by Richard Reid
In Part One, we learned that the 9 flavors of the fruit of the Spirit may be divided into 3 categories
Category 1: Our relationship with God: Love, Joy and Peace
Category 2: Our relationship with Others: Patience, Kindness and Goodness, and
Category 3: Our relationship with Ourselves: Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control
and in Part Two we further learned that each category may be divided into 3 Sections.
We also know that
God has 3 parts: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Man has three parts: Body, Soul and Spirit.
A typical fruit has 3 parts: Skin, Pulp and Seeds.
Introduction to Part Three:
From the perspective of the Fruit of the Spirit, Part One touched on the surface (skin) of the Fruit, Part Two delved into the pulp of the Fruit and in Part Three, we intend to focus on the Seed of the Fruit and how it contributes to spiritual growth.
As we already have discovered in Part 1, the Fruit of the Spirit is a very special fruit that has nine flavors. It is also important to point out that it is special in the respect that is has one and only one seed. Surprisingly, like the Fruit itself, this seed also has three parts: the coat, embryo and cotyledon.
The function of the coat is to act as a protective covering. The function of the embryo is to act as a starter kit for growth and the function of the cotyledon is to help supply the nutrition needed for germination and growth of the Fruit.
Biblically, the seed is comprised of three parts: God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.
John 1:1 explains clearly that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Luke 8:11 says that the seed is the Word of God.
So, from Luke 8:11 in combination with John 1:1, it is seen that the first part of the seed is God because the seed is the Word of God and the Word is God.
Galatians 3:16 tells us that the one seed is one person, who is Christ. So, we now see that the second part of the seed is Christ. What is the third part of the seed?
The answer lies in solving the question of who was with God in the beginning? Genesis 1:1-2 tells us that “In the beginning … the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” So, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit was with God in the beginning which makes the Holy Spirit the third part of the seed.
So, we can now say the three parts of the Seed are 1) God the Father, 2) Jesus the son and 3) the Holy Spirit. These three parts are intertwined. Ephesians 4:4-6 says There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
When relating to the fruit of the Spirit, one might say that Jesus is like the seed’s protective coat, God is like the seed’s starter kit (embryo) and the Holy Spirit helps us to grow spiritually like the cotyledon helps the Fruit to grow. Let’s check to see if this interpretation aligns with what the Bible says.
Jesus is our protector: In John 17:12, Jesus himself says “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.” So, Jesus as a protector aligns with the coat part of a seed. What about the other two parts? Do they align also?
God is the starter kit. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. God started it all, so it seems pretty clear that this part aligns also.
And the Holy Spirit helps us to grow spiritually. Knowledge is one step on the path toward growth. Learning to walk is also a sign that a child is growing. Galatians 5:25 “ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” So, walking with the spirit can be seen as a sign of spiritual growth.
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 says these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. So, the Holy Spirit helps us to gain knowledge about the thoughts of God which also helps us to grow spiritually.
The concept of growth is further supported by the mentioning of baptism in Ephesians 4:5. The word baptism is placed in Ephesians 4:5 for a reason and the reason is to also support the concept of growth.
We see this clarified in Matthew 28:19 which says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, “baptizing” them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Even as the function of a seed is to help a Fruit to grow, the function of the trinity is to provide support for the spiritual growth of the entire human population.
The combination of the three parts of a seed contributes to the healthy growth of a Fruit. Likewise, the trinity of God the Father, Jesus the son and the Holy Spirit are indivisible and contribute to a healthy spiritual growth which may be more clearly seen when connecting the seed to each of the fruit flavors.
