Paul the
apostle told the Ephesian church members they were “sometimes
darkness, but now are light in the Lord”. He challenged them to
“walk as children of light”, and in chapter five and verse
eight of his letter, Paul parenthetically referred to the “fruit
of the Spirit” as being “good, right and true”. We read:
The verse
begins, “(For the fruit of the Spirit ...” Paul
began with the words, “for the fruit”
or “even, indeed, no doubt, seeing then and therefore that which
originates or comes from something or the effect and result” “of
the Spirit” which refers to
“the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal,
coeternal with the Father and the Son”. Paul began this verse with
a further example of the “result of” being aligned with “the
Spirit” of God versus the
“dark” manner in which they used to live.
The verse
continues, “... is
in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)” Paul
added, “is in all goodness”
which means “each, every, any, the whole and everyone who is in
uprightness of heart and life with kindness” “and
righteousness”
or “state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the
condition acceptable to God and the justice or virtue which gives
each his due” “and truth”
which means “what is true in things appertaining to God and the
duties of man which are both moral and religious”. Walking after
“the Spirit”
of God will emanate “goodness”,
“righteousness” and “truth”
in our conduct, attitude, speech and behavior.
When
we consider these words of Paul, we understand his contrast to the
“the Spirit's fruit”
and the “fruit” or
“outflow” of darkness. When we are engaged with the Spirit of
God, we begin to walk as He walks, live as He lives and be as He is.
Our lives will reflect His “goodness”,
His “righteousness”
and His “truth” that
will flow from our lives towards others. Only Jesus Christ by His
Holy Spirit can produce this within us, and as others see the “fruit”
of our lives, they will see the “Spirit of God”
and Jesus Christ as the predominant means by which we conduct
ourselves.
Next
time Paul shares about “proving that which is good”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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