As we begin our study of the individual characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, we need to remember that this is exactly what they are—individual characteristics of the “fruit of the Spirit,” singular, not fruits, plural. If we have one fruit, we should have them all. If we lose one fruit, we will lose them all. They are inseparable.

This is not a matter of being overly technical. It is important that we understand the unity of diversity that is the nature of the Spirit. If we have the Spirit, we should have all of His characteristics or “fruit of the Spirit” together in our lives. Even so, we will study these characteristics separately, while also seeking to understand how they are interrelated and build on one another.

As we look at the first characteristic listed, “love,” it is understandable that there have been almost an endless number of books written on this subject. Certainly, we will be learning about God’s love for eternity, and even this will not be long enough! Although we can only do a very cursory study of this great subject in this format, we must start with God’s unfathomable love because this is where all true love begins.

The ultimate demonstration of God’s love is the cross. Again, the whole creation marvels at the cross, and we, too, will certainly be marveling at it forever. As we see in the book of Revelation, because of His demonstration of love on the cross, it seems that the ultimate title of the Son of God will always be “the Lamb.” Who can truly behold the cross and not be overwhelmed by the love of God? That God would give His own Son and that the Son would leave all of His glory in heaven to become a man, enduring all that He did for our redemption and salvation, will forever be the greatest demonstration of God’s love and character.

Because of what He did, who could truly behold Him and not love Him? This is why the great apostle Paul, after many years of some of the greatest missionary service of all time, acknowledged that the secret of success was simply preaching the cross. There will never be anything that describes God more than the cross because the message is love. There is nothing so compelling, so overwhelming in its breadth and depth, or so beyond anything that mere men could have ever devised.

Even Napoleon, when he read the Gospel of John, remarked that if Jesus was not the Son of God, then the one who wrote the Gospel was because he knew men and no man could have ever come up with a story like that! If anything, the Gospel story is unbelievable because it is so much higher than anything man can comprehend, and we can only see it “through glass darkly” in this life. However, to see and to believe is the highest purpose to which we can obtain in this life.

It is by beginning to comprehend this love of God revealed by the cross that will have such a profound impact on any life, causing one to start life all over again, being born again. Life in the light of the cross is radically different than any other life that we could lead on this earth. Because of it, everything changes. When we truly behold the cross and the sacrifice that He made for us, we cannot help but to love Him and pursue a similar life of sacrifice, desiring to do all things for Him and for the sake of the gospel that testifies of this great love.

To truly begin to behold the cross, the most selfless act on the part of the greatest Being, the Creator Himself, cannot help but to begin to unravel the selfishness of the fallen human nature. The more clearly we behold the cross and the love of God, the more sacrificial we will be in our own life. The true Christian life is a life of sacrifice, a life of the cross. This the Lord Himself made clear in Matthew 16:24-25:
 

True love is the opposite of self-seeking. It is focusing on the interests of others more than ourselves. True love is focused first and foremost on the interests of God. Only by living for and in the love of God can we do that which is truly in the best interests of anyone else, including ourselves.

Loving God is the first and the most important commandment, which we must endeavor to always keep first. If we love anyone or anything above God, then we have made them or it an idol. If we do not love the Lord more than we love anyone else, we will not love anyone else the way that we should. Remember: “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” and loving God is the main thing for which we were created. It is our highest attainment, and the love for God is our most valuable possession.


“We love, because He first loved us” (I John 4:19). How can we ever behold Him and not love Him? There really is no being in the universe more lovable than God. The more we get to know Him, the more we will love Him. As we are told in I John 4:16:

“And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

If we are truly getting to know God better, we will love more. We will love Him more, and we will love others more as well, as we are also assured in I John 4:20-21:

There are different kinds of love and different degrees of love. Without question though, love should be a primary pursuit of every Christian, just as we are told in the chapter that many believe to be the greatest in the Bible, I Corinthians 13, Paul’s great discourse to describe just what love is. It may not be possible to do this better than the great apostle, and it just would not be fitting to do any study on love without considering it. Therefore, I quote it below for your convenience. Next week we will do a verse by verse analysis of this great exhortation.