Galatians 5.22-26
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
This passage in Galatians calls us to bear spiritual fruit by walking in the Spirit. Paul says “fruit” not “fruits,” which indicates that these attributes collectively make up life in Christ. As we abide in Christ, the fruit of the Spirit gets produced; the Spirit shapes us into the character of Christ, which is the image of God that man was given at creation.
In other words, walking in the Spirit is the process of being transformed into the life for which God made us. It is a return to our true identity and purpose.
Scripture speaks to this process of progressive transformation in 2 Corinthians 3.17-18:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Note that this is a process, not an event; it is progressive transformation. The fruit of the Spirit does not magically or automatically appear when we first trust in Christ. Every Christian has discovered the painful reality that the works of the flesh — the impulses of the old nature — come to us quite easily and with very little effort on our part. Let your guard down just a bit, and the impulses of the old nature will take over.
Walking in the Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Spirit requires faith, but it also requires discipline.
It is for this very reason that self-discipline is the ninth and final fruit of the Spirit in Paul’s list in Galatians 5. The Greek word that this verse uses for “self-discipline” (enkrateia) comes from the root krat, which denotes power or lordship. Self-discipline means exercise powering over yourself. It is keeping yourself under control. It is self-mastery over your inner desires, thoughts, actions, and words. It is the control a believer must exercise over their life.
Obviously, there is self-discipline that is disconnected from the Spirit. We might call it “self-driven self-discipline.” That is not what Paul is talking about. As Jesus said,, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5)
And there is Spirit-empowered self-discipline, which is what happens when a Christian trusts God, seeks to obey scripture, asks for the Spirit’s power, recognizes and rejects the impulses of the sin nature, and then exercises self-mastery. That is the message of Galatians 5.
It is true the Spirit produces the fruit in and through our lives. It is, after all, called “the fruit of the Spirit.” But it is very misleading to think that our effort is not involved in producing the fruit. Self-discipline apart from the Spirit? No. Self-discipline directed and energized by the Spirit? Yes. The fruit of the Spirit is produced when we respond to God working in our lives. It is a choice — a decision — that we must repeatedly make throughout our life.
This is the message of Galatians 5. Recognize the impulses of the old nature and reject them. Recognize the fruit of the Spirit and walk in them. Make the choice!
Just in case there is any confusion or hesitation, 1 Timothy 4.7 provides clarity on the necessity of self-discipline: “Train yourself in godliness,” the scripture says. The word for “train yourself” is gumnazo, from which we get our word gymnasium. It means “to exercise vigorously, whether in body or mind.” In this verse it is not something that is done to you by God, it is something you do to yourself in response to God. Again, this is Spirit-empowered. It is by grace. It is through faith. And it includes discipline-driven choices and a great deal of hard work on your part.
Want the fruit? Trust God, walk in the Spirit, and do the work.
