The Fruit and Gifts of the Spirit

  The soul grows the fruits of the Spirit from within as it struggles to conquer the self and to command it into obedience. The fruits of the Spirit are soul virtues which must be attained by conquering self before their results are granted as enduring gifts.

  The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under {this 1} law. –Gal 5:17-18.
  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.–Gal 5:19-21.

1 Exemption from the laws of the flesh does not exempt the soul from obedience to all other laws.

  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.–Gal 5:22-5:25.

  A gift of the Spirit is granted after the soul has earned the right to receive it; however a gift may be withdrawn if the soul abuses to pretends to have it. In such cases the faculties and virtues that create the gift must be re-earned from scratch, a terrible price to pay for the aggrandizement of self.

  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.…the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.…But covet earnestly the best gifts.–1 Corinthians 12:1, 7-11, 31.

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