CHAPTER 1 | LOVE
CHAPTER 1 | LOVE
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FRUIT
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F RU I T TABLE OF CONTENTS
Love 8
Joy 22
Peace 38
Patience 58
Kindness 76
Goodness 90
Faithfulness 104
Gentleness 122
Self-control 138
CHAPTER 1 | LOVE
INTRODUCTION
The sweet, seedy cocoons we call fruits are (Gal. 5:19-21), there are many constant,
signals of nourished roots, ripened flesh, and competing constraints that dry and damper
new life. The Fruit of the Spirit contains our fruit: hatred, joylessness, anxiety,
similar meaning. It results from the Holy selfishness, violence, distrust, apathy, and
Spirit’s dwelling with us, and us with it. It lust. As we contemplate the beauty and
buds with our blossoming character, into challenge of fruit-bearing in a barren world,
maturity. And it bears within it, the seeds we give ourselves to the Spirit’s leading and
of a renewed reality. life. We reject the apparent fruits of worldly
trees, and choose to abide in the garden of
From the Garden of Eden to the Age of God. We proclaim a kingdom laden with
Information, the Fruit of the Spirit blooms this fruit.
on all of God’s story. To engage with it is
to travel a terrain of delight, discipline, and It is tempting to confuse the fruit of the
destiny. It is to commune deeply with the Spirit with standards of perfection, rather
Holy Spirit, allowing it to influence and than reliable features of transformation.
imprint us. Paul does not describe the fruits But as Paul exhorts us, let us remember
as separate components of a cornucopia, our renouncement of the world and our
but as a singular Fruit—one with nine commitment to Christ. The journey of fruit-
shades, textures, and flavors. bearing—both in horticulture and holiness—
is slow, unglamorous, and lifelong. But on
What does it mean to bear this fruit today? it, we walk with a welcome companion and
This book is meant to refresh and refine advocate: the Holy Spirit.
our understanding of love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, As we read, may we read with the Spirit,
gentleness, and self-control. Just as Paul growing in awareness of how God embodies
juxtaposes this fruit with “acts of the flesh” this fruit and calls us to do the same. Amen.
F RU I T CHAPTER 1 | LOVE
Love
01
8 9
F RU I T CHAPTER 1 | LOVE
INTRODUCTION
What is Love?
The great thinkers and creatives of our world have long
sought to understand, define, and discover love. Love some-
how simultaneously applies to food, art, animals, people,
places, and ideas. We make diverse claims of love—describ-
ing a tasty dish, nostalgic film, or our partners, or our cul-
tures. Love manifests in deep appreciation, peace, solidari-
ty, joy, loyalty, or even the sensation of “butterflies” in one’s
stomach. And almost always, love occurs between people. It
characterizes the aroma of a mother cooking dinner for her
family, the warmth of a friend’s embrace in a moment of
grief, or the delightful company of those we long to be with.
Love comprises a galaxy of infinite possibility, but emerges
singularly from its proud architect: God.
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F RU I T CHAPTER 1 | LOVE
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
– 1 John 4:8 ESV
John’s simple yet weighty description of God begs the ques-
tion: how can someone be Love? And how do we, mere mo-
ments in an infinite story, comprehend the possibility of rela-
tionship with Love, the Person?
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his
only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”
– 1 John 4:9 ESV
We might begin by understanding that God loved us first.
Amidst a hurting, chaotic, and fractured world, the sover-
eign God moves in. God does not wait for humanity to sort
itself out, but rather rushes towards humanity and, com-
pelled by love, becomes a part of it. It is this timeless miracle
of incarnate love that most vividly directs us to understand
Love, the Person.
When we love and receive love under the wisdom that “God
is love,” our own experiences of love are given depth, sub-
stance, and richness. When we witness the birth of a child, a
joyful union, or a cherished meal around the table, we experi-
ence love not only as a pleasant feeling—but as an experience
of God. This love changes everything.
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F RU I T CHAPTER 1 | LOVE
THE CHIEF VIRTUE AND VESSEL
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest command-
ment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the
Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
In Matthew 22:37-40, love is described as the greatest com-
mandment on which “all the Law and the Prophets hang on.”
In 1 Corinthians 13:13, love is considered greater than the
virtues of faith and hope. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, love is de-
scribed as more essential than the gifts of tongues, prophecy,
faith, and sacrificial giving.
Every fruit of the Spirit is a good and beautiful expression of
the person of God in us—yet love is elevated above the rest.
Why is this? Latin priest St. Jerome, meditates on this question:
“What deserves to hold the first place among the fruits of the
Spirit if not love? Without love other virtues are not reckoned
to be virtues. From love is born all that is good.”1
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F RU I T CHAPTER 1 | LOVE
THE BELOVED COMMUNITY
God's love is realized in our everyday living through commu-
nity. Love is actualized in the truth that we humans are bound
together and committed to one another by an ethos of love.
On a trip to Louisville, Christian mystic and clergyman Thom-
as Merton shares:
“In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the
shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that
I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could
Love is the vessel in which all of the other fruits of the Spirit not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was
are held. When we experience joy, we love to be with God and like walking from a dream of separateness, of spurious self-isolation
others. When we participate in peace-making, we are enacting in a special world, the world of renunciation and supposed holiness.”2
love in our world. When we practice patience, we become a
presence of love. When we are kind to others, we are ambas- At the center of love and community is the feeling of belonging.
sadors of love. When we behave with gentleness, we interact Though the depth of our individual lives overwhelm us—even
through a posture of love. When we exercise self-control, we to the point that we lose sight of others—we never stop belong-
more fully understand love. ing to something bigger than ourselves. When we love, we re-
turn to our state of belonging. We live in mutuality with others,
Love binds and begets the whole fruit of the Spirit. Love is sharing life rather than hoarding it. We see others as they truly
why the other fruits have life. In these fruits, love becomes an are, beyond our fickle assumptions. We treasure our similarities
orientation, energy, behavior, action, incarnation, and person. and curiously explore our differences. And we discover that we
In our pursuit of virtue, we always begin in love. are meant to belong in loving relationship with others.
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