8:9). As certainly as cause produces effect, those who have
the Spirit of Christ bear the fruit of the Spirit. Not to bear the fruit
of the Spirit is full proof that you have not the Spirit. Then a close
examination of the fruit you are bearing will reveal to you whether or not
you have the Spirit of Christ, whether or not you are his, whether or not
you are a Christian. You can make a superficial examination, and allow
yourself to be deceived. You can make excuses for yourself because of your
weaknesses, and thus deceive yourself. But a close, thorough, profound
examination will disclose to each one the manner of spirit he is of.
Gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5: 22). If we have the
Spirit of Christ, we bear this fruit. "Well," says one, "in my very make
-up I am rough, harsh, and hasty." You need to be made anew. When God finds
a man that is rough, harsh, and severe in his make-up, He will, if the man
will yield to the operation of the Holy Spirit, make him mild, gentle, and
peaceful. People go to a hospital and by a scientific operation have
abscesses and tumors removed from the stomach and other internal parts.
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