But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
All Commentaries on Galatians 5:22 Go To Galatians 5
John Chrysostom
AD 407
He says not, the work of the Spirit, but, the fruit of the Spirit. Is the soul, however, superfluous? The flesh and the Spirit are mentioned, but where is the soul? Is he discoursing of beings without a soul? For if the things of the flesh be evil, and those of the Spirit good, the soul must be superfluous. By no means, for the mastery of the passions belongs to her, and concerns her; and being placed amid vice and virtue, if she has used the body fitly, she has wrought it to be spiritual, but if she separate from the Spirit and give herself up to evil desires, she makes herself more earthly. You observe throughout that his discourse does not relate to the substance of the flesh, but to the moral choice, which is or is not vicious. And why does he say, the fruit of the Spirit? it is because evil works originate in ourselves alone, and therefore he calls them works, but good works require not only our diligence but God's loving kindness. He places first the root of these good things, and then proceeds to recount them, in these words, Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. For who would lay any command on him who has all things within himself, and who has love for the finished mistress of philosophy? As horses, who are docile and do every thing of their own accord, need not the lash, so neither does the soul, which by the Spirit has attained to excellence, need the admonitions of the Law. Here too he completely and strikingly casts out the Law, not as bad, but as inferior to the philosophy given by the Spirit.
