By Colin Attridge
Back in January 1989, I was asked to give
a short talk on the subject of The Fruit of the Spirit. Getting some thoughts
together for that event made me acutely aware of the importance of the subject
and how little I knew about it. (This was going to take twenty talks not twenty
minutes!) But more particularly, I became uncomfortably aware how much I lacked
this fruit.
Making a private study of it seemed the best way to remedy my personal deficiency. Then it occurred to me that other believers might find the work helpful. In fact the subject is so vital that none of us can afford to ignore it. Where our characters are concerned the fruit of the Spirit may well encompass everything Christ will be looking for in you and me at his return. It really is that important.
Writing the chapters that follow has certainly helped me to understand more of what is required of a believer. I don't say that I now exhibit fully all the fine qualities of the fruit of the Spirit (family and friends would soon put me right if I did). What I do say is that I now have a clearer vision of what I'm aiming for.
Unless you know what you are aiming for, it's almost certain that you'll miss! We know we need to develop the sort of character Christ will approve when he comes. But if we're not clear about what should go into that character, if we're vague and general about it, then the chances are high we won't develop properly. We'll achieve a lop-sided development, over-emphasizing some things and missing others.
The fruit of the Spirit represents the whole, balanced, Spiritual personality. Unless we are aware of what it is, and know how to work towards it through the days of our probation, we may fail to produce it. This is why the subject of the fruit of the Spirit impressed me as being so vital.
And please bear in mind that if anything you read on these pages should sound as if it comes from some higher moral ground, this book was written for me before it was written for you.
The only man to have exhibited the fruit of the Spirit perfectly is the Lord Jesus Christ who learned it from his Father in heaven. May your own delight and meditation in the Father's Word help you to do the same.
C.J.A.
Produced by the Dawn Christadelphians
Acknowledgements
My grateful thanks are due to all those who helped shape the contents of this book by their helpful comments. The talks and tapes based on the original manuscript produced much useful feedback. For this reason the book differs from the tapes.
Thanks are specifically due to my daughter Krissy for typing the book from my, at times, unreadable manuscript. I'm very grateful to Lizzy Clay for her keen eye and good humour as a proof reader. And I absolutely must thank Jane Toms for her lovely interpretation of 'a tree by a river' for the front cover.
Note on Biblical Versions used
AV = Authorised Version of 1611 (King James Version)
NKJV = New King James Version of 1982
RAV = Revised Authorised Version of 1982
NEB = New English Bible of 1970
RV = Revised Version of 1885
RSV = Revised Standard Version of 1946-52
NIV = New International Version of 1978