I am studying the fruits of the Spirit.\u00a0 In fact, I am scheduled to give a talk on it this Sunday.\u00a0 I’m confused about something.\u00a0 We all know people who are not Christians and are nice people.\u00a0 Not the nasty, evil person that Paul talks about before going into the fruits of the Spirit.\u00a0 Paul says without the Holy Spirit you will be all those nasty things in Galatians 5:19-21.\u00a0 How then, can non-Christians be such outstanding and warm, generous people?<\/p>\n\t
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law<\/em>” (Galatians 5:19-23).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
You are reading this passage incorrectly. Paul said that when people follow the desires of the flesh, they naturally gravitate toward all sorts of sinful behavior. Doing things because it feels good or because your body desires it does not lead to moral behavior. However, the fruit of the Spirit’s teaching naturally results in good character traits. Notice that Paul said fruit, not fruits. These verses do not say that the Holy Spirit controls a person in a direct fashion. Paul is talking about the direction people choose to follow.<\/p>\n
Just because a person hasn’t become a Christian, it does not automatically mean that are not following moral principles in their lives. This is the mistake the Jews made concerning the Gentiles. They assumed that because they had God’s word they were automatically righteous. They assumed that because the Gentiles did not have God’s word they were automatically sinful. “(For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)<\/em>” (Romans 2:13-15). A non-Christian who still follows the teachings of God, for the most part, will still show evidence of God’s influence in their lives.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I am studying the fruits of the Spirit.\u00a0 In fact, I am scheduled to give a talk on it this Sunday.\u00a0 I’m confused about something.\u00a0 We all know people who are not Christians and are nice people.\u00a0 Not the nasty, evil person that Paul talks about before going into the fruits of the Spirit.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[374,38],"class_list":["post-28513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-happiness","tag-morality"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9120,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-many-gifts-did-the-early-christians-receive-from-the-holy-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":28513,"position":0},"title":"How many gifts did the early Christians receive from the Holy Spirit?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was wondering from I Corinthians 12:4-11 and other related passages, what you think to these questions. Did a Christian receive from the Holy Spirit only one spiritual gift or was it possible to receive more than one? In Acts 8:7, we read of Philip able to cast out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3158,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-even-non-christians-look-down-on-men-with-long-hair\/","url_meta":{"origin":28513,"position":1},"title":"Why do even non-Christians look down on men with long hair?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 31, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why it is that, even among non-Christians, men are looked down on for having long hair? What harm does it do? Nothing. Not one thing at all. I've yet to see one even a slightly logical argument against men having long hair. It could even be said that looking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85757,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-the-apostles-in-full-agreement-on-all-doctrine\/","url_meta":{"origin":28513,"position":2},"title":"Were the apostles in full agreement on all doctrine?\u00a0","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Were the apostles in full agreement on all doctrines?\u00a0 Answer: \"Doctrine\" means teachings. Jesus told his apostles, \"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10454,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/isnt-the-nicene-creed-wrong-and-dont-most-christians-celebrate-christmas-on-the-wrong-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":28513,"position":3},"title":"Isn’t the Nicene creed wrong and don’t most Christians celebrate Christmas on the wrong day?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was very interested in your ideas about the Roman Church, two changes were brought in not on your list. The Nicene Creed: Papists believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, whereas true Christians believe in what Jesus said, that the Holy Spirit proceeds\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51963,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-people-who-rejected-the-ministry-of-the-holy-spirit-not-christians-in-actual-fact\/","url_meta":{"origin":28513,"position":4},"title":"Are people who rejected the ministry of the Holy Spirit not Christians in actual fact?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 15, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The\u00a0article on the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as a sin that cannot be forgiven did not really explain why those people accused Jesus of casting the demons by the power of Beelzebub. \u00a0In reality, there are people who professed to be Christians but reject the ministry of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14947,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-were-the-thessalonians-taught-by-god-to-love-one-another\/","url_meta":{"origin":28513,"position":5},"title":"How were the Thessalonians taught by God to love one another?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In I Thessalonians 4:9, how were the Thessalonians \"taught by God to love one another\" so that Paul did not need to write to them? 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