The fruit of the Spirit is listed in Galatians 5:22-23: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." Jesus teaches that fruit comes from abiding in Him (John 15:5), and that people are known by their fruits (Matthew 7:16).
The phrase "fruit of the Spirit" describes the character the Holy Spirit grows in a believer. Paul uses the singular "fruit": one harvest with nine qualities. Below is the key passage plus nine related verses (KJV).
The nine fruits
1. 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."
The core list. In modern English: love, joy, peace, patience (longsuffering), kindness (gentleness), goodness, faithfulness (faith), gentleness (meekness), and self-control (temperance). "Against such there is no law."
2. Galatians 5:24-25
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Paul follows the list with the call to "walk in the Spirit": the fruit grows as believers keep in step with Him.
3. Ephesians 5:9
"(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)"
A parenthetical summary from Paul: the Spirit's fruit is seen in goodness, righteousness, and truth. (Some modern translations read "fruit of the light" here.)
Fruit comes from abiding
4. 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."
Jesus' vine and branches image: fruit is not manufactured but produced by staying connected to Him.
5. John 15:8
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."
Bearing fruit glorifies the Father and marks a true disciple.
6. Philippians 1:11
"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."
The fruits of righteousness come "by Jesus Christ" and lead to God's glory.
Recognizing good fruit
7. Matthew 7:16
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"
From the Sermon on the Mount: character shows over time, the way a tree is known by what it produces.
8. James 3:17-18
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
James describes heavenly wisdom with qualities that echo the fruit of the Spirit: pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits.
9. Colossians 3:12
"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;"
Another list of Christian virtues to "put on," closely overlapping with the fruit of the Spirit.
10. 2 Peter 1:5-7
"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity."
Peter's "ladder" of growth: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.
A short prayer
Holy Spirit, grow Your fruit in me. Where I am impatient, make me longsuffering; where I am harsh, make me gentle; where I lack self-control, give me temperance. Keep me abiding in Christ. In Jesus' name, amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
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Frequently asked questions
What are the 9 fruits of the Spirit?
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), meekness (gentleness), and temperance (self-control), from Galatians 5:22-23.
Why is it "fruit" and not "fruits"?
Paul uses the singular. Many teachers read it as one unified character produced by the Spirit, with nine aspects, rather than nine separate gifts.
What is the difference between the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit?
The fruit (Galatians 5) is character every believer is meant to grow. Spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12) are abilities given in different ways to different people for serving the church.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: love Bible verses · Bible verses about patience · Bible verses about joy
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