Galatians 5:22-23: On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.
References: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (SEC), HELPS Word-studies (HELPS), Bible Hub Topical Lexicon.
Fruit karpos καρπός Strong 2590 (noun – here, nominative masculine singular)
SEC – fruit. Probably from the base of harpazo; fruit (as plucked), lit. or fig. – fruit
HELPS – properly, fruit; fig. everything done in true parnership with Christ, i.e. a believer (a branch) lives in union with Christ (the vine). By definintion, fruit results from two life-streams – the Lord living His life through ours – to yield what is eternal.
Topical Lexicon – In ancient Israel, fruit was the visible proof of a healthy tree or vine. Orchards, vineyards, and grain fields, dominated the landscape, making καρπός an everyday reminder that life, labour, and blessing come from God.
Berean Study Bible – In contrast to the works of the flesh, the fruit of the Spirit is singular, indicating a unified whole rather than separate attributes. This suggests that these qualities are interconnected and grow together as a result of the Spirit’s work.
Spirit pneuma πνεύμα
Strong 4151 (noun – here, genitive neuter singular)
SEC – spirit, ghost. From pneo; a current of air, i.e. Breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or fig. a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by imp.) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy Spirit – ghost, life, spiritual mind.
HELPS – properly, spirit, wind, or breath. The most frequent meaning of 4151 in the NT is 'spirit'. Only the context however determines which sense is meant.
When the adjective ‘holy’ is used, it always refers to the Holy Spirit.
The Hebrew counterpart (ruach) has the same range of meaning as 4151.
Topical Lexicon – Pneuma appears throughout the NT to denote the immaterial realm: the Holy Spirit, the spirit of the individual, angelic beings, demonic forces, and the invisible breath or wind that pictures divine activity. Context alone determines which nuance is intended, yet each usage is organically related, pointing to life, power, and personality beyond the material.
Love agape άγάπη Strong 26
SEC - From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence, specially (plural) a love-feast – feast of charity, dear, love.
HELPS – properly, love which centres in moral preference. So too in secular ancient Greek 26 focuses on preference, In the NT 26 typically refers to divine love (what God prefers).
Topical Lexicon – The noun occurs 116 times across twenty-six NT books. It is never used of romantic passion and only rarely of natural affection. Rather it denotes a holy, self-giving disposition that originates in God, is displayed perfectly in Jesus Christ, and is implanted in believers by Holy Spirit. The frequency of the term in the writings of John and Paul underscores its centrality to apostolic theology and ethics.
Joy chara χαρά Strong 5479
SEC – From chairo; cheerfulness, i.e. calm, delight – gladness, exceeding joy
HELPS – (another feminine noun from the root char-, extend favour, lean towards, be favourably disposed) – properly, the awareness of God’s grace, favour, joy.
Topical Lexicon – Joy in the NT is more than emotion; it is the settled, Spirit-given delight that arises from the redemptive acts and abiding presence of God. It is rooted in divine initiative, experienced in the believer, and expressed both now and in the age to come.
Peace – eirene είρήυη Strong 1515
SEC – one, peace, quietness, rest. Probably from a primary verb eiro (to join); peace (lit. or fig.); by implication, prosperity – one, peace, quietness, rest.
HELPS – From eiro, to join, tie together into a whole – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God’s gift of wholeness).
Topical Lexicon – είρήυη describes wholeness, harmony, and well-being granted by God and experienced among his people. In the NT it is never a mere absence of conflict; it is the positive, covenantal state that flows from God’s redemptive work in Christ and is applied by the Holy Spirit to individuals and communities.
Patience – makrothymia μακροθυμία Strong 3115
SEC – longsuffering, patience. From the same as makrothumos; longanimity, i.e. forbearance or fortitude - longsuffering, patience.
HELPS – From makros ‘long’ and thymos ‘passion, anger) – properly, long-passion, i.e. waiting sufficient time before expressing anger. This avoids the premature use of force (retribution) that arises out of improper anger (a personal reaction).
Divinely regulated patience is used of God himself (1 Pet 3:20, 2 Pet 3:15), Only the Lord produces 3115 in us and hence is a fruit of the Spirit.
