- The Essence of the Fruit of the Spirit – Love, Joy, and Peace
In Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul lists the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit that we know so well: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Paul then declares, “Against such things there is no law.” These are the fruits that Christians ought to bear in the Holy Spirit, closely interlinked virtues. Among them, Paul puts “love” first. Pastor David Jang, in many of his sermons, also emphasizes that this love is the core virtue that unites and leads the other eight fruits. Throughout the entire salvific history presented in Scripture, the fruit of the Spirit is revealed as “the concrete manifestation of God’s love in our lives.” We must start with this love and understand the life of grace that flows onward into joy and peace.
Paul identifies love as the first fruit in Galatians 5:22. Although the world also speaks of “love,” the love in Scripture is of an entirely different dimension. The world offers countless definitions of love, often swaying toward human desires or emotions. However, the love Scripture proclaims is the “agape love” God demonstrated through Christ—unconditional love, most clearly displayed in the cross of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself for us sinners. Romans 5 testifies, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Pastor David Jang frequently cites this passage, repeatedly underscoring that God’s immeasurable love is the very heart of the gospel. This is precisely why the first fruit we must bear in the Holy Spirit is “love.”
Why is love considered the greatest among the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the one that integrates all the others? First Corinthians 13 explains the supremacy of love in the most beautiful and unmistakable way. Paul states that without love, we are nothing. Even if we possess many gifts or much knowledge, even if we have great abilities—without love, all is futile. Love never fails, and when love is perfected, we will know God fully. Here, the Hebrew notion of “knowing (yada)” is deeply tied to “loving.” For instance, in the Old Testament, when it says that a man “knew” his wife, it refers not merely to intellectual knowledge but to an intimate love. Jesus also asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” and Peter answered, “Lord, You know all things.” Knowing, then, is inseparably linked to loving. The Lord knows us—that is, He loves us—and because of that love, we also come to know and love Him.
Pastor David Jang, in this context, stresses that Christian love is not initiated by human will but learned within the love that God first showed us. It is only when we confess “God knew us first, and He loved us first” that genuine love—the fruit of the Spirit—can take root in our hearts. When this love is present, the other virtues Paul lists—joy and peace, and indeed all the others—can properly bloom. Love is never isolated; from love flows joy, and that joy spreads to others, leading to peace.
The second fruit, joy, is two sides of the same coin with love. Those who receive love are joyful, and those who give love also experience joy. Because humans are created in God’s image, we taste our deepest joy when we abide in true love. This is not worldly pleasure but a genuine spiritual joy. As Jesus says in John 15:11, “that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full,” those who remain in God’s love possess a joy surpassing mere emotional happiness. It is the Lord’s joy filling our hearts. When we love, joy overflows, and that joy brings forth even greater love. Pastor David Jang explains that when a church genuinely experiences oneness in the Holy Spirit, joy spontaneously springs up in the community. This joy is a spiritual vibrancy that the world cannot replicate. Through this joy, people witness the living Lord at work within the church.
The third fruit, peace, is what we usually call “peace.” Yet, as Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives,” the peace (or “shalom”) that Scripture speaks of is not dependent on worldly circumstances. Worldly peace tends to be narrowly understood as merely the absence of war, or it may be seen as the sense of security that comes with sufficient material comfort. But peace, as a fruit of the Spirit, is “the peace of mind that arises from experiencing the grace of God.” When Paul greets in his epistles, “Grace and peace be to you,” he follows the order that grace comes first and, upon receiving that grace, peace floods the heart. This is the inner rest of those who have gained freedom in their relationship with God, no longer bound by guilt or condemnation through the astounding grace of unconditional salvation. Pastor David Jang repeatedly emphasizes in various sermons that when a church community abides in grace and accepts one another, deep peace takes root, and people truly experience the power of God’s kingdom.
When peace comes, the heart finds margin and expansion. A representative example is Paul’s exhortation in 2 Corinthians 6:11-13: “You also open wide your hearts.” Those who are fixated on legalistic standards and prone to criticism and pride inevitably end up with narrow hearts. However, those who have experienced the grace of the cross can broaden their hearts. The reason is that our salvation depends not on our works but entirely on the merit of Christ. Since we are saved by grace, and grow by grace, we can more naturally accept others’ shortcomings. While legalists tend to be full of frustration and judgment, those who live by grace overflow with generosity and peace. This is the true portrait of the fruit of the Spirit manifested in a church community. Founded in love, bursting with joy, and abounding in the fullness of grace leading to peace—this is what characterizes the church.
