love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control isn't this what we should all try to be as humans? thoughts?
The focus Paul implies is always pointing towards God. Faith in what or whom? Perseverance for what or whom? Joy from the hope in what? A Christian knows the answer, and that is faith in God, Perseverance until the end, and Joy received from God even in the midst of suffering. So technically, yes, all humans should strive for these things with the right focus (in that the hope is that all humans recognize the sovereignty of God). If you are Christian, I think this points out why not having a Magisterium is a bad thing. Everyone becomes filled with the fruits of the Spirit.
Nope. Who's to say I should strive for any of that just because I'm human? Why can't anyone accept that humans are what humans are and humans do what humans do. Right versus wrong, it's mute. Let us live our lives the way nature intended us to.
No, but most people, including most Christians, think that is the goal or focus and is why the vast majority fail at understanding what the message is. You're forgetting those things listed are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, not the fruit of the labors of man to try and be a better person. The whole point of the Law, the sacrifices, the "mercy seat" of the Ark of the Covenant, the way the temple was laid out, the materials used for the temple construction, was man's inability to fulfill what God considered righteous behavior. May I point out that if one looks closely at the whole Moses and Exodus story, the commandments, yada, yada, it was Moses on behalf of the people who asked God what his requirements of righteousness were. God was sort of "I don't know dude, you guys can never pull it off". Moses kept on about it, so God said "OK, Ya wanna know what I want, then I'm gonna tell ya, but once I tell ya, your going to then be responsible for it, OK?" That in a loosely paraphrased nutshell is how God gave us the law, knowing we could never fulfill it and even told Moses as much. Then we come down a few hundred years to Jesus. Now he came to fulfill all the law and be an example of righteousness to US. He was able to pull it off because he was God as well as man. Then after the ascension the Holy Spirit came to man because the veil of the temple had been torn in half forever removing the barrier between God and man. Now God's spirit could reside in and flow through people who gave themselves completely over to God's spirit and grace. So now you as a miserable human have taken the step and are now "born again" and "filled with the Holy Ghost". So what do you do, you miserable wretch who God told thousands of years ago would never be able to meet His standards? Why of course you go out and by sheer force of will and determination you are going to go out and show the world you are CONVERTED now and just brimming with good deeds to do because you have to be all righteous and stuff because now your "God's kid". WRONG, your still a miserable wretch who is going to screw up constantly, make mistakes, and basically still be the same person. And you think you can pull off what God himself said "ain't gonna happen". That is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Instead of trying to "please God" if one were instead to focus on praising god and living with an attitude of gratitude and simply "allowing" God's spirit to pass through you, fruit will grow. It is so friggin simple that the vast majority of people just don't get it. "what do you mean I don't have to perform good deeds?" Oh you can do all the good deeds you want, but forced fruit often ends up going rotten. When you let God's Spirit flow through your life, the fruit will grow regardless of your efforts. It is when people strive to emulate the work and fruit of the Spirit that it fails. The secret is a life of thanks, praise, gratitude, and keeping your eyes on the prize of Christ, not on what you can do to earn brownie points in heaven. THAT is how you let fruit grow and requires very little "trying" but does require a little surrender and gratitude.
