Galatians 5:22-23 is one of the classical biblical texts on the essence of love. In most translations, the text reads like this, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” At first sight, the meaning looks very clear. Paul gives nine different terms to describe the fruit of the Spirit. One of these terms is "love,” another is "joy,” another, "peace,” and so on. This is, by and large, the most common understanding of the text.
Upon closer observation, however, this interpretation doesn't seem to be consistent with what we learn throughout the Bible about the nature of love. It certainly makes sense to understand virtues like gentleness and faithfulness as distinct from each other; but to understand love as just one more of these virtues, on the same order as gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, and peace, doesn't seem to do it justice. Doesn't love, as it is described in the Bible, already contain all of these aspects?
(Learn more about The Fruit of the Spirit with the help of The 3 Colors of Love)
