But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. - Gal 5:16-25
A study of contrasts. The world insists that there is nothing wrong with a little impurity, openly scoffs at any quaint notion of self-control that contradicts what it celebrates. Anything that squelches its idea of fun is oppressive and outdated.
Perhaps it has always been so.
But those who live by the Holy Spirit manifest fruit that is otherwise beyond us. These are different from the gifts discussed in Corinthians (going to have to go back there, but I have fruit on the brain this morning). These are characteristics manifested in our daily living. They are the result of the branches abiding in the vine by the Holy Spirit. Like the spiritual gifts, they are to be sought after and asked for, for the purpose of manifesting Christ's presence in the world, and they are not attainable strictly by our own efforts, though we can certainly grow emotionally in ways that greatly facilitate them. Unlike the spiritual gifts, we are to work toward this fruit as well as pray for it.
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