The fruit of the Spirit
When referring to the fruit of the Spirit, do we use fruit in a singular or plural form? In other words, does it matter if we say that the fruit of the Spirit is one fruit with the attributes of love, joy, peace or if we say each attribute is a fruit of the Spirit?
We use it in a singular form. “The fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) is an accurate translation of the original Greek. “Fruit” is a collective noun that describes the parts it encompasses.
It does not matter how you describe the relationship of the attributes to the fruit. “The fruit of the Spirit” is what the Holy Spirit works in people through the gospel in word and sacraments. The fruit that the Holy Spirit brings about in the lives of Christians is “love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
How different that “fruit” is from the “acts of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21). The attitudes and actions that the Holy Spirit brings about in us are far, far different from what our sinful nature produces. Through contrition and repentance we seek to control the acts of the sinful flesh, and through the gospel in word and sacraments we receive the fruit that the Holy Spirit bestows.