The Fruit of the Spirit is Not The Same As The Gifts of the Spirt

There is a common misunderstanding among Christians, which is the difference between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Some think there is no difference at when reality is there are. The Bible says, "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Peter 4:10). In 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4, we are told different gifts that believers have been given "the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7).

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to each believe upon our faith in Jesus and is to be used to serve the body of Christ. Not every believer has the same gift. Some preach, some teach, some are good encouragers, and some serve faithfully without recognition.

How is this not the same as the fruit of Spirit? The Bible says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:22-24) Notice we have said gifts but we have not said "fruits" when mentioning the fruit of the Spirit. Darrin Patrick wrote this in his book, Church Planter:

In the original Greek, the word "fruit" in verse 22 is singular. Paul is not listing a kind of spiritual menu by which some people choose love, others choose peace, others choose patience, and so on. Rather, all these qualities together constitute the fruit that a Christian man produces.

As I like to put it, the fruit of the Spirit is one big package that a Christian gets through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. You get them all at once and you get all of them because they the fruit of the Lord's labor in your life. What did Jesus say? "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).