The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity
and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies,
and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will
not inherit the kingdom of God.
ADULTERY is when married people are
unfaithful to their partners, such as a husband who has sex with another woman
— not his wife, or a wife who has sex with another man — not her husband.
FORNICATION is single
people having sex, but God has reserved it for married people only. The term is
therefore used for Illicit relationship between single or unmarried persons;
yet often signifying adultery also.
UNCLEANNESS is having dirty
habits, being untidy, not washing or bathing, and wearing dirty or smelly
clothes. It is also having a dirty mind or thoughts, watching dirty movies,
listening to dirty stories, etc. It is opposite to purity, can mean unnatural
practices like sodomy and bestiality.
LICENTIOUSNESS is acting,
talking, dressing, and behaving in rude, lustful, obscene, and disgusting ways
— such as using bad language and doing bad or lustful things.
WITCHCRAFT is all forms of
casting spells and enchantments, whether true or false. The word comes from
drug because in all spells and enchantments, whether true or false, drugs
(chemical or herbal) were employed. Spells and incantations were used sometimes
for the restoration of the health; at others, for the destruction of an enemy.
Sometimes, spells were used to procure love; at other times, to produce hatred.
is worshipping of idols,
frequenting idol festivals, worshipping false gods or false religions like New
Age or Satan Worship. Idolatry includes being crazy about sports, music, fun,
clothes, video games, etc. — anything else that you care about more than you
care about God. If you put money and wealth, pleasure and sexual affairs, or
fame and popularity above God, they are your idols, your gods.
OUTBURST OF ANGER is losing your
temper if you can’t get your own way, or someone upsets you.Anger is aversions
and antipathies and opposed to brotherly love and kindness
SELFISH AMBITION is wanting to
be number one all the time and being determined to make that happen, even if
you hurt others in doing so. This is a prime example of inflating oneself and
deflating God.
DISSENSIONS is always
disagreeing and being critical, complaining or putting down everyone, and also
drawing people away from others to join you, causing division between people.
HERESIES means going away from the
truth of God’s word and starting your own religion by making up your own rules.
It is using the Bible in a wrong way by distorting itand changing the real
meaning of it to suit yourself. The word, though harmless in itself, can
include scandals, offenses or stumbling-blocks.
ENVY is wanting what others have
and being upset that you don’t have it and then thinking that is unfair. This
is a sign of not being content with what you have and not being pleased that
God has blessed someone else. Envy is a passion that is the most base and the
least curable of all that disgrace or degrade the fallen soul.
MURDERS are not only the killing of
people — Remember, Jesus said, “If you are angry with your brother, without a
cause, you are guilty of murder in your heart” (Matthew 5:21-22). Today,
abortion is becoming widespread and common. Abortion is murder, the murder of
an unborn baby.
DRUNKENNESS. Many people,
including adults, young adults, and teenagers, think it is fun or cool to get
drunk, but God does not think so. Taking more wine or any kind of inebriating
substance makes a person unfit for public, domestic, or spiritual duties; even
the cares of the world, when they intoxicate the mind.
REVELRIES are wild parties,
lascivious feastings with obscene songs, music, etc. Unfortunately, people
indulge in these parties, and as a result, they reap what they sow. The results
of these wild parties often bring such devastating diseases and/or problems as
HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, pregnancy, and death to those who attend them.
God condemns those exhibiting
the vices listed above are not his children. Therefore, they will not inherit
the kingdom which belongs only to the children of the Divine family.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Scripture: Galatians 5:22-24
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there
is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature
with its passions and desires.
Persons who display the
vices of sinful nature will not inherit the kingdom of God while those who
exhibit the fruit of the spirit will receive eternal life. The fruit of the
spirit is the outward expression of the inner person, our relationship with
Christ shows by our outward character.
LOVE: The first spiritual fruit
is love (Greek agape). Love is essentially an unconditional affection towards others;
love is placed at the top of the list of Christian virtues because God is love.
Love is the intense desire to obey and please God, and to do good to mankind.
It is the very soul and spirit of all true religion. It is what gives energy to
faith itself.
JOY: The second is joy (Greek chara). Joy is a quality of
cheerfulness, the joy of Christians does not depend on our feelings and
circumstances. Christians are always joyful because they have eternal hope.
PEACE: The third is peace (Greek
eirene). Peace refers to inner contentment and our relationships with others,
especially with God. Peace is the calmness and guietness which takes place in
the justified soul, instead of the doubts, fears, alarms, and dreadful
forebodings,
PATIENCE: The fourth is patience
(Greek makrothymia). Patience is the virtue of endurance, it is closely related
to perseverance. Peace means long-suffering – bearing with the frailties and
provocations of others, from the consideration that God has borne long with
ours; and that, if he had not, we should have been speedily consumed:
KINDNESS: The fifth is kindness
(Greek chrestotes). Kindness is the quality of being considerate towards
others. It is the kindness brought by influence of the grace of God,
GOODNESS: The sixth is goodness
(Greek agathosyne). The term goodness denotes the willingness to be generous,
even to those undeserving. This springs from a good heart - a heart purified by
the Spirit of God; and then, the tree being made good, the fruit must be good
also.
FAITHFULNESS: The seventh is
faithfulness (Greek pistis). Faithfulness refers to the quality of
trustworthiness. The Greek term is sometimes translated as faith, the loyalty
to God and the Christian moral standard. Faithfulness is the conscientious
carefulness in preserving what is committed to our trust.
GENTLENESS: The eighth is
gentleness (Greek praytes). Gentleness is the virtue of behaving tenderly
towards others. This can be translated as meekness and applies to persons with
gentleness and humility.
SELFCONTROL: Finally, we
have self control (Greek enkrateia). This is the moral skill of managing our
desires and impulses. Self control is not asceticism; it is self mastery and
the strength to resist temptation.
Paul’s list of spiritual
fruit in Galatians 5 should not be recorded as exhaustive. There are many other
Christian virtues such as discernment, courage, gratitude, forgiveness and
wisdom. But his list of the fruit of the spirit is a sample of virtues which
are present in a mature Christian.
Galatians5:25
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the
Spirit."
