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Abstracting the fruit of the spirit
1. Abstracting the fruit of the spirit
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [kjv]
5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. [kjv]
The fruits of the spirit in laundry list form appear in Galatians 5.
There are nine (
9) fruits in the laundry list of fruit/fruits. Do you have them all checked off? Most pastors preach about these using the modern English definitions and not the original Greek definitions.
Here we look at abstractions of the fruit of the spirit as written by Paul.
Non-fruit is the absence of "
fruit".
2. Galatians 5
3. Galatians 5:22
KJV: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Greek: ο δε καρπος του πνευματος εστιν αγαπη χαρα ειρηνη μακροθυμια χρηστοτης αγαθωσυνη πιστις
Latin: fructus autem Spiritus est caritas gaudium pax longanimitas bonitas benignitas
Gothic: ith akran ahmins ist frijathwa, faheths, gawairthi, usbeisnei, selei, bleithei, galaubeins,
Luther: Die Frucht aber des Geistes ist: Liebe, Freude, Friede, Geduld, Freundlichkeit, Gütigkeit, Glaube, Sanftmut, Keuschheit.
Russian: Плод же духа: любовь, радость, мир, долготерпение, благость, милосердие, вера,
4. Galatians 5:23
KJV: Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Greek: πραοτης πραυτης εγκρατεια κατα των τοιουτων ουκ εστιν νομος
5. Matthew 3:8
KJV: Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Greek: ποιησατε ουν καρπο υς αξιους καρπο ν αξιον της μετανοιας
Latin: facite ergo fructum dignum paenitentiae
Wessex: Eornostlice doð medemne waestm þare deadbote.
Wycliffe: Therfor do ye worthi fruyte of penaunce,
Tyndale: Brynge forth therfore the frutes belongynge to repentauce.
Russian: сотворите же достойный плод покаяния
6. Nine ladies dancing
In the Christmas song, "
Twelve days of Christmas", the "
nine ladies dancing" is sometimes said to represent the nine "
fruit of the spirit" from Galatians 5 that one should evidence to dance through life:
1. love
2. joy
3. peace
4. patience
5. kindness
6. goodness
7. faithfulness
8. gentleness
9. self-control
For more information, see the following:
Twelve days of Christmas.
7. Laundry list
There are nine (
9) fruits in the laundry list of fruit/fruits.
Do you have them all checked off?
Are there other fruit/fruits that are not on the list?
And once they are checked off, we are good to go. Is that correct?
8. Laundry lists
As soon as one is presented with a "
laundry list" such as the above, the following questions arise.
Does the list cover everything? Is there anything important that is not on the list?
Does one need to complete everything or evidence every quality on the list?
For any "
laundry list" in the Bible (e.g., spiritual gifts, etc.) one runs into these questions. There are many sermons given that make some type of above assumptions.
9. One way directions
Many sermons do not clearly make the distinction that if one has the Holy Spirit, one will evidence the fruits. One can evidence fruits without having the Holy Spirit. If that is not clear, then use it as a discussion question.
10. Conditional probability
One way to deceive people is to use
conditional probabilities as if they go both ways equally.
The probability that one speaks Spanish given that one lives in Spain is very high.
The probability that one lives in Spain given that one speaks Spanish is very low.
11. Faith and work
Another place this idea appears is in faith and works. One cannot work their way to faith. If this is not clear, this is another discussion question.
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Details are left as a future topic.
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12. James 2:17
KJV: Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Greek: ουτως και η πιστις εαν μη εργα εχη εργα νεκρα εστιν καθ εαυτην
Latin: sic et fides si non habeat opera mortua est in semet ipsam
Wycliffe: So also feith, if it hath not werkis, is deed in it silf.
Luther: Also auch der Glaube, wenn er nicht Werke hat, ist er tot an ihm selber.
Slavonic: Такожде и вера, аще дeел не имать, мертва есть о себе.
Russian: Так и вера, если не имеет дел, мертва сама по себе.
Note that the Greek word for "
faith" means a "
persuasion" or "
belief" and not what is today called "
faith". Today's meaning of "
faith" is what was called "
hope" - a well-founded belief with expectation. This is a future topic.
Back to the fruit of the spirit.
13. Abstraction
When Jesus is asked to summarize all of the law, he comes up with two verses from the Old Testament (e.g., love God and love your neighbor as yourself).
It would be nice to summarize and abstract the fruits of the spirit in a similar manner.
How about the following? "The fruit of the spirit is goodness, righteousness and truth.".
Discussion question: Does this generalization more than adequately replace the above list?
14. Abstraction
Let us now look at the concept of abstraction and then how it might be applied to generalizing the laundry list of fruits of the spirit.
15. Abstractions
In simple terms, "
abstraction" is looking at
similarities and ignoring
differences. The Latin word
"abstractus" ≈ "take away from".
Sometimes there appear to be no similarities, only differences.
16. Ephesians 5
The fruits of the spirit, in a somewhat abstracted form (in the modern sense), appear in Ephesians 5.
