Love is an incredibly important part of Christianity, and, for that matter, human life in general. The concept of love probably receives more attention than any other intangible the world has ever known. In the King James Bible, the words "love" and "charity" (both of which mean love) are, in various forms, found 512 times. That is significant, as it stands as one of the most expressed concepts in the Bible (some rivals include evil, righteousness, and, of course, God Himself). The Bible actually states that God is love (1 John 4:16), and the greatest commandments are to love God and love others (Matthew 22:35-40). It is apparent, then, with the emphasis God places on love that we should understand what love is. Fortunately, two significant passages reveal what God's love actually is.
In my previous post, I described the attributes of love, which are outlined in detail in 1 Corinthians 13. However, these attributes of love will also produce certain, mirroring functions. The attributes of love describe what love is, while the functions of love describe what love does.
The Fruit of the Spirit
The fruit of the spirit are the functions of love. They describe what love does, for, in being produced by the Holy Spirit, they reflect the character of God, who is love.
22On the contrary, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like these.
Galatians 5:22-23
One Fruit: Love
"On the contrary, the fruit of the Spirit is love." One thing you may notice about this passage is the odd use of number: fruit is singular but includes nine different items. That is because there is only one fruit. The Spirit produces one fruit in the lives of believers, and this fruit is love. However, the fruit of love performs several functions. Each of these functions reveals an attribute of the main fruit, love. The fruit of the Spirit is only complete when it properly performs each of its functions.
Love is, fortunately, now easy to define. Based on the Love Chapter, we can understand that love is invaluable, has strong character, and is powerful. It is the perfect expression of God in thought and action. Our love can never be perfect, but as it performs the more of its functions well, it expresses God more accurately. Since a Christian is supposed to be like Christ, who is God, performing the functions of love is exactly what we need to be doing. As it turns out, just looking at the Hebrew and Greek words for these functions sheds much light on them. I will use several words in the Bible associated with each term, but the one used for each word in Galatians 5 will be underlined. Now, then, let us examine them.
Joy: Love Rejoicing
"…the fruit of the Spirit is…joy." The first function of love is joy. Joy is love rejoicing. Pure love for God and man will produce joy. After all, if you love God and have a good relationship with Him, it will make you glad. If you love others and treat them properly, you will be thrilled when you see them respond to God's love. You will also be more joyful because, if you love others properly, you will avoid conflict with people. There are almost a dozen words associated with joy in the Old Testament, but I will only focus on eight of them here, in addition to the Greek word used in this verse. Each reveals a different aspect of joy.
- Simchah (Heb.) – This word refers to glee, exceeding happiness, or immense pleasure. It demonstrates the feeling of joy. When you have Biblical joy, you will feel better than you would otherwise. Joy makes you happy.
- Chedvah (Heb.) – This word refers to gladness or rejoicing. Here we see the actions of joy. Joy in this case is acting happy and being congenial. Laugh, smile, and play in the joy of God.
- Samach (Heb.) – This word refers to brightening up or making merry. The idea here is similar to that of chedvah, in that it is active as opposed to descriptive. However, it is still different. This word seems more indicative of turning a less pleasant state of mind into a more positive one. It is when something makes your day. Thus, here we have the effect of joy. God will change your attitude in a moment, turning you from melancholy to enthusiastic.
- Truw'ah (Heb.) – This word is rarely translated joy, and for good reason. It is strictly defined as clamor, especially of trumpets or in battle. However, it also refers to the shouts, calls, songs, and cheers of joy. Its meaning is actually similar to that of rnanah, but it is far more active and powerful. It is the celebration of joy.
- Giyl (Heb.) – This word is probably my favorite. It refers to very physical expression of joy, namely, spinning around. Here we have an image of someone who is so overwhelmed with the joy and love of God that he is spinning, dancing, or skipping. A good example of this would be a Pentecostal (No, I am not saying anything for or against them; I am simply making an observation). If you have ever been to a Pentecostal church, you probably have a good idea of what this word means. It is a powerful expression of joy using the body. It is the ecstasy of joy.
- Masows (Heb.) – This word does not mean joy itself, but refers to the cause of joy. It describes anything that brings delight to people. What is the Biblical cause of joy? What causes joy in a Christian? The cause of joy in a Christian is the love of Jesus and others. We are to receive joy from God and from proper relationships with other people.
- Chara (Gk.) – This word is the one used in the fruit passage, and it is about cheerfulness, calm delight, and just being glad. Chara is the simple state of joy. It is just being happy. When you love God and love men, you will simply have a good state of mind. It is as simple as being cheery.
