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Luke 23:34
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ ”
Galatians 5:16–26 describes what it means to live according to the Holy Spirit by giving us a list of the fruits that He produces in our lives, contrasting them with the works of the flesh—that is, the deeds produced by sin when we obey the remnants of our fallen nature. At the head of this list is the fruit of love (v. 22), which indicates that love is the primary virtue produced by the Holy Spirit and the source of the other fruits of the Spirit. Ultimately, these fruits all go together, which is why the Apostle refers to them with the collective singular “fruit” and not the plural “fruits.” These characteristics stand or fall together, all manifesting the preeminent virtue of love.
As we begin our study of the fruit of the Spirit, let us turn to Jonathan Edwards, whose work Charity and Its Fruits features some of the most profound reflections on Christian love from the Reformed tradition. Edwards comments in this book that the mark of true greatness of soul is a calm response when we are experiencing great injuries and evils. Christians, especially when suffering indignities, must keep their hearts and minds set on God, not responding with rage and bitter resentment when we suffer personal insults. Christian love responds to injury not with revenge but with persevering trust in God and a desire for the wellbeing of one’s enemies.
Such love does not come naturally to fallen human beings, so its presence is a signal mark of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Moreover, no one has better exemplified this kind of love than our Savior Himself, who perfectly followed the lead of the Spirit in all things. Scripture tells us this in several passages. For example, 1 Peter 2:23 tells us that when Jesus “was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” As He hung on the cross, we see in today’s passage, Jesus did not call down wrath on His persecutors but rather prayed for their forgiveness.
Jesus did not allow the undeserved suffering that He endured to take His eyes off His mission or extinguish His love for sinners. He left a model for us to follow, a model that we too often fall short of imitating. As we pray and meditate on Scripture, however, trusting in God, we can more and more imitate His example. Remembering that nothing can rob us of our eternal inheritance will go a long way toward bearing with suffering patiently and responding in love.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
In the history of Christianity, some have reduced the faith to demanding only an imitation of our Lord, arguing that the Christian faith is merely a specific set of ethical standards for outward behavior. We must reject that error while nevertheless maintaining that Christ does serve as the preeminent example for us to follow. We must trust in Him alone for salvation, and we are also called to imitate Him as our model of perfect holiness.
for further study
- Proverbs 25:21–22
- Matthew 5:43–48
- John 13:15
- 1 Corinthians 11:1
the bible in a year
- Psalms 2–3
- Acts 16:1–15