Ethical Culture & Character (?)

“the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control;
against such things there is no Law.”
^{Gal 5:22-23}

Settle it clearly and forever that the flesh can never bear this fruit, that you can never attain these things by your own effort. That they are "the fruit of the Spirit."

We hear a good deal in these days about "ethical culture," which usually means a cultivation of the flesh 'until it bears the fruit' of the Spirit. It cannot be done, until thorns can be made to bear figs, and a bramble-bush, grapes.
^{(Luke 6:44; Matt. 12:33)}
We hear also a good deal about "character building." That is all very well, if you let the Holy Spirit do the building, and then it is not so much building as fruit bearing.
^{(See, however, 2 Peter 1:5-7)}
We hear also about "cultivating graces of character," but we must always bear in mind that the way to cultivate true graces of character is by submitting ourselves utterly to the Spirit to do His work. This is "sanctification of the Spirit."
^{(1 Peter 1:2; 2 Thes. 2:13.)
Ruben Torrey → article}

HU