📖 Biblical Definition
Paul's enumeration in Galatians 5:22-23 of the character the Spirit produces in the believer: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Singular fruit (one fruit with nine flavors), not nine separate fruits. Contrast with the works of the flesh in 5:19-21 (multiple, fragmenting). The Spirit produces integrated character; the flesh produces disintegration.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Gal 5:22-23: nine-flavored Spirit-produced character; singular fruit.
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Paul's enumeration in Galatians 5:22-23 of the character the Holy Spirit produces in the believer: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Note the grammar: fruit is singular; the nine items are not nine separate fruits but nine flavors of one fruit. Contrast with the works (plural) of the flesh in 5:19-21 (adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings) — the flesh produces fragmentation; the Spirit produces integrated character. The fruit is not earned but grown; the Spirit is the gardener.
📖 Key Scripture
Galatians 5:22-23 — "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
John 15:5 — "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
Galatians 5:19-21 — "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Treated as character-list-to-work-on; Paul makes it organic Spirit-production, not human achievement.
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Modern Christian-growth language often treats the fruit-list as goals to achieve: try harder to be loving, work on patience, develop self-control. Paul's verb is different: fruit grows. The Spirit produces. The saint abides; the abiding produces the fruit; the fruit reveals the abiding.
Recover the organic verb: don't try to produce fruit; abide in the vine. The fruit will follow. The integrated character-cluster is the Spirit's gift, not the saint's accomplishment.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek karpos tou pneumatos.
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['Greek', 'G2590', 'karpos', 'fruit']
['Greek', 'G4151', 'pneuma', 'Spirit']
Usage
"Fruit of the Spirit (singular, nine flavors)."
"Works of the flesh (plural, fragmenting)."
"Abide in the vine; the fruit follows."