But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

I’ve read this section of Scripture many, many times. I’ve taught from this passage and written about it here as well and will probably do it again. But I remember reading one commentary that put a very different light on the topic.

In Gal.5:22 Paul deliberately uses the singular word “fruit” to describe a whole list of character traits that reflect the character of God. If that is true, then we should be growing in every area of our life if we are walking by the Spirit in our daily lives and should avoid isolating our “favorite” fruits, right?

Agree or disagree – it is a challenging thought. When I read the list, it describes the fruit of a person who is growing in their faith. It makes sense that if I am growing closer to God, my character should be changing to be more like Him as well. Can I be joyful and lack self-control? What about peace or goodness?

At the very least, it is a sobering thought that keeps me from creating my very own “best of the fruit” list.