Love as the First Evidence of a Spiritual Life: The Fruit That Grows from a Life with Jesus

By Arnie Cole 

When the apostle Paul describes the “fruit of the Spirit,” he does something subtle but

important. He uses the word fruit in the singular. Not “fruits.” One fruit, expressed in many ways. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are not separate outcomes to be achieved independently. Instead, they are different facets of the same Spirit-formed life. 

That subtle point matters, because it tells us something essential about how spiritual growth really works. The Christian life is not about assembling a collection of independent virtues. It is about Christ forming His character in us over time. The fruit is unified because the source is unified! There is one Holy Spirit at work within a believer. 

And at the head of that list stands love. Not accidentally or merely symbolically, but foundationally. So, let’s examine this foundational quality of the Christian life. 

Love Is the Clearest Evidence of Life 

Jesus made it unmistakably clear that love is the clearest evidence of saving faith. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). He did not say people would know by our knowledge, our discipline, or our moral perfection. He said love would be the defining mark. 

That doesn’t mean love comes easily, even for people who have walked with Christ for a long time. It means love reveals whether the Spirit is truly at work. Love is the most demanding expression of spiritual fruit because it requires us to move outward, away from self-protection and self-interest. 

When faith is real, love begins to grow, always imperfectly and often unevenly and imperceptibly. This is where many people grow confused. They assume that because they still struggle with selfishness, impatience, or resentment, something must be wrong with their faith. But Scripture doesn’t measure fruit by immediacy or intensity. It measures fruit by direction. 

Again, the Christian life is about spiritual progress, not perfection. 

What Spirit-Formed Love Looks Like 

 The love Paul has in mind when he writes to the Galatians is not some kind of emotion or sentiment. It’s not about being a naturally warm or agreeable person. Instead, he is talking about the kind of Spirit-formed love shows itself in concrete ways over time: 

• It forgives people instead of nursing bitterness or schemes for payback. 

• It shows patience to people instead of letting irritation rule our minds. 

• It moves toward others when withdrawing from them would be easier. 

To be clear, love doesn’t eliminate conflict or disappointment in our relationships with people, but it does change  how we respond to them. That’s why love is such a searching indicator of spiritual life. You can fake religious activity, but you could never  fake long-term, self-giving love. Over time, love either grows or it doesn’t. 

The apostle John put it bluntly: “Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 Jn 4:7). He wasn’t creating a test to make believers anxious. He was offering assurance. Love is evidence that God’s life is present and active. 

Love Grows Slowly—and That’s the Point 

Fruit grows organically. It is nurtured and develops gradually, often growing beneath the surface long before it becomes clearly visible to other people. 

Some believers underestimate the work God is doing in their life because they are focused on what hasn’t changed yet. They overlook small but meaningful shifts (e.g., greater compassion, quicker repentance, deeper concern for others) because they expected transformation to be immediate. But love doesn’t arrive in our lives fully formed! It matures through ordinary obedience, repeated choices, and ongoing dependence on Christ. 

That’s why Jesus spoke of abiding, not striving. “Whoever abides in me… bears much fruit” (Jn 15:5). Fruit grows from connection, not pressure. 

Cultivating Love without Forcing It 

 One important point to remember is that you cannot force yourself to become more loving through sheer willpower, but you can cultivate habits that make room for the Spirit’s work. When we cultivate godly habits over the long-term, we see genuine transformation into Christ’s image.  

Begin by returning to Scripture regularly, not to master it, but to be shaped by it. God uses His Word to reorient our loves over time. Then practice honest prayer. Not polished prayers, but honest ones. Lord, I want to love as You love. Show me where I resist that work, and help me trust You with the process. Finally, stay connected to other believers. Love matures in community. It is refined through relationships that require patience, humility, and grace. 

A Unified Fruit, a Growing Life 

As we move through the other expressions of spiritual fruit, remember this: they are not separate goals. They are interconnected signs of one life being shaped by one Spirit. Where love grows, the other expressions follow. 

If you see even small evidences of love forming in you, take heart. That is not accidental. It is the work of God. And He is committed to completing what He begins. 

Pray this truth back to Him today: 

Lord, thank You for growing Your life in me. Teach me to love more deeply, more patiently, and more faithfully as I walk with You. 

And when you notice that love taking root—quietly, imperfectly, but truly—share that encouragement with someone else. Many believers need to be reminded that the Spirit’s fruit grows over time, and that God’s aim has always been spiritual progress, not perfection.