In the Galatian church, legalists had infiltrated, shaking the foundational gospel of salvation by faith. They insisted, “You must observe more of the law to be justified,” thus imposing new regulations and causing division and conflict within the church. In the face of this, Paul unequivocally states in Galatians, “We are saved by grace, not by works, but through the cross of Christ we are made righteous.” Therefore, the church should be overflowing with love, joy, and peace. Yet legalism suppresses people, driving them toward division. Under such circumstances, Paul gives a strong exhortation: “Bear the fruit of the Spirit. Live by the spirit of the gospel, not by the law.” Pastor David Jang also points out that church division or conflicts among people ultimately arise when grace is lost and a legalistic attitude is adopted. One of the most crucial lessons we learn from Galatians is that “when the fruit of the Spirit, beginning with love, is borne successively in our lives, the church community will experience true peace.”
Scripture unceasingly emphasizes these fundamental fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, and peace. When we love, joy naturally arises, and when joy abounds, we recognize how immense the grace we have received truly is, and peace settles in our hearts. This is the beautiful operation of the Spirit that Paul declares, “Against such things there is no law.” Ultimately, the deeper love grows within the Christian community, the more infinite the resulting joy and peace. The life a Christian ought to pursue is one where such fruit of the Spirit naturally appears. But it doesn’t end there. Paul goes on to mention patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, reminding us that the fruit of the Spirit must manifest in our concrete behavior.
Subtopic 2: The Practice of Love – Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control
If love, joy, and peace form the foundational bedrock of the fruit of the Spirit, the additional virtues of patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control show how love practically takes shape and grows in everyday life. Love is not merely an abstract notion; it becomes true fruit only when lived out and practiced. Paul emphasizes that these virtues naturally emerge when those “who live by the Spirit also keep in step with the Spirit.” Pastor David Jang frequently preaches on this point, highlighting that it’s not enough to have sound doctrine or a correct understanding of the Word; it must be realized in life for believers to attain spiritual maturity as “people of the Holy Spirit.”
First, patience. This can also be translated as “long-suffering” or “forbearance.” In Scripture, patience does not merely imply passively enduring suffering. It is an active stance of enduring for the sake of love. Without love, we easily give up, quickly get angry or become discouraged. But when we possess love, we have compassion and grace toward the other person, enabling us to endure patiently. In Ephesians 4:2, Paul says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ultimately, patience is another facet of love. Having received God’s love, when we face injustice or suffering, we can maintain the posture of “waiting for the Lord’s timing.” Such is the life of faith, the life of love.
When patience takes root in us, kindness naturally follows. Because you cannot give what you do not have, kindness is also something only those who have experienced God’s love can show to others. Kindness fundamentally involves feeling compassion for others and wanting to help them. Jesus demonstrated what kindness is throughout His life. He approached sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, the sick and the disabled—those marginalized by society—ate with them, and comforted their hearts. He went even further, showing the ultimate act of kindness by bearing the sins of all humanity on the cross. Therefore, Christians are people who pass on the kindness they have received to the world. Pastor David Jang notes in his sermons that if the church does not practice kindness, the world will begin to criticize and reproach the church. Before we preach the gospel with words, our charitable attitude toward neighbors should be apparent. This is not our own power but the fruit of the Spirit dwelling in us.
When kindness is actively expressed, it leads to “goodness.” Doing good in the Bible is not merely about doing nice deeds but doing “what pleases God.” If we attempt to do good by our own will, we often fail. Yet when the Holy Spirit works within us, He instills a good heart and enables us to bear fruit in good deeds. James 2:26 underscores the importance of good works, saying, “Faith without deeds is dead.” In Galatians 6:9, Paul encourages believers, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Whether in the church community or out in the world, “goodness” as the fruit of the Spirit profoundly moves people’s hearts, for it is goodness that comes from God. Pastor David Jang considers “goodness” the core criterion when he speaks about the church fulfilling its social responsibility. As Christians practice goodness in their everyday lives, the rule of God’s kingdom becomes visible in real situations.
