Les Feldick Bible Study

What do longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness have in common in the fruit of the Spirit?

Longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness are the next three qualities listed in the fruit of the Spirit, following love, joy, and peace. Together these three represent more or less an attitude toward our neighbor, or maybe our families, and the people around us.

In the fruit of the Spirit list of Galatians chapter 5, the first three qualities — love, joy, and peace — are tied to the two categories of peace: the peace with God that we received at salvation, and the peace of God that carries us through our trying times as believers. The next three, longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness, are different: Les explains they are more or less an attitude toward our neighbor, or maybe our families, the people around us. So what they have in common is that they are grouped together and are directed outward toward the people around us rather than being part of that first trio tied to peace with God and the peace of God.

Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

More Questions

Why does Galatians 5 list love, joy, and peace together, and what two kinds of peace are behind them?

The love, joy, and peace in Galatians 5 come because of two categories: the peace with God received at salvation, and the peace of God that carries believers through their trying times.

which fruits of the Spirit relate to how we treat other people?

The fruits of the Spirit that govern our relationships with others (neighbor/family) are long-suffering (patience), gentleness, and goodness.