Which of the following is a fruit of the Spirit?

Answer Details

The fruit of the Spirit is listed by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Love appears first in this list and is widely regarded as the foundational virtue from which the others flow.

Among the options given, love is the one that appears in this list. Tongues and miracles are not fruits of the Spirit; they are gifts of the Spirit, listed separately in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. The distinction between fruits and gifts is important: fruits are qualities of character that the Holy Spirit produces in a believer's life, while gifts are supernatural abilities given for service in the church.

Righteousness, while a central biblical concept, does not appear in the Galatians 5 list of the fruit of the Spirit. It is associated with justification and holy living but is categorised differently from the specific fruit Paul enumerates.

Exam tip: Memorise all nine items in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and be able to distinguish them from the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12).