Next is faithfulness. People often think of “faithfulness” in military or organizational terms, but in Scripture, it encompasses faithful commitment to God and responsible devotion in human relationships. To be faithful to God means entrusting all we have to Him, dedicating ourselves to His kingdom, and abiding in unwavering trust. At the same time, it means being trustworthy in our relationships with others. In Jesus’ parable of the talents, the “good and faithful servant” faithfully manages what the master entrusted and is commended to share in the master’s joy. Faithfulness is both faithful devotion to God and responsible commitment to others. Pastor David Jang remarks that when people in the church serve one another faithfully, the church grows strong; when leaders and members fulfill their roles conscientiously, the world begins to respect the church. Though there are limits to human effort alone, faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit becomes possible “when I die and Christ lives in me.”
The seventh fruit, gentleness, signifies maturity. In agrarian terms, as grain ripens, it bows its head; likewise, a spiritually mature person naturally displays humility and care for others. A gentle person does not rush to condemn others but instead seeks to embrace and understand them. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus declares, “I am gentle and humble in heart,” revealing the essence of His character. He never flaunted His power nor oppressed people; rather, He ate with sinners and even prayed for those who persecuted Him to be forgiven. This is gentleness at its peak. From a human standpoint, loving our enemies seems impossible, but under the Holy Spirit’s guidance—when we grasp the love of Jesus’ cross—we begin to learn a compassion that embraces even our enemies. Pastor David Jang says that gentle people possess the power to bring life to souls. Rather than taking a coercive stance, love that embraces ultimately yields a far greater work of life. Such a heart cannot be imitated by worldly knowledge or skill; it is a jewel-like quality attainable only as a fruit of the Spirit.
The ninth and final fruit is self-control. This is often translated as “self-control,” meaning the ability to govern oneself. Scripture teaches in numerous places that the human self is inclined toward sin. We instinctively follow the desires of the flesh, easily drawn into malice, envy, and anger. Yet when the Holy Spirit indwells us, we learn to exercise control over ourselves. From our eating and drinking habits to our speech and actions, even our sexuality, self-control is an essential virtue for true freedom. Indulgence is not freedom; it is another form of bondage. True freedom exists where there is self-control. When Paul says, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12), the principle of self-control undergirds his statement. Pastor David Jang refers to self-control as “voluntary obedience,” explaining that when one lives joyfully submitted to the Holy Spirit, one can gladly govern oneself.
Ultimately, this series of fruits—beginning with love—transforms our character and our entire way of life. Galatians 5:23 declares, “Against such things there is no law,” which can be understood as “no human system or law can prohibit these virtues.” Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are values that cannot help but be esteemed in every circumstance, era, and place. True Christian living should manifest these qualities. Yet we are weak and frequently fail and fall short. Thus, in Galatians 5:25-26, Paul admonishes, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” In other words, “Live by the Spirit. And in your actual life, walk according to the Spirit’s leading. If you do not, you will end up seeking empty glory, and inevitably fall into envy and strife.”
At this point, we should revisit the origin of human sin as described in Genesis. Adam’s transgression was pride—the desire to become like the infinite God. From that elevated sense of self came sin, and Cain, driven by envy of his brother, committed murder. Adam’s sin was vertical pride (rebellion against God), and Cain’s sin was horizontal envy (hatred toward his brother). Pastor David Jang often notes that whenever envy arises in the church, division invariably follows. Once pride sets in—“I keep the law better than you”—a sense of superiority emerges, and people condemn those who don’t measure up, ultimately destroying the community. In Galatians 5:26, Paul emphasizes, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another,” seeking to prevent church division. The person led by the Spirit ultimately chooses “love.”
When we speak of love, we must remember the gospel’s core that transcends legalism. In John 8, we see how Jesus responds to the woman caught in adultery. By the law, she should have been stoned to death. However, Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first,” exposing the hidden sin of the legalists. Ultimately, none of them condemned her, and Jesus told her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more.” This was not disregarding the law but revealing a higher dimension of love and forgiveness. In this way, love chooses atonement over condemnation. As believers, we are forgiven, and therefore must also become those who forgive. In Matthew 18, Jesus illustrates the foolishness of the unmerciful servant with the parable of the servant forgiven a massive debt yet unwilling to forgive a small debt owed to him. The message is that having been forgiven an enormous debt by God, we must likewise forgive our brothers and sisters.
