How to Teach Faith & the Fruit of the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit is essential to the life of a Christian

In order for you to have the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in your life, you must first trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone for your eternal salvation and forgiveness of your sins. Every human being is born spiritually dead in sins and without hope of spending eternity with God in heaven. Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, came to earth to live the perfect life mankind cannot live and die on the cross as our substitute for our sins, which we could never pay for ourselves. And because of His resurrection, all who trust in Him will now have eternal life.

Instructions

1. Emphasize the Holy Spirit's role in producing its fruit in a Christian's life. Tell the student that when a person becomes a Christian, he immediately and permanently receives the Holy Spirit and that he needs to allow the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit that's listed in Galatians 5:22, which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.

2. Discuss the importance of faith as it relates to the fruit of the Spirit. Mention to the person that she can't rely on her own willpower and intellect to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit but instead she has to trust in God alone to conform her life in a way that will bear this spiritual fruit.

3. Discuss the importance of prayer. Tell him that when he yields to the leadership of the Holy Spirit while praying, he will see his life reflect the fruit of the Holy Spirit more and more and, because of this, he will become spiritually mature as a Christian.

References

• CARM: The Fruit of the Spirit