The Fruit of the Christmas Spirit

You’ve heard of the fruit of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ~ Galatians 5:22-23

But have you heard of the fruit of the Christmas Spirit?

(Hint: it’s the same Spirit. And thus the same fruit.)

Yet how do love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance play out in our lives specifically during the Christmas season? How has God revealed Himself to us in each of these areas through the birth of Jesus Christ?

These are questions we’ll answer over the next nine days. Today’s post is a broad overview – a small picture of the Spirit’s fruit as a whole.

What does the fruit of the Spirit have to do with Christmas?

Simply this: the Holy Spirit came upon Mary. She was “overshadowed” by the Spirit – and the Spirit in her produced fruit. In this case, the fruit was later born as a baby, our Savior Jesus Christ.

In a very real sense, Jesus is the fruit of the Spirit. And this is good news for our lives.

Perhaps no Christmas carol declares the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ quite so plainly and succinctly as do the triumphant words of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.

Marvel at the good news breathed in every line:

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild” –
God and sinners reconciled!

Reconciled – that’s oneness. That’s worth a song.

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’ angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!

Continued oneness – oneness of every nation, oneness of the very heaven and earth itself, oneness of message, oneness in purpose. This is the news that changes the world, folks. If only we could grasp it, nothing else would hold our interest.

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;

By highest heaven adored, and yet so often by earth ignored. Oh that we might more and more continually live in the mindset of heaven alone – the mindset of adoration for the eternal one!

Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of the Virgin’s womb.

Jesus, the perfect fulfillment of every prophecy. Every message of God before this pointed to this moment – this moment “late in time” and yet also perfectly “just in time.”

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Listen to this! Such poetry, theology, promise, and utter blowing of our minds within this one phrase! Veiled in flesh – He took upon Him the form of a servant, He was made in the likeness of men. The Godhead see – not only does this enable us to look upon God and live (what a wonder!), but what we see is God Himself veiled in human flesh – our flesh, the flesh we know, the overpowering glory toned to a level we can behold by this veil. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see! He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” See Him now, veiled as He has chosen to reveal the Father to our eyes.

Hail, the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell;
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!

Incarnate Deity! Very God, very man! One hundred percent God, yet somehow deigning to be “pleased as man with man to dwell” – yes, even taking it upon Himself as His very identity: our Emmanuel, our God-with-us. The Majesty that spoke the world into existence, that removes nations with a breath – the intimate Friend who desires to make His dwelling place within us for eternity. And in this, He is pleased – it pleases Him.

If that doesn’t take your breath away . . .

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings,

Prince of Peace! Mankind is born with war in the blood and strife on the mind. Yet He is the Prince of Peace who is supreme over all mankind’s unrest and discontentment. Sun of Righteousness! The light, the life that shines from Him to our innermost beings, causing certain growth and certain fruit – what a gift indeed He is. He has been made to us righteousness . . . we have been made the righteousness of God in Him. He is the light that shines in the darkness and is not overpowered by it. He has indeed risen, and His touch is healing and life! So much is packed within this one verse . . . it’s who our Savior is.

Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!

And now we come to the most majestic, the most awe-inspiring, the most humbling truth of all. This is the gospel: He lays His glory by to be born as the lowest of the low – yet born that man no more may die! Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth! This birth of that baby was a miracle encompassing mankind. As believers, we ought to be continuously shouting this good news from the rooftops: He was born that we no more may die! He was born to raise us! He was born to birth us into the kingdom of God!

And what is more, that is exactly what His life accomplished, through the power of His dependence on His Father. We died once with Him. We have been raised up with Him, and we are now born into that family, that kingdom, that life everlasting that is true life.

The final verse of the carol reflects our heart response to His glorious work:

Come, Desire of nations come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the Woman’s conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the Serpent’s head.
Adam’s likeness now efface:
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam, from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!

May He indeed come to remain in us through the power of the Spirit of God, the gift He has freely given that we may remain in Him eternally . . . fixed. A home fixed, a life fixed, a Savior fixed.

We know that Jesus Christ bruised satan’s head at the cross, rendering him forever powerless. However, have you ever felt the power of the tempter? Have you ever succumbed to sin? This is the basis for the plea of this carol: “Bruise in us the Serpent’s head.” May the work Jesus Christ already accomplished become real in our lives! By receiving His work, we enter into the reality of it as it is now in His Kingdom. Satan is defeated already in the Kingdom; may He right now be defeated forever in our lives by that finished bruising of the head that Christ accomplished.

Identity is exchanged here: the sin nature of Adam is entirely replaced with the perfect likeness of Jesus Christ. How can this be? It is only through Christ’s eternal dwelling in us. 

The one who wears my likeness is me. The One who wears Christ’s likeness is Christ – and because it is now no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me, I bear His exact likeness! Once more, I wear the image of God that I was created to wear – not in myself, but in Him who lives Himself through me. I’m the carrier; the recognition is His.

And what is more, He has promised that “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23). Praise God for the love He’s placed upon us as we guard His Words!

Indeed, we become tangled and forever lost in the glorious love of God! “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” (John 17:21).

This is the full picture of the fruit of the Spirit of Christmas! Father, Christ, Spirit, and I enwrapped together in an eternal, inseparable oneness of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

And no matter where you are in life, this glorious reality can be yours this Christmas season and beyond.

Come back tomorrow as we zoom in on the first fruit of the Spirit and discover That Mystery of Love.

Find the rest of today’s Twelve Days of Christmas party posts here. 

Enter the giveaway here.