17. Ephesians 5:8
KJV: For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Greek: ητε γαρ ποτε σκοτος νυν δε φως εν κυριω ως τεκνα φωτος περιπατειτε
Latin: eratis enim aliquando tenebrae nunc autem lux in Domino ut filii lucis ambulate
Wycliffe: For ye weren sum tyme derknessis, but now`ye ben liyt in the Lord. Walke ye as the sones of liyt.
Luther: Denn ihr waret weiland Finsternis; nun aber seid ihr ein Licht in, dem Herrn.
Slavonic: Бесте бо иногда тма, ныне же свет о Господе: якоже чада света ходите:
18. Which gray is brighter
19. Ephesians 5:9
KJV: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth; )
Greek: ο γαρ καρπος του πνευματος φωτος εν παση αγαθωσυνη και δικαιοσυνη και αληθεια
Latin: fructus enim lucis est in omni bonitate et iustitia et veritate
Wycliffe: For the fruyt of liyt is in al goodnesse, and riytwisnesse, and treuthe.
Geneva: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in al goodnes, and righteousnes, and trueth)
Luther: Wandelt wie die Kinder des Lichts! Die Frucht des Geistes ist allerlei Gütigkeit und Gerechtigkeit und Wahrheit.
Spanish: (porque el fruto del Espíritu es en toda bondad, justicia y verdad) ,
One of the Greek versions has the modern Greek word
"πνεύμα" (PNEV-ma) ≈ "spirit" while another version has the modern Greek word
"φωτός" (fo-TOS) ≈ "light".
The Latin word
"lucis" ≈ "light" is used here so the Latin has the "
fruit of the light" as does Wycliffe.
Paul uses "
darkness" in verses before and after this verse. Does "
fruit of the light" make better sense? How does this compare with "
fruit of the spirit"?
The
KJV (King James Version) decided to translate this abstracted definition of fruits using parentheses, as if it does not deserve to be a complete statement in the sentence.
20. Ephesians 5:10
KJV: Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Greek: δοκιμαζοντες τι εστιν ευαρεστον τω κυριω
Latin: probantes quid sit beneplacitum Deo
Geneva: Approuing that which is pleasing to the Lord.
21. Ephesians 5:11
KJV: And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Greek: και μη συγκοινωνειτε τοις εργοις τοις ακαρποις του σκοτους μαλλον δε και ελεγχετε
Latin: et nolite communicare operibus infructuosis tenebrarum magis autem et redarguite
Wycliffe: And nyle ye comyne to vnfruytouse werkis of derknessis; but more repreue ye.
Russian: и не участвуйте в бесплодных делах тьмы, но и обличайте.
22. Generalized fruits
The generalized fruit list has three parts.
goodness
righteousness
truth
Can we relate these three that Paul lists to anything from Jesus?
The generalized fruits of Paul in Ephesians 5 might be related to the somewhat opposite non-fruits of John 16 of sin, righteousness and judgment.
| Fruits compared |
| Ephesians 5 |
John 16 |
| fruits |
non‑fruits |
| goodness |
sin and non‑belief |
| righteousness |
righteousness ‑ see me no more |
| truth |
judgment of the prince of this world |
23. John: Asking for anything and everything
John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [kjv]
και ο τι αν αιτησητε εν τω ονοματι μου τουτο ποιησω ινα δοξασθη ο πατηρ εν τω υιω [gnt]
Have you ever heard someone, before a prayer, say the following, or something like the following?
The Bible says that we can ask for anything in Jesus name, and it will be given to us.
Is this accurate? Whatever! Let us investigate.
24. Judgment and doom
25. John 16:11
KJV: Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Greek: περι δε κρισεως οτι ο αρχων του κοσμου τουτου κεκριται
Latin: de iudicio autem quia princeps mundi huius iudicatus est
Wessex: Be dome; for-þam þises middan-eardes ealdor ys ge-demed.
Wycliffe: but of doom, for the prince of this world is now demed.
Tyndale: and of iudgement because the chefe ruler of this worlde is iudged all ready.
Gothic: ith bi staua, thatei sa reiks this fairhvaus afdomiths warth.
Luther: um das Gericht, daß der Fürst dieser Welt gerichtet ist.
Slavonic: о суде же, яко князь мира сего осужден бысть.
Russian: о суде же, что князь мира сего осужден.
Spanish: y de juicio, por cuanto el príncipe de este mundo ya es juzgado.
26. End of page
John 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; [kjv]
περι αμαρτιας μεν οτι ου πιστευουσιν εις εμε [gnt]
16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; [kjv]
περι δικαιοσυνης δε οτι προς τον πατερα υπαγω και ουκετι θεωρειτε με [gnt]
16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. [kjv]
περι δε κρισεως οτι ο αρχων του κοσμου τουτου κεκριται [gnt]
Be dome; for-þam þises middan-eardes ealdor ys ge-demed. [wes]
but of doom, for the prince of this world is now demed. [wy]
