The Fruit of Love

The Fruit of the Spirit is probably one of the best known topics in Christianity. It is a common theme for sermons, Sunday school, vacation bible school, etc. But I think few people really understand what the fruit of the spirit really means. Of course the nine fruit are things which we are supposed to possess, but how? These two verses come at the end of a chapter talking about the world/flesh vs. the Spirit. If we are believers we are commanded to live by the Spirit and not live or walk according to the flesh (that is our own desires or what the world says we should have/do.) We should live our lives based on the Spirit of God, being led by Him in all our thoughts and actions. Paul then lists specific “fruit” which prove the tree to which we belong; the tree of the flesh or the tree of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is proof of who we are. It is something that God grows in us, and naturally flows from a life that is rooted in Him. That is not to say that we should just sit back and let God do all the work. The Bible clearly tells us to pursue those fruit in different ways. The process is two-fold.

The first fruit listed is love. I have already written about practical acts/ways of love and compared the world’s view of love with how God defines it. But today I want to look at love as an actual fruit of God. The Bible says that God is love. Love is an attribute of Him. It also says that they will know we are children of God by our love. It is a fruit that proves we are a tree of God.

1 John 4:7-12 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

Following the theme of gardens and plants, in order for us to bear the fruit of God, we must be rooted in God. If we are to have God’s love we must be rooted in God. We must seek God and His love. And we must seek not only to have/receive His love, but also to give it. We cannot produce love if we are not rooted in God. I can tell how close I am to God by my love for others. If I am irritable and critical, it is usually because I am not as close to God as I should be, because I have neglected prayer and reading the Bible regularly. It is similar to plants; one can tell how much a plant has been watered by how it grows. When it begins to wither and stop producing fruit, it is in need of water. So we, if we cease to seek God daily will wither and stop producing His fruit. We will stop loving.

How do we know if we really love God and others? I have asked this question many times. I don’t often “feel” love, but love is not primarily a feeling; it is an action. So how can we tell if we don’t feel it?

1 John 5:2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.

Love is obedience. We cannot love if we are disobedient because we serve the one we love. If we serve ourselves (instead of God or others) we prove that we love ourselves more. But if we serve God and others, at the expense of ourselves, we prove that we love them. Ultimately love is sacrifice. It is easy to do something for someone if it doesn’t cost us anything, especially if we gain something in return. But it is very difficult to do something for someone at great cost to ourselves, especially if we get nothing in return. That is true love.

Mark 12:28-31 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Love is the greatest commandment. Really, love is the summation of all the commandments. The Ten Commandments were not actually ten black and white laws to follow, but ten categories under which all of the 613 Jewish laws were categorized. But those ten categories were separated into two groups: Love God and Love others. To love others truly as God defines it should be our greatest motivation. If that is our only goal, to love God and others more than ourselves, then we will never transgress the law. If we were to selflessly, sacrificially love everyone, and do everything for the good of others and glory of God, we wouldn’t have to worry about obeying rules and keeping the law, because love would keep us on the right track. True, godly love always puts others first, always serves, always yields, always forgives. It is true, love can change the world, love can build a bridge, love can keep us together. But it has to be God’s love. And we can only have God’s love if we are rooted in God.

So what does your love look like? Is it selfless or self serving? Do you sacrifice yourself or others? What do your actions reveal about your love for God?