Pastor David Jang refers to this gospel spirit as the “spirit of the cross.” The spirit of the cross does not condemn but takes on the burden of another’s failings. Jesus took our place on the cross for our sins, paying our debt and liberating us from sin and death. Hence, we who follow Christ must also, instead of condemning our brothers’ weaknesses, help bear them, seeking their restoration. Such is the way of the fruit of the Spirit. Love must be practiced; it finds concrete form in patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our daily lives. Through such processes, the church reveals the power of the gospel and fulfills its calling to be the light and salt of the earth.
- A Life of Bearing One Another’s Burdens and the Law of Christ – Overcoming Pride and Envy
Moving into Galatians 6, the Apostle Paul offers even more practical and ethical guidance. Ethics deals with the question, “How should we live?” As he concludes Galatians, Paul explains how to live as Spirit-filled believers in the church community. The gospel of Jesus Christ is never merely a theoretical idea; it is a power that must be evident in real life. In preaching on this section, Pastor David Jang consistently emphasizes, “Truth does not remain only in the mind. It transforms people and makes the community healthy when it is implemented in everyday life.”
In Galatians 6:1, Paul writes, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” By using the phrase “you who are spiritual,” Paul seeks both to encourage the Galatians pastorally and to prompt them to reflect on their spiritual condition. Indeed, some among them had fallen into the trap of legalism, judging others readily. Paul counters by saying, “Rather than condemnation, restore such a person with a spirit of gentleness.” This essentially means, “Instead of judging, guide them toward forgiveness and recovery.” It does not imply handing out automatic pardons but guiding that soul back to the right path through the spirit of the cross.
Paul then adds, “Watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” In other words, we are not immune to sin. Although someone else has fallen into sin today, tomorrow it may be our turn. First Corinthians 10:12 states, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall,” echoing human frailty. Even when we witness someone else’s sin, we cannot look down on them and boast that we are different; every one of us can stumble at any time. Therefore, we must humbly support and help one another, restoring the fallen with gentleness.
Galatians 6:2 then reads, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” This is the mystery of the gospel and the essence of Jesus’ substitutionary life. Legalists point out the sins of others, ready to stone them. Yet, in John 8, when the crowd wanted to stone the adulterous woman, Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone,” and ultimately no one could throw a stone. The reason is that every person is a sinner. A sinner cannot condemn another sinner. Finally, Jesus tells the woman, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin,” granting her genuine forgiveness. Here we see Jesus crossing over from judgment to atonement.
“Carry each other’s burdens” means that within the community, we share and shoulder one another’s weaknesses and faults. Paul calls this “the law of Christ.” Legalists would respond, “He committed sin, so he must be punished.” But followers of Christ say, “I will bear that burden with you. Let’s walk together.” Just as Jesus bore all humanity’s sins and sorrows on the cross, we too should strive to bear each other’s wounds and burdens. Such living is what makes the church truly the church. Pastor David Jang preaches repeatedly that whenever conflict arises in the church, it is solved only when Christ’s love of carrying each other’s burdens is restored. Division in the church is most often due to complaints like “My burden is heavier” or accusations such as “Why can’t you even handle that?,” without mutual support. The gospel realm operates in the opposite direction: “I will help bear your burden. And you can help bear mine. Let us go forward together.” This is how a community survives and thrives.
In Galatians 6:3, Paul says, “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” It is self-deception to think, “I have achieved everything. I keep the law well and meet all requirements. I am a perfect Christian.” In reality, we are nothing, merely sinners saved by grace, yet sometimes we become conceited, pretending to be holy. Such an attitude is extremely dangerous. Paul continues, “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else” (6:4). This means that instead of judging others, we should examine our own souls and faith.
Paul adds, “For each one should carry his own load” (6:5). On the one hand, we must bear each other’s burdens, yet ultimately each of us is accountable for our own life. At the end, we will each stand before God’s judgment seat, where statements like “I was better than someone else” will not matter. The fundamental question is, “Who are you, and how did you live in relationship with Me?” This is the message that the entire New Testament consistently teaches and the backbone of Christian piety.
