Father Mike Schmitz

Paul concludes this letter in the end of chapter 5, at least, is the works of flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

And it's really interesting to take a moment really and recognize St.

Paul has a list.

And sometimes when we have these lists, they're just words that go in one ear and out the other.

Lists of immorality, right?

Or lists of works of the flesh are immorality and impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit.

That's the divisions they had amongst them.

Like I belong to Apollos.

I belong to Paul.

Envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like.

All of those things, right?

All of those things are things that separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Every single one of them take away our heart.

They're the works of the flesh that destroy us and keep us slaves.

But he also says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Okay, let's highlight this.

This will be the last thing we say, maybe.

These are the fruits of the Spirit.

What that means is this is the fruit of a life lived in God.

They are a byproduct, you might say.