Let’s talk about the fruits of the Spirit today! Fruits of the Spirit kind of sounds funny. Our spirits have fruit? Kind of? There are good and bad attributes that we have in ourselves that are fruit. Some fruit is good and some fruit is bad. But we’re going to talk about the good fruits of the Spirit today. We will discuss what it is, the Bible verses behind it, and talk about each fruit. And at the end of this post about the fruits of the Spirit, be sure to grab your free printable!
Fruits Of The Spirit
I didn’t actually learn about the fruits of the Spirit until I was older. I was actually very ill and dying when I picked up my Bible and really started learning. Ironic, right? I had heard of the fruits of the Spirit before, but I never knew what they were. And once I learned what they were I have since then strived to have those fruits. Those good fruits will lead us closer to God and show God’s love in this fallen world. Go ahead and grab your fruits of the Spirit worksheets to go along with this lesson. You can print them here:
What Is The Definition Of The Fruits Of The Spirit?
The fruits of the Spirit are 9 behaviors that come from the work of the Holy Spirit within that person. It is a Biblical phrase that sums up 9 attributes that we grow when we live in accord with the Holy Spirit.
Fruits Of The Spirit In Scripture
Okay, so where does the Bible talk about these fruits? We find the passages about these fruits in Galatians.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Fruits Of The Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
Okay, so the fruits we grow from living in accord of the Holy Spirit are:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Longsuffering
- Gentleness
- Goodness
- Faith
- Meekness
- Temperance
But what does that mean? Let’s look at the definition of each one and see some practical examples of the fruit of the Spirit.
What Does Each Fruit of The Spirit Mean?
1. Fruit of Love
So, the Galatians 5:22-23 word for love in Greek is agape. The Greek have a number of words for love, but those don’t concern us right now. Agape is perfect love or the highest form of love. God’s love could be described as agape because it is a very deep and constant love. And that’s the type of love we’re suppose to have for others. To love God also means to love people. Even those who hurt us, who we disagree with, and who we just may not want to be around.
God calls us to love everyone. And that doesn’t mean to allow people to hurt you or abuse you. But God loves you in your imperfection though you probably break His heart often, and we are called to the same standard, though it’s very hard. Trust me, I know.
2. Fruit Of Joy
Going back to the Greek definition, the word joy here is translated from the word Chara. In the Bible we see it at delight or gladness. God calls us to be joyful. We should be joyful about God’s grace, His favor, and really everything. Joy is not dependent on our circumstances, happiness is. That is why happiness is fleeting. But joy is hope. The hope in knowing that no matter what we go through that God has got us in His hands and that trials are a blessing that are making us stronger so that God can use us.
3. Fruit of Peace
Peace in the Bible comes from the word eirene in Greek. Which means without conflict and being in harmony with God and others. I know in this crazy world that it is hard to find peace. But peace comes from the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to change our hearts and minds. When we are fearful and worrying, we don’t believe God is going to take care of it. When we trust that God will take care of us, the Holy Spirit gives us supernatural peace. God has overcome the world and if you have read your Bible, God wins in the end. The world is nothing but a stop to eternal life with our Lord and Savior.
This is a fruit I’m still working on.
4. Fruit of Longsuffering
This one sounds bad, right? The actual work in Greek is makrothumia which means forbearance or longsuffering. But what does that mean? Longsuffering is when the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to withstand the storm. God is patient with us and being longsuffering teaches us patience by waiting rather than indulging in our passions or being short tempered and brash.
5. Fruit of Gentleness
This fruit has been translated as gentleness or kindness. People often get kindness and nice confused. I like to explain it like this… Nice is what people want to hear and kindness what people need to hear. And it goes alongside with actions as well. The Greek word we see in the bible is chréstotés. That means moral goodness and integrity and usefulness. That means we should be behaving well, moral, with integrity. God’s mercy to us should show us kindness and in turn we show that same kindness to others.
6. Fruit of Goodness
Agathosune means uprightness in the heart and life. We are to be good, or at least strive for it. This doesn’t just mean we be good in our own lives, but we are to be doing good things unto others as well. The Holy Spirit leads us to do the right and moral thing and to help and love others. And it’s key that we’re doing it these good actions out of love and selflessness and not for clout or repayment.