Peace: Love Resting
"…the fruit of the Spirit is…peace." The next function of love is peace. Peace is love resting. Love for and from God will give peace to the soul. If you are saved and love God, you are at peace with God. If you are currently following God's will, you will feel the peace of God. If your love for others is working properly, you will experience peace with men. Peace is one of the best gifts God gives us. Unlike joy, peace is rather simple in Biblical language, and there are no more than five or six different words in the entire Bible related to it. However, for our purposes we only need four, two from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament.
- Shalom (Heb.) – This word is a well-known Hebrew greeting that is usually translated as peace. However, that does not do it justice. It also references safety, well-being, happiness, friendliness, and security. As you can see, then, it entails a lot. It is the state of being at ease with the world, content with your life, and away from dangers or threats. Here, then, we have the state of peace.
- Charash (Heb.)
– This word is used in the sense of "holding one's peace." Its core meaning is to scratch, but it goes by implications to devising a plan, to secrecy, and thus to hold quiet. The idea here, then, is actually restraint. This is keeping peace under aggravation. It is the restraint of peace. - Eirene (Gk.) – This word is rather simple, as peace is a rather simple concept. It means rest, stillness, or quietness. When one has peace, the soul is not troubled. You are not disturbed, worrisome, or angry. All is still and quiet, allowing for reflection on God (Psalm 46:10), who causes peace. This condition, then, allows for the reflection of peace.
- Eireneuo (Gk.) – This word, as is likely obvious, comes from the previous word. It is the action of peace. The distinction between these two words is that this one involves living so as to preserve peace. To live in peace is to avoid disputes, turn the other cheek, and submit to authority. These three guidelines allow inner peace to manifest itself and show God's love.
Patience: Love Enduring
"…the fruit of the Spirit is…patience." Another function of love is patience. Patience is love enduring. In fact, when I translated the fruit passage, I initially used "endurance" instead of patience. However, I deemed patience more recognizable and less restrictive in scope. Anyway, when you love people you are patient with them. You do not quickly dismiss or retaliate when they trouble you. When you love God, you are patient in knowing that He has a plan for you and it make take time to fulfill. No direct word for patience appears in the Old Testament, but the phrase 'arek 'aph does on several occasions.
- 'Arek 'aph (Heb.) – Technically, this phrase does not mean "patience." However, it is very closely related and conveys many of the attributes of patience. It is translated most often in one of two ways: the more literal "slow to anger" or the more useful "longsuffering." Either way, it conveys the same concept. The word 'arek means "long" or "slow," while the word 'aph means "fast breathing" or (by implication) "anger." The idea here is taking a long time to become angry. It is the attitude of patience.
- Makrothumos (Gk.) – This Greek word is almost identical to the Hebrew phrase in that it is a compound word consisting of terms for "long" and "temper." It, and its variations, composes most of the usage of the term "patience" (or "longsuffering" on some occasions in the KJV) in the New Testament. The primary difference between this and 'arek 'aph is that makrothumos is more active. It is the action of patience in delaying (indefinitely) a negative or detrimental response to provocation.
- Hupomone (Gk.) – This is another Greek word for patience, and it has a rather different meaning than 'arek 'aph and makrothumos. It refers to cheerfulness and hopefulness is waiting. It is enduring with a mindset of hope in God's plans. With this quality, you stand firm and wait on God regardless of any negative circumstances. You trust in Him and know that He will work it out for your good. It is the hope of patience.
Kindness: Love Caring
"…the fruit of the Spirit is…kindness." One of the more obvious functions of love is kindness. Kindness is love caring. How can you tell that love cares? It does things for people. Love cares by doing nice things, listening, giving advice, and even rebuking on occasion. Kindness is usually expressed in simple acts, although there are many ways to express it. God is kind, Jesus is kind, and we are to be kind.
- Checed (Heb.) – This word communicates much. It has to do with favor, doing good deeds, mercy, compassion, devotion (esp. to God), and reproach. It is the position of kindness. This state of mind towards other people is what causes kind actions. When you are kind, you show favor to people, you do good deeds for them, you withhold wrath from them, you help them when they are in need, you devote yourself to their good, and you confront them when they do something wrong.
