1 Corinthians 2:14-15
“14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.”
The fruits of the spirit are reserved for those who are indwelled by the Spirit. A person who is not a believer may say they have love, joy, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, but they do not know these things in the way that Christians know them because they are not given to them in the way the Holy Spirit gives them to Christians.
When, for example, love and joy are accompanied by the presence and knowledge of God, they are very different from the love and joy that the world gives a person.
The love and forgiveness of God are reflected in every aspect of a believer's life and transforms the believer into a new creation. Only the love of God can lift us and transform us into people who live their lives based on the teachings of Christ.
It is as a transformed people that we know the fruits of the spirit.
Our love is the love of God.
Our joy is the joy of God.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18)
May the love of Christ be with you,
Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)
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