3115 embraces steadfastness and staying-power. If, in English, we had an adjective ‘long-tempered’ as a counterpart to ‘short-tempered’ then 3115 could be called the quality of being ‘long-tempered’ which is a quality of God.
Topical Lexicon – Makrothymia, rendered in English as patience, long-suffering, or forbearance, describes a God-centred restraint that endures provocation without surrendering to resentment or retaliation. Rather than mere passivity, is is purposeful waiting that preserves righteousness and seeks the good of others. The word appears fourteen times in the NT, spanning God’s own dealings with humanity and the Spirit-empowered character expected of believers.
Kindness – chrestotes χρηστότης Strong 5544
SEC – From chrestos; usefulness, i.e. moral excellence (in character or demeanour) – gentleness, goodness, kindness.
HELPS – a noun derived from chrestos ‘useful, profitable’ – properly, useable i.e. well-fit for use (for what is really needed); kindness that is serviceable.
5544 refers to meeting real needs, in God’s way, in His timing (fashion). Hence
5544 is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. With the believer, 5544 is the
Spirit-produced goodness which meets the need and avoids human harshness (cruelty).
Topical Lexicon – The word denotes the moral grace that expresses itself in benevolent action. While modern English often narrows kindness to a gentle disposition, χρηστότης combines that gentleness with moral usefulness, generosity, and active goodness. Scripture presents it as simultaneously an attribute of God and a virtue created in His people.
Goodness – agathosyne άγαθωσύνε Strong 19
SEC – From agathos; goodness, i.e. virtue or beneficence
HELPS – From agathos ‘inherently good’ – properly, intrinsic goodness (as a unique quality and condition); as relating to believers, the goodness that comes from God and showing itself in spiritual, moral excellence.
19 occurs four times in NT and is apparently strictly a biblical term, i.e. it does not seem to appear at all in secular Greek.
Topical Lexicon – this term belongs to the NT family that describes moral excellence and beneficent action. While other words in the group stress intrinsic virtue, this one highlights actively expressed in generosity and righteous initiative toward others.
Faithfulness – pistis πίστις Strong 4102
SEC – From peitho; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance on Christ for salvation; abstract, constancy in such profession, by extension, the system of religious truth itself – assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
HELPS – From peitho; properly, persuasion; faith.
Faith is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. In short, 4102 for the believer is ‘God’s divine persuasion’ and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence) yet involving it.
4102 in secular antiquity referred to a guarantee (warranty). In scripture, faith is God’s warranty certifying that the revelation that He inbirthed will come to pass (his way).
4102 is also used collectively – of all the times God has revealed His will, which includes the full revelation of Scripture (Jude 3). Indeed, God guarantees that all of this revelation will come to pass.
Topical Lexicon – Faith is the God-wrought conviction that rests on His self-revelation and responds with personal trust and obedience. ‘So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ’ (Rom 10:17). It entails both believing that God is who He says He is and committing oneself to Him in reliance on His promises (Heb 11:1).
Mildness – prautes πραΰτης Strong 4240
SEC – From praus; mildness, i.e. (by implication) humility – meekness.
HELPS – (another feminine noun which is also derived from the root pra-, emphasising the divine origin of meekness) – meekness (‘gentle strength’) which expressed power with reserve and gentleness.
For the believer, meekness begins with the Lord’s inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment. It is a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith (1 Tim 6:11, 2 Tim 2:22-25).
Topical Lexicon - expresses interior strength under Holy Spirit control. Far from timidity, it is the poised disposition that gladly submits to God’s will and channels power for another’s good… standing in needed contrast to human anger, rivalry, and self-assertion.
Self-control – enkrateia έγκράτεια Strong 1466
SEC – From enkrates; self-control (especially continence) – temperance.
HELPS – From 1722 en, ‘in the sphere of’ and 2904 kratos, ‘dominion mastery’) – properly, dominion within, i.e. self-control – proceeding out from within oneself, but not by oneself.
For the believer, 1466 an only be accomplished by the power of the Lord. Accordingly 1466 is explicitly called a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Topical Lexicon – Self-control denotes the Spirit-enabled mastery of desires, impulses and habits so that they serve rather than rule the believer, It is not mere human asceticism but a grace-driven capacity to bring every faculty under the Lordship of Jesus Christ for holy living and effective service.