- Leb (Heb.) – This word seems a bit out of place here, but it actually does communicate a quality of kindness. It was essentially used to refer to the brain. Actually, in Jewish usage it meant the heart, but it is more accurately described as the brain, for it referred to the seat of emotions, will, and intellect. Here we have the mindset of kindness. If we are kind, we will feel a desire to do good to people, and we will make up our minds to help people.
- Chrestos (Gk.) – This word is also unusual here. It technically means "employment," but was especially used in a positive moral sense, as having the job to do good things. Here we then have the obligation of kindness. We are commanded to own people nothing but love (Romans 13:8). Thus, we must do kind things for others.
- Philanthropia (Gk.) – This word probably looks familiar, for it is the root of our word "philanthropy." It means fondness or love towards mankind. It is the attitude of kindness. The word describes people who generally care for people. This will lead to kind actions.
- Chrestotes (Gk.) – This word comes from the word chrestos. I usually avoid words so similar, but this was the word used in the fruit passage. The difference here is that this word implies being good at the job of kindness. It means "usefulness" or "moral excellence." This word describes doing a good job at chrestos. So, then, this is the impact of kindness. It is also closely related to the word chresteuomai. It means being useful by acting in kindness. Therefore, we also have the action of kindness.
Goodness: Love Driving
"…the fruit of the Spirit is…goodness." As first glance, this may seem odd, seeing as we just described kindness. People often think that kindness and goodness are the same. Although they are similar, there is one major difference. Kindness describes the acts, while goodness describes the motivation, or the drive. Goodness is love driving. If we have love, it will be the motivation behind the things we do, especially kind acts (kindness and goodness are only good together).
- Towb (Heb.) – This word is found 559 times in the Bible. It is a very wide word that means "good," and almost any concept related to it. For example, it was used for God's declaration about His creation in Genesis 1 and was the term "good" when He spoke of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This sums up the main uses of it. To get an idea of how it was used, read this from the Strong's Hebrew Dictionary: "beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favor, fine, glad, good (deed, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, likes (best), loving, merry, X most, pleasant, + pleases, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well ((-favored)). Here then, we see what this is. It is the state of goodness.
- Chemdah (Heb.) – This word is far rarer than towb, but it is still important. It means "delightful," "desirable," or "precious." The motivation of a loving person to do kind things will always be a good motivation. God will take delight in the motivation, and the person will take delight in doing the right thing. God desires the person to have pure motives, and they desire to do the right thing. Pure motives are precious in God's sight, and God's desire for kindness is precious in the person's sight. It is the desire of goodness.
- Checed (Heb.) – "What? I thought checed was kindness." It is. However, it also means goodness. As you should remember, checed includes favor, mercy, and compassion. It is the motivation of goodness. Here we have someone who sees people and cares. He wants to see everyone at their best, so he does good to them.
- Kalos (Gk.) – This word means "beautiful," "morally good," or "virtuous." It is the value of goodness. God finds it beautiful when people are good. He loves a good heart.
- Agathosune (Gk.) – This word comes from the word agathos, which is related to kalos. It simply means "goodness" or "virtue." Here is the quality of goodness. It simply describes someone who is good. They are virtuous; they do the right thing for the right reasons. Agathosune refers to the state of being someone who has a towb heart, chemdahs the best for others, has checed for people, and is kalos.
Faith: Love Trusting
"…the fruit of the Spirit is…faith." An important fruit of the Spirit is faith (in God). Faith is love trusting. God is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, loving, and merciful. He has a unique plan for every life, a plan to use it for His glory and the advancement of the Kingdom of God. If you have faith, you trust that God's plan for you and everyone else is good and will be fulfilled.
- 'Aman (Heb.) – This word most literally and firstly means "to build up or support." This extends by implication to many things, especially faithfulness, trust, and belief. 'Aman is the quality of faith. It is a description of a person who wholeheartedly trusts or will always be worthy of trust. God calls His people to be as such. They should trust Him and, since He is trustworthy, be trustworthy like Him.
- Emunah (Heb.) – This word means "firmness," "security," or "strong character." It is actually the attribute of faith. Well, technically it is the attribute of faithfulness. We have faith in a God who is strong and will always be. He never changes or fades away. We are to mimic His character.
- Pisteuo (Gk.) – This word means "to have faith" or "entrust," especially in the context of salvation. It is the substance of Christianity. This is the word used in John 3:16. It means to fully entrust your path and welfare to God. This is what we must do as a Christian. It is the decision of faith.
