Life in the Spirit: Bearing Spiritual Fruit- WEEK 1
Welcome to this 15 week study! I will be posting a new study each week and a corresponding weekly devotional for all 15 weeks.
May this bless you in Jesus…
Week 1:
New Life Through the Spirit
Key Focus
The Holy Spirit gives new life to every believer in Christ, and that new life is visibly evident in how we live. This transformation is not behavior modification—it is heart regeneration.
Key Scriptures
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Galatians 5:24–25 – “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
Ezekiel 36:26–27 – “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you…”
Teaching: The New Life Explained
The moment you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, something supernatural happened. You weren’t just forgiven—you were reborn. The Holy Spirit entered your heart and began a transformational work that no self-help book or good behavior could ever achieve. This isn’t a spiritual tune-up. It’s a total regeneration. You were made new—brand new. Not recycled. Not patched up. New.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if anyone is in Christ, they are a “new creation.” That means the old version of you—the one driven by sin, insecurity, fear, pride, addiction, shame, or worldly desire—is dead. It was crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). That means it no longer has a say in who you are or how you live. But that doesn’t mean your old habits won’t try to speak up—they just don’t have authority anymore.
This new life is created and sustained by the Holy Spirit. It is rooted in your identity as a child of God, and it is evidenced by a life that begins to shift: your motives change, your responses change, your desires change, and your love deepens. Not because you’re trying harder, but because the Spirit is now producing in you what you couldn’t produce on your own.
The Christian life isn’t about sin management or image maintenance. It’s about Spirit empowerment.
Here’s what the Bible says about this new life:
God gives you a new heart and puts a new spirit within you (Ezekiel 36:26–27). This means your internal compass has shifted.
You are now alive to God and dead to sin (Romans 6:11). That doesn’t mean temptation disappears, but you are no longer a slave to it.
You are now led by the Spirit of God, not by your feelings or flesh (Galatians 5:25, Romans 8:14).
You are now expected to walk worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1)—not as a legalistic chore, but as a joyful response to the work God is doing in you.
Let this sink in:
You don’t have to become something you’re not.
You have to learn to live like the new creation you already are.
You are spiritually reborn—but now comes the walk. Sanctification is the process of your life catching up to the new reality of your identity. It’s where the fruit of the Spirit starts to blossom, not because you’re forcing it, but because you’re connected to the Vine (John 15:4–5).
That’s why this study matters. If we don’t understand the foundation—who we are in Christ and what the Spirit has made alive in us—we’ll constantly try to live a godly life in our own strength. And that never works.
But when you live from a place of Spirit-born identity, the fruit will follow.
Greek Word Study
“Kainos” (καινός) – new in kind, fresh, unprecedented
Used in 2 Corinthians 5:17 to describe the “new creation.” This isn’t just a makeover; it’s something entirely different than before.
Cross-References
Romans 6:4 – “We were buried with Him… so that we too might walk in newness of life.”
John 3:5–6 – Jesus teaches Nicodemus about being born of the Spirit.
Titus 3:5 – “He saved us… by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
Reflection Questions
How has your life changed since coming to know Christ?
In what areas do you still feel stuck in the “old” way of living?
What does it look like for you to live as a new creation daily?
Prayer Focus
Thank the Holy Spirit for giving you new life. Ask Him to continually renew your heart and mind, and to help you walk in your identity as a new creation.
Weekly Challenge
Write out 2 Corinthians 5:17 and post it somewhere you’ll see it daily. Every time you’re tempted to act like the “old you,” speak this verse out loud as a declaration.
