The fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. In plain English that is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Paul wrote these words to the churches of Galatia. Just before the list, he names the works of the flesh, such as hatred, strife and envyings (Galatians 5:19-21). Then he turns: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace".
Some of the King James words have shifted in meaning since 1611, so each one below has a plain gloss alongside it.
The nine fruit of the Spirit
Love
Care that seeks the good of others, even at a cost. Paul puts it first, and in 1 Corinthians 13:4 he writes that "Charity suffereth long, and is kind".
Galatians 5:22
Joy
Gladness that rests on God rather than on circumstances going well.
Galatians 5:22
Peace
Quiet of heart toward God and getting along with other people, the opposite of the strife and variance in verse 20.
Galatians 5:22
Longsuffering
Patience with people over a long time; being slow to anger. The KJV uses the same English word of the LORD himself in Exodus 34:6.
Galatians 5:22
Gentleness
Kindness. The Greek word means being kind and good-hearted toward others, and many modern translations render it that way.
Galatians 5:22
Goodness
Uprightness that shows itself in doing good to people, not just avoiding wrong.
Galatians 5:22
Faith
Here it means faithfulness: being trustworthy and keeping your word. Many modern versions translate it faithfulness in this verse.
Galatians 5:22
Meekness
Humble, gentle strength, not weakness. Numbers 12:3 calls Moses very meek, and Jesus says "I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29).
Galatians 5:23
Temperance
Self-control: mastery over your own desires, the opposite of the drunkenness and revellings in verse 21.
Galatians 5:23
Fruit, not fruits
The verse says "the fruit of the Spirit is", not fruits are. Paul speaks of one fruit with nine qualities, grown together, rather than nine separate gifts that a person picks from. Many readers have noticed that this sets it apart from the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, which are shared out differently to different people.
Jesus used the same picture of fruit: "by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20), and "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit" (John 15:5).
The works of the flesh
Galatians 5:19-21 gives the contrasting list: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, "and such like". Paul sets the two lists side by side so the difference is plain.
He ends the passage with "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Galatians 5:22 · KJV
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Common questions
Where is the fruit of the Spirit in the Bible?
In Galatians 5:22-23, in a letter Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia.
What are the 9 fruit of the Spirit?
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Modern versions often render longsuffering, gentleness, faith, meekness and temperance as patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Is it fruit or fruits of the Spirit?
The KJV says "the fruit of the Spirit is", singular. Paul describes one fruit with nine qualities.
What does longsuffering mean?
Patience over a long time, especially with people who try you. It means being slow to anger.
What is the difference between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit?
The fruit in Galatians 5 is character Paul expects in every believer. The gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 are abilities given "to every man severally as he will", so they differ from person to person.
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