Galatians 6:1-5 applies not only to personal ethics but also to the entire church community. When the mindset of carrying each other’s burdens, restoring sinners gently, and humbly reviewing our own weaknesses prevails, the church grows healthy. We witness the fruit of the Spirit most vividly in the moment a sinner repents and returns, and the community welcomes and rejoices together. In Galatians 5:26, Paul already cautioned, “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other,” and he continues in chapter 6 with the same message, teaching the community how to maintain a gospel-centered posture. Pride, empty glory, and envy are destructive, while “bearing one another’s burdens” is Paul’s solution for building a true gospel community.
In Genesis, Adam’s pride and Cain’s envy unleashed the history of human sin. Likewise, pride and envy in the church quickly lead to division and destruction. What is the remedy? We find it in Galatians 5, in the fruit of the Spirit. When love, joy, and peace form the foundation of the community, and patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control follow, the church will naturally protect and edify its members. If someone sins, the community does not cast them out or condemn them; rather, in gentleness, they help restore that person. And if I fall, my brothers and sisters will lift me up. This is what it means for “those who live by the Spirit to also walk by the Spirit” in the church.
Pastor David Jang often calls this “the essence of the gospel: practicing love to save one another in the church community.” This was the way of the cross, and it was also the model shown by the early church. The church in the early chapters of Acts shared everything, sold property to help those in need, and lived life together in unity. Yet whenever human selfishness or greed seeped in, problems arose. Even so, the apostles continually led the church in the Word and prayer, striving to uphold mutual acceptance and love. That was the power behind the church’s ongoing growth and expansion.
In conclusion, Paul’s teaching from Galatians 5:22 into chapter 6 offers us a clear direction:
- The fruit of the Spirit is a beautiful internal and external transformation that begins with “love” and progresses through “self-control.”
- While enjoying love, joy, and peace, we must not revert to the yoke of slavery through pride or envy.
- When someone sins or shows weakness, we are not to respond with legalistic condemnation but with the spirit of the gospel—gently admonishing and bearing one another’s burdens as a community. This fulfills the law of Christ.
One reason modern churches sometimes face public criticism is that they occasionally reveal internal divisions and wounds rooted in “legalistic judgment.” But a church filled with the fruit of the Spirit naturally seeks Jesus’ path of forgiveness and restoration when sin emerges among its members. Jesus’ path involves interceding for the sins of others as well as our own, praying and working together for communal healing. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2) is God’s practical command to all of us who long to live in the spirit of the cross—a theme Pastor David Jang has consistently underscored.
We are far from perfect. We need the Spirit’s help and the forgiveness offered by the cross every day. Remembering this keeps us from condemning others, so that our words to each other become, “My brother, my sister, I will help bear your burden.” In such a church, there is no strife but rather restoration and healing, overflowing with grace and peace. Embracing the message of Galatians enables us to truly experience the power of the gospel and practice a love that the world cannot fathom. This is the precious teaching Paul left not only for the Galatian believers but for Christians in every age.
Ultimately, the fruit of the Spirit shines most brightly when it is expressed through the life of the church. Love is not an abstraction but moves us to concrete acts; joy and peace spring from that love, and patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control blossom in the very heart of communal life. If we lay aside pride and envy and genuinely follow “the way of the cross,” even the wounds and conflicts within the church can find resolution through “bearing one another’s burdens.” As words of judgment are replaced by words of encouragement and restoration, the work of the Spirit touches hearts one by one, steadily building up the body of Christ—the church.
As Pastor David Jang consistently reiterates in his expositional messages on Galatians, when we truly hold fast to the gospel and live as people of the Spirit, there is no room for the hatred and division that legalism often brings. Instead, we hear the resounding confession, “I will carry your burden, and you carry mine,” and that place becomes the very site where God’s kingdom is realized. Thus, the “fruit of the Spirit” and the “law of Christ” proclaimed in Galatians are not just personal markers of faith, but a power that heals and transforms both the entire church and the world. This is the gospel life that God desired for the Galatians and still expects from us today.
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