In the list of the fruit of the Spirit, what is the Greek word for love? Is it man-ward or God-ward?
Thank you, my dear friend, for this very good question. The verses to which I believe you refer is Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” The Greek word for “love” in this passage is ‘agape’, translated “charity” in the old King James. This word refers to a self-sacrificing, unconditional and altruistic love for others that would cause one to give of oneself (or indeed to give oneself) for another without desiring anything in return. This type of love is entirely Christ-like, and is described in 1 Corinthians 13. I’ll share a few of those verses here and allow God’s Word to reveal the Scriptural definition. Verses 4-7 say, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
Now, I think that you can see from the verses in 1 Corinthians 13 that ‘agape’ is a kind of love that is born of God and reflects the love of Christ for His own. It is not born of the flesh, and not natural to human nature. William MacDonald, in his commentary on Galatians 5:22 says: ”It is significant that the apostle distinguishes between the works of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit. Works are produced by human energy. Fruit is grown as a branch abides in the vine (John 15:5)…Note that fruit is singular, not plural. The Holy Spirit produces one kind of fruit, that is, Christlikeness. All the virtues now listed describe the life of the child of God. Dr. C. I. Scofield has pointed out that “every one of them is foreign to the soil of the human heart…. Love is what God is, and what we ought to be. It is…told out in all its fullness at the cross of Calvary.” (SF) (609.6)