Embodying the Character of Christ: A Word from Galatians

Emily Myers
6 days ago
8 min read

The Book of Galatians presents one of the most important and popular teachings in the Bible--the fruit of the Spirit. Written by Paul, Christians are reminded that it is not by our own strength, striving, or works that we achieve righteousness or salvation. It is by the grace of God, and the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, that we receive salvation. And it is by the healing power of the Holy Spirit that we demonstrate the character of Christ here on earth.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-contol." Galatians 5:22-23

The teachings on the fruit of the Spirit I heard before actually reading Galatians for myself led me to believe that the fruit of the Spirit is something we strive for as humans. Our ability to live a life of good fruit represents our faithfulness, goodness, and closeness to God. If we do not demonstrate all of the fruits perfectly, we must not be as close to God as we thought. Perhaps we even question our salvation. This is exactly what Paul preached against in Galatians.

The fruit of the Spirit represents the character of Christ. If it was impossible for man to fulfill the Law of the Lord, and it was, then how much more impossible is it for man to embody the character of Christ--the one man who not only fulfilled the Law but expanded it and abolished it?

The fruit of the Spirit is not something we attain or achieve by our own doing. It is cultivated in us over time by the Holy Spirit. Like any fruit, the fruit of the Spirit takes time to grow. Each fruit may have it's own season of harvest. There will be some godly virtues that come easier to us than others. Not demonstrating each one perfectly all at once doesn't mean you aren't saved or don't have the Holy Spirit. It means the Spirit is still working in you, and will be until your last breath.

"Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." Galatians 5:16-17

This scripture can be misinterpreted to make us believe that our innate human desires are wrong and that we should suppress everything human about us. Some may even interpret this scripture to mean that we should hate our bodies. That is not the case. God created mankind. He created our bodies, our desires, and our nature. What the flesh in this verse refers to is the corruption of mankind's nature by the enemy. The verse reveals an internal war we all experience--the war between the light and the dark, between right and wrong, between the Holy Spirit and the corrupted flesh.

If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you have the Holy Spirit inside you. And this internal war has been taking place even if you haven't realized it. Many are unaware of the Holy Spirit's presence, because we are taught more about God and Jesus. We're taught about how to receive salvation, but not righteousness. While the idea of being righteous may be off-putting, what righteousness truly means is embodying the character of Christ--living a life of godly virtues, a life of good fruit.

The fruit of the Spirit are the godly virtues attainable to us as we surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit's power and let him heal us from the inside out. A life of godly virtues is the abundant life attainable for us here on earth.

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelries, and the like..." Galatians 5:19-21

The works of the flesh, as presented in Galatians, are not part of God's intention for man or design. We can easily look at things like murder and adultery and realize they're wrong. Most of us probably have firm boundaries when it comes to those things. Other works of the corrupted flesh, however, might not be so obvious. I looked at each one closely and examined where I fall short. Because even though I have the Holy Spirit, I still fall short.

I prayed for my uncleanness, that the Lord would cleanse my mind and heart of corruption. Cleanse me of discouragement, complaining, doubt, restlessness, impatience, lingering anger and resentment. Strip my tongue of unhelpful speech and gossip.

I prayed against idolatry. I often question if I've made my desire for marriage an idol. While I do not think that is the case, this is an area that has been a sore spot in my relationship with God. I asked that God would show me how to carry my desire for marriage in a more healthy and holy way that does not pull me away from him or make me question my worth, but draws me closer to him. May the waiting affirm my worth as a child of God.

I prayed for the Lord to cleanse my mind and heart of hatred and dissensions, lingering anger and resentement specifically. I asked that he help me be gentle with the ones who've hurt me and help me to operate from a place of love. Admittedly, I asked this more for myself than for them, but I acknowledge that even that perspective may change.

I prayed against jealousy, that the Lord would cleanse my mind and heart of insecurities that make me jealous or cause me to compare myself to others. Let me rest assured that what is mine is mine and what is not is not a slight or sign of rejection or proof of my unworthiness.

I also prayed against adultery. While this line is firmly drawn, the sanctity of my future marriage is too important to me to not pray this prayer. I asked that God help me to remain faithful to my future husband in the waiting, dating, and in marriage. Help me to steward and care for my body the way you desire, Lord.

