The Spirit of God and Its Fruits.
By W. A. Blakely
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law." Gal. 5:22, 23. MAN, the noblest of God's earthly creatures, was made in the image of his Creator, and endowed with reason and affection, and the moral faculties which give him a position far above the rest of the animal kingdom. The whole earth was placed under his control; and with everything pleasant around him, he might himself have lived happily and insured happiness to his posterity. Angels were his companions, and, having none of the imperfections caused by sin, he could study nature in all its beauty. But he sinned. Then down, step after step, went man, until, in some cases, he has sunk to the very lowest depths of degradation. Yet as soon as he sinned, and brought upon himself the condemnation of death, the plan of salvation was offered by which his lost inheritance could be regained. The "seed" (Christ) is to bruise the "serpent's" head (Gen. 3:15), and everything, even the enemies of Christ, are to be brought in subjection to him, even as it is written, for saith the Father to him, "Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool." Acts 2:34, 35; Heb. 1:13. "And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." Micah 4:8. Over and over again is the "dominion" promised to Christ, and through him to those who are heirs of the promise. As an earnest, or pledge, of the inheritance, the Holy Spirit is given (Eph. 1:14) and it acts an important part in the plan of salvation. Its first work is to convince the world of sin (John 16:8) and then if cherished by the individual it will produce in him the fruits spoken of in Galatians 5:22, 23. The first of these is love,—that love which ennobles man, makes him more like his Creator, and constitutes the real distinction between the true Christian and the unbeliever. This love is manifested only by the true people of God; they who abide in the Vine and allow the Spirit to work through them. In such it can be seen in all its beauty. It is one of the attributes of true moral character; and just to the extent that an individual is in harmony with the law of God, just to that extent will this love be exemplified in him. But this love which is the fruit of the Spirit should not be confounded with natural love, or that which is characteristic of all the animal creation, both man and beast. We find natural love in families, between husband and wife, parent and child, friends and associates, and in the patriotic citizen for his country. Such love may be developed to a very high degree and yet the possessor be almost destitute of the Spirit of God. It is never a sure evidence that because a man is a good husband, father, and citizen, that he is a Christian. These characteristics may be seen in the lives of the ungodly, but they also must be seen in the lives of true Christians. The presence of natural love does not prove that any one is a child of God, but its absence does prove that he is not one. But that this natural love has no direct connection with the Spirit of God is made evident by the fact that our domestic animals, and, indeed, all of the animal creation, have the same feelings more or less perfectly developed. But the higher love is set forth in the law of God, and is the very essential of morality. God, being the author of all morality, "is love," and the law being the complete expression of this morality, it "is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." 1 John 5:3; 2 John 6. The only way that this love can be perfected in us is by keeping the law, which is a transcript of the character of God, or his righteousness. Ps. 119:172; Isa. 51:6, 7. It is this that makes the difference between the Christian and the worldling. "Those who love God cannot harbor hatred or envy. When the heavenly principle of eternal love fills the heart, it will flow out to others, not merely because favors are received of them, but because love is the principle of action, and modifies the character, governs the impulses, controls the passions, subdues enmity, and elevates and ennobles the affections. This love is not contracted so as merely to include 'me and mine,' but is as broad as the world, and as high as heaven, and is in harmony with that of the angel workers. This love cherished in the soul sweetens the entire life, and sheds a refining influence on all around. Possessing it, we cannot but be happy, let fortune smile or frown. If we love God with all the heart, we must love his children also. This love is the Spirit of God. It is the heavenly adorning that gives true nobility and dignity to the soul, and conforms our lives to that of the Master. No matter how many good qualities we may have, however honorable and refined we may consider ourselves, if the soul is not baptized with the heavenly grace of love to God and one another, we are deficient in true goodness, and unfit for Heaven, where all is love and unity." Only those who are "led by the Spirit of God" (Rom. 8:14) can bear the fruits of the Spirit, and they are the children of God. This "earnest of our inheritance" worked in the Jewish dispensation the same as it does now. David prayed, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy way; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." The Spirit of God is mentioned over sixty times in the Old Testament, and the same work is ascribed to it that it performs in this dispensation. Wherever the fruits of the Spirit are manifest, there are children of God; and wherever true heavenly love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance are seen, we may know that they are the result of the Spirit's work. There are many who believe and teach that all that is necessary to salvation is to be affectionate in the family, and live a "moral" life. Do not even the Pharisees and publicans so? This can be, and often is, done by men of the world. They may live as did the young man who came to Christ (Matt. 19:16-22) and still fail of obtaining eternal life. But he that studies the moral law and by the aid of the Spirit makes his life conform to the life of Christ, which is the perfect pattern of the law, will reflect its beauty, and in him the fruits of the Spirit will be manifest in their perfection.