7. Fruit of Faithfulness
Pistis is the Greek word for faithfulness. Faithfulness is evident in the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives. But also the fact we can depend on God and trust in Him. We worship Him and no one else. God is our Savior, Waymaker, Healer, Chain Breaker, He is our everything. And in the same way He is faithful to us with His never ending love, mercy, and forgiveness so should we be faithful to Him giving Him our lives and living in accordance with His word.
8. Fruit of Meekness
People often confuse meekness as weakness and that could not be further than the truth. Praus was translated as meekness and so people began to associate it with week and docile.
A lot of times this word praus is used when breaking in horses. So, wild stallions would be captured in the mountains. And then they would be broken in and turned into war horses. They were taught discipline, but they still had spirit, and power, and courage.
So when the Bible says we need to be meek, it doesn’t mean weak and docile. It means disciplined, but still courageous and full of spirit.
Meek like Jesus… people want to pretend like Jesus was a pushover. Jesus flipped tables and made a scourge. HE MADE A SCOURGE. He took the time to make it. And have you read the way He snapped back at the Pharisees? Jesus was kind and forgiving and disciplined, but He had the courage to do what was needed.
9. Fruit of Temperance
This is also known as the fruit of self-control or egkrateia. Which means the ability to control yourself and your impulses and/or desires. This means in all fashions may it be physically, emotionally, or mentally. God teaches us discipline and to die to the flesh. To do that we must be sober and chaste. We don’t overdo food, and booze, or really anything that can harm the temple God gave us (our bodies) or anyone else.
Are There Bad Fruits Of The Spirit?
This isn’t Biblical, but I believe that there are bad fruits. Just like there are good fruits we can grow bad fruits. Basically take the good fruits and look at their opposites.
- Hate
- Deceit
- Unfaithfulness
- Indulgence
- Cruelty
- Condemnation
I am sure there are more, but basically anything that isn’t good, that doesn’t come from God is a bad fruit.
Why Is The Fruit of the Spirit Called Fruits of the Spirit?
People tend to refer to the fruit of the Spirit as fruits, in plural form. However, the Bible refers to them as singular, fruit. But why? Doesn’t fruits make more sense? Grammatically yes, but these 9 attributes come together in a believers life to show the character of Christ.
How Do You Get Good Fruits Of The Spirit?
You get good fruits by letting the Holy Spirit work in your life. What does that mean? That means trusting God to take care of you. And that you’re spending time praying everyday. That you’re reading your Bible. That you’re actively trying to live in accordance with God’s word. That is the only way to get good fruits. Learning God’s love and embracing it and trusting God is the only way to grow these fruits. God will help you flee from temptation, the Holy Spirit will always let you know when you did wrong. Trust me.
Can’t you just be kind and do good things without God? Technically, you can. However, a lot of times when we do good things for others it usually isn’t just for the sake of helping. I’m not saying all the time. But a lot of times there are more selfish motives behind our actions and a lot of times we can fall to the world especially when it comes to things like discipline.
A lot of people like to say “well people can be moral and good without God” and I’m here to say…no, no you can’t be. Because I’m looking at the world we live in where hedonism, nihilism, and atheism is at an all time high and with the state of our country… I don’t believe that at all. And I look in history and see how godless countries and pagan nations were and I don’t believe that.
Don’t get me wrong, I know there are Christians who have done very bad things. I’m not going to pretend like we’re perfect because we’re not. But when you look at statistics, mercy, and how Christianity differs from other religions and philosophies of those who aren’t believers, I think you’ll see it too.
How Ling Does It Take To Get The Fruit Of The Spirit?
All your life. Wait what? Don’t we get them when we become believers? Yes, but as Paul mentioned in Galatians we are tempted by the world and flesh and we see in Romans 3:23 that we all fall short of the glory of God. So that means, we are going to have to continually work hard to “grow” the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Spend Some Time In Galatians
Spend some time in Galatians getting to know the fruits and other ways we are to live as Christians. That’s the first step in growing good fruits. And in a world with a lot of bad fruits, we need more good fruits. I hoped this helped some in understanding the fruits of the Spirit. It took me way too long to understand the fruits of the Spirit and I hope it helps you strive to be closer to God and want to be better.
Fruits Of The Spirit Printable Worksheets
I have put together some simple fruit of the Spirits worksheets. There are 5 pages. The first 4 allow you to read the passage, fill in the blanks, and write down what each fruit means. once you do that, then you can take time to think about things you do that help you grow those fruits. And lastly is a black and white fruit coloring page!
