How Does the Fruit of the Spirit Help in Submitting to God?

Introduction

How Does the Fruit of the Spirit Help in Submitting to God? Let’s look first at what the fruit of the Spirit is.

Galatians 5:22-25 NIV “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” 

In this passage, the 9 virtues are listed and come from the Spirit of God. As Christians, we are to live by the Spirit. Is this fruit attainable in the flesh? Can we live in this manner without help?

No, that is why God has given us the Holy Spirit to help and guide us. But we need to listen to Him and obey to produce this fruit.

There are groups within these that address different aspects of life.

“The nine virtues that are the Spirit’s fruit hardly need classification, though they seem to fall into three categories of three each. The first three comprise general Christian habits of mind; their primary direction is Godward. The second set primarily concerns Christians in their relationship to others and are social virtues. The last three concern Christians as they are to be in themselves.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament

Next, we will look at How Does the Fruit of the Spirit Help in Submitting to God?

Questions for discussion are:

• How does love influence our obedience in submitting to God?
• How can peace and patience help us to trust God’s timing?
• Why is self-control important in submitting to God?
• When we are not displaying the fruit of the Spirit, how does that affect our submitting to God?

How does love influence our obedience in submitting to God?

An Example of David’s love and obedience for God.

Psalm 116: 1, 12-13 NIV “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.”

David was not a perfect man, but he was loved by God.

1 John 4:7-10,19 NIV “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. We love because he first loved us. 

He was grateful for what the Lord had done for him, and in return, David promised in his love to obey.

When Jesus Christ died for our sin, He expressed love like no one had ever had for mankind. When faced with that kind of love, it’s only natural to respond back in obedience. This is how love helps us submit to God.

How can peace and patience help us to trust God’s timing?

What do we need when we are waiting on God to answer? Patience and peace. Patience to continue waiting and to cope with the waiting, we need God’s peace.

How can we have peace and patience when waiting on God’s timing?

1. Remember God’s promise.

Romans 8:28 NIV “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God’s timing is about what is best for us. Wanting answers too soon may cause the solution to fail. God knows timing can make all the difference.

2. Don’t become weary.

Galatians 6:9 NIV “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

In ministry, it’s easy to decide it’s time to move on. Things may not be working in the way we think it should. This can be applied in other places in our lives. Give up too soon, you may miss what you were working for all along.

3.Trust in God’s timing.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Trusting Jesus Christ is what it’s all about. We are trusting Him with our souls, shouldn’t we trust that His timing is best? Submit to Him your impatience and take on His fruit of the Spirit. Patience and peace help us to submit to God’s timing.

Why is self-control important in submitting to God?

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

In this passage, we see the Christian life as a race. It’s talking about the self control or discipline it takes to endure the strict training to complete the race. Without self-control, our course is harder especially because of our adversary, Satan.

1 Peter 5:8 NIV “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Sin is a detriment to our staying the course. It also can be very subtle just as Satan is. Scripture warns us and we need to be equipped with the fruit of the Spirit, self-control.

When we are not displaying the fruit of the Spirit, how does that affect our submitting to God?

1. Not walking in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 NIV “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

When we are not controlled by the fruit of the Spirit, we are fleshly. We are not able to communicate with God when we are not submitting to Him.

2. We lack wisdom.

James 3:17 NIV “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

God’s wisdom is pure and full of the fruit of the Spirit. If we are not walking according to the Spirit, we are not submitting to Him.

3. Not producing fruit.

Colossians 1:10 NIV “so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”

To live worthy of the Lord, we need to please Him in every aspect of our life. To do that, we need to produce fruit and grow in the Lord. If we are not growing, we are not submitting to Him.

Conclusion

The fruit of the Spirit is a part of God’s attributes that we are able to have in our lives as Christians. The only way to truly have them is submitting to God.

We have looked at a some of the fruit of the Spirit and how they can help us submit to God. Seeing what can happen when fruit is lacking can help open our eyes to our weaknesses.

If you have any questions, please comment below. – Jackie