- Pistis (Gk.) – This word comes from pisteuo. It means "persuasion," "conviction," (especially moral), and "the state of being convinced." This is when you have faith in Christ to the point where you are utterly sure of the power and plan of God. It is the conviction of faith. Someone with pistis trusts in God enough to do whatever He asks.
Gentleness: Love Withholding
"…the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness." A vital part of love is holding back plans, passions, and abilities which would be detrimental to others or contrary to the will of God. Gentleness, then, is love withholding. In the KJV, it is translated as meekness. We have a responsibility to abstain from using our ability, liberty, or will to do things that would not be spiritually beneficial. Gentleness and meekness, contrary to what some would think, do not imply weakness of lack of ability. Instead, they refer to withholding improper use of such.
- 'Anav (Heb.) – This word refers to lowliness of mind or circumstances. Almost every occurrence of the term gentleness (or meekness) in the Old Testament comes from this word or a variation of it. It speaks of someone who either has poor circumstances or thinks of himself in a lowly state of mind. He is not proud, but considers others better than himself (Philippians 2:3). This is the mindset of gentleness.
- Epieikeia (Gk.) – This word basically means "suitableness" or (by implication) "humility." It refers to being proper in action. Proper actions come from a proper view of ourselves: namely, that we are nothing but poor sinners saved by grace. When we realize that, we hold back our ability to do things for our own benefit or another's detriment, and instead do things for the benefit of others (especially doing God's will), regardless of its effect on us. It is the actions of gentleness.
- Praiotes (Gk.) – This word simply means "gentleness," "humility," or "mildness." It is the attribute of gentleness. It refers to someone who has 'anav and lives in epieikeia. There is little more to be said. Such a person will remember that he is below God and is a poor sinner, and he will act in accordance by treating God and others with esteem above that of himself.
Self-Control: Love Restraining
"…the fruit of the Spirit is…self-control." The final fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Self-control is love restraining. We all have the responsibility of subduing our strength and passion for the benefit of others. When we love others, we will not lash out and abuse our strength and power in a way that would hurt them. Really, this goes hand-in-hand with gentleness. They work together to create a calm, subdued person who does the right thing in the midst of provocation and contrary desire. Interestingly enough, there is really only one word in the Bible for this concept, not counting its variations and such.
- Egkrateia (Gk.) – This word, which means "self-control" or "temperance," comes from a combination of two other Greek words. The first is en, which was a preposition that denoted a fixed position, such as near, above, in, over, behind, etc. The second is kratos, which means "vigor," "strength," or "power." The idea here is someone who keeps his strength within himself. Self-control is when someone has the capability to do something, but they choose not to because it would either be useless, contrary to God's will, offensive, or otherwise detrimental.
The End of the Matter
So, them, after examining both the Love Chapter and the fruit of the Spirit, we have a clear picture of what love is. It is an incredibly powerful, decided commitment to show God and others joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. It has all of the attributes listed in the Love Chapter, and produces all of the fruit of the Spirit. Love is extremely amazing and beautiful. God is love, and He created us to be like Him. God loves us and wants us to love others. There are no if's, and's, or but's. Love the Father, love the Son, love the Spirit, and love the people. That is how you be a Christian. I will end with Scripture verses about love.
Verses on Love
God Loves Us
- "See, then, God loved the world so much that He sent His one and only Son so that whoever puts his faith and trust in Him will not die, but have eternal life." John 3:16
- "Yet Yahweh your God refused to listen to Balaam, but He replaced the curse with a blessing because He loved you." Deuteronomy 23:5
- "Bless Yahweh your God, who was pleased with you to put you on His throne to be king for Yahweh God, because He loved Israel…" 2 Chronicles 9:8a
- "So Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus." John 11:5
- "…but God introduced us to His love for us when, while we were still sinners, Christ died in our place." Romans 5:8
- "What can separate us from Christ's love? Can trouble or disaster or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or war?" Romans 8:35
- "…God is love." 1 John 4:8b
We Are to Love
- "Do not take revenge or hold a grudge against your people. Instead, you must love others as much as yourself: I am Yahweh." Leviticus 19:18
- "I am giving you a new commandment:
You must love each other. In the same way that I have loved you, you must love each other." John 13:34 - "Follow these commandments:
love each other." John 15:17 - "Love each other like family, like brothers. Honor each other above yourself." Romans 12:10
- "Do not own anyone anything, except love for each other, because whoever loves others keeps the entire Law." Romans 13:8
- "See, this sentence sums up the entire Law, 'You must love others as much as yourself.'" Galatians 5:14