This is the 5th – and last – lesson in a month-long series on “The Fruit of the Spirit.” You can also download today’s lesson as a PDF. You can access previous lessons here: First, Second, Third, and Fourth.

When we began this study, I mentioned my lemon tree. How it budded and bloomed. How the little lemons began to grow. Six weeks later the lemons aren’t ready to harvest. The fruit is still growing; the lemons still green. Fruit production takes time. But I will drink lemonade!

Like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight. We must work consistently to crucify the old nature. We must continually refuse to give in to our fleshly desires and yield our will to the Spirit’s. We can say “no” to our sinful nature, accept the “way out” God provides, and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading.

As we grow, the characteristics of Christ – fruit of the Spirit – will be manifested in our lives. As the Spirit transforms us more and more into the image of Christ, we will produce a beautiful, bountiful fruit harvest!

Plant: Knowing the Fruit

In Week Two, we discussed the meaning of “fruit.” The Greek word “karpos” refers to the natural product of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer. The word is singular, signifying that “fruit” is a unified whole. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary suggests we think of the fruit as a “bunch of grapes instead of separate pieces of fruit.” As we grow in Christ-likeness we will produce all the characteristics of His nature.

Read Galatians 5:22-23. List the 9 characteristics of the Spirit’s fruit.

Let’s consider the meaning of each characteristic. Place the letter of a definition in the blank before the correct characteristic. (To double-check, the answer key is at the end of the lesson!)

___1. Love                       a. Enduring circumstances & other people, even when tried 

___2. Joy                    

                              b. Generosity springing from kindness; can include “sterner” good acts

___3. Peace                   c. Attitude expressing itself in loving ways & seeks others’ welfare

___4. Patience                  d. Trustworthiness; describes someone willing to die for Christ

___5. Kindness                  e. Strength to control sinful desires, to say “no” to the flesh    

___ 6. Goodness              

                               f.  “Happiness” that doesn’t depend on physical circumstances

___ 7. Faithfulness            g. Acting in a good and gentle way toward another

___8. Gentleness/Meekness 

                                           h. Tranquility; harmony with people & God; rest, contentment

___9. Self-Control            i. Linked to humility; not weakness; opposite of self-interest

Cultivate: Find out More

Let’s take a quick look at an example of each characteristic in action. Read the following Scripture passages. Make observations on the operation of these characteristics.

Galatians 5:13-14 (love):

John 16:22 (joy):

Romans 5:1 (peace):

2 Timothy 4:2 (patience):

Titus 3:4 (kindness):

Romans 15:14 (goodness):

2 Thessalonians 1:4 (faithfulness/faith):

2 Timothy 2:24-25 (gentleness/gentle):

2 Peter 1:5-6 (self-control):

Grow: Ready for a Harvest

We’ve talked facts and definitions. Now, let’s get personal. It’s time to do a fruit check. This is between each of us and God. Spend some quiet time with Him now and reflect on each characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit.

Ask God to show you the quality of the Spirit’s fruit in your life. Think about some recent circumstances. In the space below, jot down times you feel the Spirit’s character was manifested and times you allowed your natural, sinful character to take over.

Although we will battle our fleshly nature for the rest of our lives, we become more sensitive to the Spirit’s leading as we mature and learn to recognize His voice. As we end our study together, I pray God will encourage, strengthen, and grow you in the days ahead!

Let’s talk: What did you learn in this study that has encouraged or challenged you the most?

Fruit of the Spirit definition answer key. 1c, 2f, 3h, 4a, 5g, 6b, 7d, 8i, 9e

This is the fourth lesson in a month-long series on “The Fruit of the Spirit. Download the PDF version of today’s lesson. See previous lessons: first, second, third.

I know what you’re thinking. Images of horror movies and the undead have probably crept into your mind. Just for fun, I Googled “The Walking Dead,” the title of today’s lesson. Did you know there’s a TV series with the same name? This drama on AMC tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a zombie epidemic.

Thankfully, our fourth lesson in the “Fruit of the Spirit” has nothing to do with zombies. But we do need to talk about death – our own, in fact.

Here’s the truth of it: We cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot – with any consistency – live a life characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control.

Plant: We Can’t Do it!

You may be able to muster up a loving act now and again. I might work up enough will-power to control my fleshly desires in one instance today. But our lives will never abundantly exhibit the characteristics of Christ by our own strength and works. In today’s lesson we will explore how a life full of the Spirit’s fruit is possible.

Read Galatians 5:22-25. Are we told to produce the Fruit of the Spirit? (Circle one)  Yes   No

In lesson two, “What is Fruit?” we learned that “fruit” is the natural by-product of the Holy Spirit. Only the Spirit can produce these characteristics in our lives. As we allow Him to take control, His life will be manifested in ours.

Identify two things in the passage we should be doing.

Cultivate: Die to Self

Paul used the “active” voice in verse 24 when he wrote “have crucified the sinful nature.” This signifies an act that a believer has done and must continue to do to herself.

