How does the Spirit give us the fruit of goodness?

[Apostle Paul]

I was talking to a friend recently. He is a good man and lives a morally upright life. We were talking about the Christian life and the varying opinions about how a believer should live. He stated his belief as this; “As long as a person tries to do what is right he is going to be alright.â€Â

We would all agree that a person should try to do what is right, but is that really the answer to the question, “How should a believer live?†In our theme passage for this series of devotions we are given a number of virtues that are called “Fruit of the Spirit.†We are also given a contrasting set of characteristics that are called, “Acts of the sinful nature.†How does one change from doing the behaviors of the sinful nature to exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit?

The above paragraphs were excerpted from the Daily God Walk Blog. How do you think the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of goodness in us?

 

[Adullam]

Goodness is part of the package. You can't break up the attributes of the Spirit one by one. If one is walking in the power of the Spirit...all the fruit will be in evidence.

 

[justvisiting]

I was talking to a friend recently. He is a good man and lives a morally upright life. We were talking about the Christian life and the varying opinions about how a believer should live. He stated his belief as this; “As long as a person tries to do what is right he is going to be alright.â€Â

We would all agree that a person should try to do what is right, but is that really the answer to the question, “How should a believer live?†In our theme passage for this series of devotions we are given a number of virtues that are called “Fruit of the Spirit.†We are also given a contrasting set of characteristics that are called, “Acts of the sinful nature.†How does one change from doing the behaviors of the sinful nature to exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit?

The above paragraphs were excerpted from the Daily God Walk Blog. How do you think the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of goodness in us?

This is a verse that used to help me in college.
The start of how we live, comes from the thoughts of our hearts and minds.
If God is to work with our hearts and minds, we need to be in the right frame of mind.
Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
This is not just a man-made concept. It is the first step in being in tune with the Holy Spirit.

 

[Vince]

As I understand it, the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is all ONE fruit that the Holy Spirit bears in us. The other fruits, such as goodness, giving, and converts, are borne by the Christian.

 

[Apostle Paul]

As I understand it, the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is all ONE fruit that the Holy Spirit bears in us. The other fruits, such as goodness, giving, and converts, are borne by the Christian.

Actually, goodness is listed as fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22

 

[Apostle Paul]

T[his is a verse that used to help me in college.
The start of how we live, comes from the thoughts of our hearts and minds.
If God is to work with our hearts and minds, we need to be in the right frame of mind.
Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
This is not just a man-made concept. It is the first step in being in tune with the Holy Spirit.

Do you feel that the Philippians passage lays the responsibility of developing goodness in ourselves rests in our ability to instill those characters in our life as oppossed to the Holy Spirit developing goodness as fruit of his abiding presence?

 

[justvisiting]

T[his is a verse that used to help me in college.
The start of how we live, comes from the thoughts of our hearts and minds.
If God is to work with our hearts and minds, we need to be in the right frame of mind.
Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
This is not just a man-made concept. It is the first step in being in tune with the Holy Spirit.

Do you feel that the Philippians passage lays the responsibility of developing goodness in ourselves rests in our ability to instill those characters in our life as oppossed to the Holy Spirit developing goodness as fruit of his abiding presence?

I know what you are getting at. An unsaved man that is simply religious could practice positive thinking, but that is not the same as the Spirit of God working to renew your mind.
2 Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Ephesians 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
The point is...Phill. 4:8 does admonish us to think on these things. Even though we have the Holy Spirit, we still have to present our mind to God for renewing. We always have the option of thinking on wrong things.
Prayer and praise open the mind for the Spirit of God to work on us.

 

[Vince]

By George, Paul, you're right! "Goodness" is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Let me grab my Strong's Exhaustive Concordance here, let's see, oh, yeah, here it is. I was thinking of Colossians 1:10:

Col 1:10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

 

[justvisiting]

Well, If I would have known you were looking for a specific verse.
Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
It's that and a whole bunch more.

 

[Vince]

Thank you, Justvisiting. What I am saying is that the fruit of the Spirit is ONE THING, and every born-again Christian has it. While we can so-operate with the Holy Spirit for more fruit, it is Him, not us, who bear the fruit of the Spirit. If the only fruit you have is the fruit of the Spirit, then you are not bearing fruit.

Being a fruitful Christian refers to bearing fruit ourselves, although that it done through God working in us.

 

[Apostle Paul]

Another theme in the goodness idea; Can we add goodness to our faith?

It is interesting that Peter uses a different word for goodness here than Paul uses for goodness in Galatians. Paul uses the Greek word, “agathosune,†which means “virtue, beneficence†or simply goodness. Peter uses the word, “arête.†This word means “Any excellence of a person, or of a thing, an eminent endowment, property or quality. Used of the human mind and in an ethical sense, it denotes a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action; virtue, moral goodness†(Thayer’s).

In the Daily Godwalk devotion for yesterday we looked at man’s inability to be good, or virtuous, on his own, yet Peter is telling believers to add virtue, or goodness to their faith. How does one do that?

What do you think?