I can honestly say that after praying these specific prayers inspired by my own deep dive into the works of the flesh, I truly felt freerer, lighter, and more at peace in each of these areas. I didn't realize it until the next day, but I've had perspective changes that have granted me more peace in the waiting. I will share those in a separate post.

I encourage you to reflect on the works of the flesh not to condemn yourself, but so you can pray for specific healing by the Holy Spirit, and come that much closer to the abundant life that God promises.

Love Is The Firstfruit

As Christians, we're often taught how to treat others, but not so much how to treat ourselves. Jesus tells us and Paul reminds us: "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14 This scripture made me realize you cannot love others if you do not first love yourself. Love is the first fruit of the Spirit, because love makes all others possible.

If you love yourself, you are longsuffering. You do not give up on yourself or your dreams. If you love yourself, you are faithful to God and what is truly important to you. For me, a godly marriage is important to me. So, maintaining my purity until marriage and not settling in dating are standards I am faithful to--not only for God, but for the fulfillment of my own desires. If you love yourself, you are gentle with yourself--like Christ. I struggle with shame, guilt, perfectionism. I can be really hard on myself, but Christ is gentle when He corrects. I hope to learn how to demonstrate His gentleness with myself. If you love yourself, you are self-controlled, meaning you are disciplined enough to not do things that will hurt you or pull you away from God.

We are not excluded from the love of Christ as we embrace the Holy Spirit. How you treat yourself may be the first sign of true holy transformation.

Different Fruit, Different Soil

Technically, the fruit of the Spirit is one fruit, but of the fruit of the Spirit there are nine godly virtues. Different relationships test, challenge, or produce specific virtues.

When we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we develop unselfish love, true joy, and lasting peace. When we build relationships with others, we are challenged to reflect Christ's patience, kindness, and goodness. As we mature spiritually (this is where time really plays a factor), we discover an inner strength which results in faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Our relationships are the soil in which the fruit of the Spirit grows. Each virtue requires different things and different alottments of time to cultivate. Do not be discouraged if you're not a perfect Christian the day you're baptized or accept Jesus as the Lord of your life. First, no one is a perfect Christian. Second, the walk of a Christian is lifelong and the fruit of the Spirit will develop over time as you grow your understanding of God and His Word and surrender to the Holy Spirit's amazing healing power.

Accessing the Holy Spirit

As I said above, if you've accepted Jesus as your Savior, you have the Holy Spirit inside you. But it's possible you haven't been accessing him/ it. My relationship with the Holy Spirit is still new, so let's start this off with a really elementary conversation.

Break the ice with the Holy Spirit and acknowledge his presence. "Hi, Holy Spirit. I know you're with me. Help me to feel you. Help me to hear your voice. Guide my steps. Heal the parts of me that require your holy touch."

The Holy Spirit is gifted to us through our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. He is our direct connection to Heaven. God and Jesus speak through him to us. Jesus tells us: "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." John 16:13

The Holy Spirit is not separate from God. He is part of the Holy Trinity. He is God within you. The more you study God's word, the more you pray and intentionally develop your relationship with God, the easier it will be for you to hear the Holy Spirit's voice.

Admittedly, I've heard his voice. To be honest, it's usually something I don't want to hear but need to hear. I've heard the Holy Spirit tell me the truth about men I've dated or wanted to date. And I've ignored it, thinking it's my own fears and insecurities speaking. But when the same exact sentiment repeats accompanied by either unrest from not listening or peace from finally accepting, that's when I've been able to accept it was actually his voice.

I'm learning to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit, and the better I get at recognizing him, the easier it will be for him to communicate with me.

One final note on listening to the Holy Spirit. Our minds can be loud, especially during times of stress and heartache. Thoughts can slip in that we think are from the Holy Spirit, because we're surrendered to him. But not every thought may be. This is where knowing the character of God is important. If the thought you've had does not align with the character of God, then that's a thought worth questioning. God does not get tired of communicating with us. He will not mind reaffirming his truth. And if said thought was not from the Lord, He will delight that you knew Him well enough to question it.