What do you think “crucifying our sinful nature” looks like in everyday life?

Remember, this is something we can do. We can choose to turn away from our sinful desires. Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, we have the power to resist temptation and choose the way out God provides (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Before we take a closer look at the second thing we should be doing, read Romans 8:11-14. According to this passage, what “obligation” do we have as believers? Check all that apply.

___ To  follow our sinful nature and submit to its desires

___ To turn away from the deeds of our sinful nature

___ To submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit

According to Romans 8:11, why do we have this obligation?

Grow: Follow the Holy Spirit

Paul reinforces this reasoning in Galatians 5:25. Since the Holy Spirit has given new life to our sin-dead souls, we are obligated to follow His lead. This is the second thing we should be doing. Depending on your translation, you may read “keep in step with,” “follow the Spirit’s leading,” or “let us walk by.” Here’s how Strong’s Greek and Hebrew Dictionary defines the Greek word  stoicheo, that is translated in these various ways:

1. To proceed in a row as the march of a soldier, go in order; metaph. to go on prosperously, to turn out well
2. To walk; to direct one’s life, to live

Considering the definition of “walk,” what does it mean to “walk by” or “keep in step with” the Spirit?

Read Galatians 2:20 below from the New Living Translation:

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

How does this verse help us understand what it means to “walk by the Spirit.”

On my own, I would produce nothing but sinful works. Even my “good fruit” would be rotten. My flesh is too weak and sinful and to produce the characteristics of Christ. Kathy must “die.” I have to get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit live Christ’s life through me. It’s the appropriate response to the One who saved my life. And my eternal hope.

Let’s talk: What is the hardest thing for you about following the Spirit? What helps you submit to His leadership?

This is the 3rd lesson in a study on “The Fruit of the Spirit.” Access the first and second lessons. Download today’s lesson in a PDF.

If you’ve had any experience with a GPS or use a navigation system for driving directions then you are familiar with the following phrases:

• Recalculating
• Make a legal u-turn as soon as possible

My anxiety level rises dramatically when I hear that little computerized voice. In layman’s terms, “recalculating” means “You aren’t following my directions!” And the command to make a u-turn means, “You’re going the wrong way! Turn around immediately and go the other way!”

Plant: What does fleshly fruit look like?

Like these GPS warnings to drivers, certain things should raise a red flag in our faith if they are present in our lives. In Galatians, Paul refers to these signs as “acts of the sinful nature.” These attitudes and behaviors are contrary to the Spirit and what He wants to produce in our lives.

Read Galatians 5:19-21 from the New Living Translation below.

¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  Galatians 5:19-21, NLT

Cultivate: Is our life growing any fruit of the flesh?

Circle any fruit of the sinful nature in the passage above that sometimes pop up in your life.

This list in Galatians is not exhaustive. Paul merely gave the believers in Galatia a sample of the fruit of the flesh. And everyone will struggle with different things. Let’s read two more passages from Paul’s letters to broaden our understanding of “the acts of the sinful nature.”

Read the following passages (maybe in more than one translation) and list any attitudes or behaviors that your sinful nature tends to produce.

Ephesians 4:22-32 and 5:1-7:

Colossians 3:5-10:

The presence of these attitudes and behaviors reveal that sometimes we allow our sinful nature to win a spiritual battle. If you’re like most Christians – including me – your life does produce some fleshly fruit from time to time. We still occasionally choose our own way over God’s and reject the “way out” He promises to provide when we’re tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Grow: What can we do to get rid of the bad fruit?

Believer, whether our lives have produced a handful of fleshly fruit or an abundant crop, God’s desire for us is less “acts of the sinful nature” and more “fruit of the Spirit.” In the remainder of this lesson we are going to prepare our lives for the Spirit’s harvest by weeding out the bad fruit and tilling our heart for the Spirit’s work.

Read James 4:1-10.

Jesus’ brother James wrote to Christians caught in a cycle of sin. They had proudly rejected the leadership of the Spirit and chosen their own way. Distance from God, difficult relationships with God’s people, and a harvest of fleshly fruit were the result. But James commanded a remedy. I can hear him saying, “Make a legal u-turn as soon as possible!”

List phrases and words (vs 1-4) that describe their relationship with God and other believers.

Look back through verses 6-10 and list all the verbs you can spot that describe the actions a Christian should take when we’ve chosen our own way over God’s (I spotted 10).

These actions characterize true repentance. Sometimes Christians merely give lip service to repentance. But until we humble ourselves before God, grieve over our sin, and turn away from it we have not experienced real repentance. We must make a u-turn!

Read 1 John 1:9. How does God promise to respond to our repentance?

Today’s lesson has been very personal – and maybe even painful. We all have bad fruit in our lives. But, praise God, He does indeed allow u-turns! Take some time this week to sit quietly with God and work through getting rid of the fleshly fruit.

Let’s talk more about the process of repentance. Was there anything in James 4:6-10 about repentance that surprised you? Maybe an attitude God calls us to adopt or an action you previously have not considered part of repentance.