking at word use.

            There are five Greek words that have the same root word. How they are used and translated gives us a fuller understanding of the English word Holy.

            Of course translators and the writers of the texts, are not neutral. The breath is holy because God is the giver of all things.

          • Jim Jones

            OK. But here’s my problem. You have this triumvirate, a sort of triple something. Now, even if you assume that for some reason God can’t come to earth (and there are many problems with that), if you assume he looks like Jabba the Hutt say and has to send himself as Jesus, what does the Holy Spirit add to it all? If you take it away, what’s missing from God or the God-Jesus combination?

  • Anne

    This article is another great example of why I am so glad I found your site!  You express the thnigs I am thinking and observing for myself, as well as help me sort out some of the residual cognitive disonance left over from my fundie days.  Thank you!

  • Jim Jones

    An old quote: “The problem with Republicans (and Christians) is not that they want us to say as they do. The problem is that they want us to do as they say”. (I hope I got that right).

  • http://jamesbradfordpate.blogspot.com/ James Pate

    I was about to write that the last option could be consistent with “the fruit of the Spirit is”, since one could argue that Christians have these attributes on some level, even if not perfectly.  But I notice some problems with that.  For one, everyone—-Christian and non-Christian—-has those attributes on some level, so how can Christians claim to have some edge that the rest of humanity lacks?  Second, if I have, say, 30 per cent patience, and 70 per cent impatience, can I really claim that I have patience?

  • http://www.amimental.blogspot.com/ Ami

    The pastor my dad took over from stood in the pulpit and declared that he is free from any sort of sin. That it’s been more than a year since the last time he sinned, and that he will never sin again.

    I guess he read Galatians?

    • Jim Jones

      That made me laugh out loud for real!

      • Lynn123

        That reminds me of a line in Big Mama’s House-”She’s” testifying in church-”We’ve all sinned,  Reverend. I’ve sinned at the Red Rose Motel, in the back of an El Camino….” 

    • Obiron

       Some Wesleyan denominations hold to such beliefs, and I suppose if you define ‘sin’ to mean ‘anything I do or think is right’, then they are sinless.  Jesus is often excused in such a manner (whatever he did was right, because he was sinless.)  The violence displayed in turning over the money changer’s tables is not sin according to Christians because by definition he is sinless.

      • Jim Jones

        Except that money is unclean so when he did this he polluted the temple environs (I am told). But the tale probably meant something different to the Greeks who wrote it.

        For what it’s worth, Gentiles ARE clean which led to an interesting discussion about brain eating Jewish zombies and zombies eating Jewish brains and which were clean or unclean.

  • Ann Bowen

    Luther says : 
    “ Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.”
    Luther’s Works, American Edition, V 48
    That’s kind of the way I’ve muddled through these 58 yrs or so of being a Christian. 
    We will never agree about religion, but you know Bruce, I will defend your right to say whatever you want as a believer in the Constitution of these here YoooKnighted States!

    • http://fallenfromgrace.net Bruce Gerencser

      My focus is on notion that Christians, because of their relationship with Jesus, are better people. The Bible says they should be but they are not. If one takes the Bible at face value there is a huge disconnect between what the Bible says and how Christians live. They have all of the things necessary to live “differently” but they don’t, yet, they demand that people, cultures, and societies live by their moral and ethical standard. This is hypocrisy on the grandest scale.

      • Jim Jones

        Their religion is like a cloak of sanctity and morality that they put on. But the person underneath doesn’t change. 

        There’s an old story about Fred Rogers which is probably not true but:

        Mr. Rogers drove the same old Chevy Impala for years — until one day the car was stolen. After filing a police report, every newspaper and media outlet in the area picked up the story, according to a story on CNN.

        Amazingly, within 48 hours the car was left in the exact spot where it was taken from, with an apology on the dashboard. It read, “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it.”

        People did recognize a man who walked the walk and didn’t just talk the talk.

      • Christopher Patrick Aro

        Yes, I agree with you Bruce. And Scripture is well aware of the possibility and reality for such hypocrisy. That’s why we have Romans 2, as well as the Seven Woes addressed to the Pharisees and keepers of the religious law, among other exhortations to focus on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, rather than point to the shortcomings of non-believers. 

        I see this kind of hypocrisy in my country all the time.People trying to ride the high moral horse simply because they SAY they believe in God. They go through all the rituals and wear all the trappings of religion hoping that people will let them get away with stuff because of it.

        But as you said, the fruit of the spirit IS. If you don’t have them, then you don’t have them. The fruit is proof of the tree. In other words: “It ain’t an apple tree if it don’t bear apples George.” :-)

        To be fair though, all religious movements have such people. In fact, human society in general have hypocrites: people who say one thing, yet do another. (I’d like to point the finger to politicians mostly, but I already have such a huge deficit on love these days that I’d rather focus on improving that aspect of my own behavior. :-))

        • Lynn123

          If you’re the type who worries heavily about doing right, etc., to me, this is not evidence that you ARE the real deal and others just THINK they’re the real deal.  It’s evidence of your temperament.  For example, you have two Christians.  One takes a pen from work and thinks nothing of it.  Another Christian takes a pen from work, and their conscience bothers them greatly.  I’d say this could very well be because of their inborn temperament, personality, or upbringing.

          I’ve met plenty of Christians who don’t take their sins seriously, yet are very sure they are Christians.  They don’t even worry about it.  They don’t have the fruits of the Holy Spirit, but are happy as larks and quite sure God approves of them.  Contrast that with an atheist who is mortified that they’ve hurt someone.  Different personalities.

          • Christopher Patrick Aro

            You’re absolutely right Lynn123! (Uh, are you a guy or a gal? Just clarifying for ease of reference. :-) )

            Many Christians (myself included of course) often fall into the trap of thinking that just because they KNOW God, that means they’re saved. A good Bible verse to point these kinds of Christians to is James 2:19.

            Now let me ask you, if a person claims he/she does not believe in any religion, and claims that morality is relative, to WHAT will you point him/her to to show whether he/she is behaving rightly or not?

          • Lynn123

            I’m a gal.  I think people have an idea of right and wrong that comes from their family’s values, their culture, plus their temperament.  I had great exposure to the Bible, so that’s my own starting point, combined with the other things above that greatly influenced what I did with the Bible information.  So with my sense of right or wrong that came from the above, I’d judge their actions accordingly.

            So I would have my opinions about their behavior.  Someone who’s very different from me and from another culture and background would judge them somewhat differently.  And if that person happened to be Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist or whatever, they would be influenced by other things-the Koran, the Hindu holy books, the Book of Mormon.  So they would point to those books, where I would point to the Bible cause that’s what influenced my conscience.

            If I had grown up as an atheist or humanist, I’d point them to the Humanist Manifesto or some other writing where someone gives their list of what they consider to be good human values-what’s “right” or “wrong.”

            I think most people (not psychopaths-or is it sociopaths) are born with a basic conscience that tells them from a very early age what’s right or wrong.  Of course this basic thing is greatly influenced by what their parents do with them from a very early age.