Dustin Benge on the Fruit of the Spirit

In his book The Loveliest Place: The Beauty and Glory of the Church, in a chapter discussing the Holy Spirit as “Our Helper and Beautifier,” Dustin Benge gives a beautiful, moving, yet brief explanation of each of the fruit of the Sprit from Galatians 5:22-23. I commend the entire chapter, and especially this section on the fruit of the Spirit, to your reading. Here are brief excerpts from each of the fruit.

Love: “The Spirit beautifies the church by mirroring, through her members, the sacrificial love so graphically expressed in the death of Christ for the sake of others.”

Joy: “The Spirit beautifies the church by anchoring her hope not in a kind of slap-happy giddiness so characteristic of worldly happiness, but a joy founded on God himself, who is the fountain of all joy.”

Peace: “the conscious assurance that our sovereign God is the controller of every infinitesimal detail and is working all things for our good and his ultimate glory.”

Patience: Never seeking revenge for wrongs done; enduring through ever-arduous situations.

Kindness: “tender, gentle, genuine concern for others."

Goodness: “a determined resolve that all our actions and responses toward others will be made in light of living coram Deo, in the presence of God… [going] the extra mile to rescue others.”

Faithfulness: unfailing loyalty.

Gentleness: Restrained strength.

Self-control: “keeping our actions, minds, and hearts in check… [submitting] to the will of God at all times, in all circumstances, abandoning our selfish desires and sinful pleasures.”