Fruits of the Spirit: Love

Galatians 5:22-23 English Standard Version (ESV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Fruit of love:

What is LOVE?  

Agape - Greek word for unconditional and impartial love of God
1 Corinthians 13 (ESV)

The Way of Love

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

1. Keeping God’s commandments is showing our love for Him.
   John 15: 9
   “ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.”
   Daniel 9:11-13 (NET)
   “I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way: “O Lord, great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant with those who love him and keep his commandments”
   Deuteronomy 11:13 (NET)
   “Now, if you pay close attention to my commandments that I am giving you today and love the Lord your God and serve him with all your mind and being”
   
2. Loving one another and letting God love through your actions to others
   1 John 4:7-21(ESV)
   God Is Love
   7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
   Matthew 25:34-40
   “Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'”
   Romans 12:10
   “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
   
3. Love your enemies and pray for them.
   Matthew 5:44 (ESV)
   44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,“
   Luke 6:32 (NLT)
   ”If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!”
   ‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:32‬ ‭NLT‬‬
   
4. Love is a sacrifice.
   Psalm 51:17 (NIV)
   “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
   I John 4:10 (NIV)
   ‭‭“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”‭
   Psalm 4:5 (HCSB)
   “Offer sacrifices in righteousness and trust in the Lord.”
   Ephesians 5:2
   “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
   
5. Loving involves discipline.
   Proverbs 13:24 (NIV)
   “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.”
   Proverbs 11:12 (NET)
   “The one who loves discipline loves knowledge, but the one who hates reproof is stupid”

I John 4:18b (AMP)
“ ...But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].”

What LOVE isn’t:

1. Love isn’t jealousy, bragging, or arrogant.
   I Corinthians 13:4b (ESV)
   “...love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant”
2. Love isn’t rude, inflexible, irritable, or resentful.  
   I Corinthians 13:4b-5
   “it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful”
3. Love doesn’t enjoy sin.
   I Corinthians 13:6a
   “it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,...”
4. Love never ends.
   I Corinthians 13:8a
   “Love never ends…”
5. Love doesn’t involve fear. I John 4:18 (AMP) “ There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].”