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Love and Spiritual Fruits

by Michael Russell

What is love?

There are many kinds of love, but one is unique to the child of God. It is God's love. The Greek word is "agape".

This true love is a testimony of God's presence in the Christian's life - John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

The well known verses, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, provide a definition of "agape" love. These verses can be summarized as follows:

• It is patient.
• It is kind and helpful.
• It is not jealous or have envy.
• It does not brag and isn't arrogant.
• It does not act rudely or scheme to get its own way.
• It is not selfish.
• It is not short of temper.
• It does not keep account of wrongs (carry a grudge).
• It does not find pleasure in wrongdoing. It does not approve of evil.
• It rejoices in the truth.
• It is not sidetracked.
• It is based on trusting God, looking for the best.

What I found the most interesting is the parallels between love and the fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit. Notice, the fruit of the Spirit is different than Spiritual Gifts. All believers should exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. However, we are given different Spiritual Gifts to apply toward the body of believers.

This essay was inspired by and borrows from Insights Newsletter, Vol 11, No 2, Feb 2001, by Chuck Swindoll.