1. Fill In The Blank Fruits Of The Spirit Worksheet
Use this Fruit of the Spirit worksheet to learn the Bible verse. Plus you can use it to learn how to grow the fruits of the Spirits and what their purpose are. It’s simple, easy, but fun and great for kids and adults alike. It helps to read and write down things you want to remember.
2. What Are The Fruits Of The Spirit Worksheet
Use this second fruits of the Spirit worksheet to help learn what each attribute is and what it means. It will help you better understand each fruit of the Spirit. You can use the Bible to help you find the definitions or use a dictionary.
3. I Show These Fruits When I- Page 1
This is the 3rd Fruits of the Spirit worksheet that will help you understand what aspects of your life you are showing these characteristics. Or perhaps in places where you need to work and pray about. No one is perfect, and we all continually need work.
4. I show These Fruits When I- Page 2
This is the 4th Fruits of the Spirit worksheet that will help you understand what aspects of your life you are showing these characteristics. Or perhaps in places where you need to work and pray about. No one is perfect, and we all continually need work.
5. Fruits Of The Spirit Coloring Page
This is the last of the fruit of the Spirits coloring pages. It’s black and white, and perfect for coloring. The fruits of the Spirit may not be real fruits, but you can color the apples, oranges, grapes, pineapples, plums, etc. You can use your crayons, colored pencils, markers, or paints.
Download Your Free Printable Fruits Of The Spirit Printable Worksheets PDF File
Did Jesus Talk About The Fruits Of The Spirit?
Jesus didn’t say the term “fruit of the Spirit” in any of His teachings. However, He often talked about fruit in His teachings. For example:
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
So, we can connect fruits we grow to Jesus Christ. Jesus also mentions fruits when He is talking to His followers in Matthew.
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in to the fire. Thus, by their fruit will you recognize them.”
Matthew 7:6-20
How Do The Fruits Of The Spirit Show Our Relationship With Jesus Christ?
In Ephesians it is explained that the Holy Spirit is given to believers through Christ which shows their relationship with Him.
In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believe in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:13-14
How Can I Teach My Children About The Fruit Of The Spirit?
Using the Spirit Fruit worksheets and coloring page is a good start. But far too often we try to overly simplify Bible teachings to children. I think coming out right and teaching them about each Spirit Fruit and how they can show the world this characteristic is a great place to start.
- How can your child love?
- What is patience and how can your child learn patience?
- How can we have joy even when we don’t feel happy?
- Ways to be peaceful when people are mean to us?
- What ways can we be kind?
- How can we show goodness?
- Do you know how we are faithful to God?
- What is gentleness and how can we be meek?
- Why is self-control important?
Finding ways to teach your child through hands on activities or crafts are a great way to teach your child the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. There are plenty of other fun ways to teach the Spirit Fruits to your child like through song.
Video: God’s Story- Fruit Of The Spirit
More Fruit Of The Spirit Resources That Can Help You On Your Walk With God
There are so many different ways to learn about the Spirit fruits. Resources and printables, I think, really help reinforce what you learn, especially when it comes to the Bible. So check out these other great Fruit of the Spirit resources:
- 7 Awesome Fruit Of The Spirit Printables
- Fruit Of The Spirit Sunday Lesson And Activities
- Fruit Of The Spirit Curriculum and Lesson Plans
- 6-Session Fruit Of The Spirit Bible Study
- Fruit Of The Spirit Women’s Retreat Theme
- Fruit Of The Spirit Bible Study- Interactive Bible Study
Frequently Asked Questions About The Fruit Of The Spirit
If you’re looking on Google you may see that there are 7 fruits of the Spirit or 12 or another number. But there are 9 mentioned in the Bible.
Yes, there are a number of worship songs, mainly for children, that sing about the Fruit of the Spirit. Kidsprings Children Ministry have a song as does Wesley Wuppets.
The fruits of the Spirit are attributes or characteristics that we gain from the Holy Spirit and Holy living whereas the gifts are gifts God has given us to further His will like: discernment, prophesy, teaching, exhortation, etc.
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Did you know the fruits of the Spirit? Do you have anything you want to add?
This is a great explanation of the spirit fruits. I always thought it was something we had to learn ourselves, I didn’t know the Holy Spirit gave us these fruits.