Many have tried to argue that the Bible is a guidebook, a road map to this thing called life. If you follow its directions and obey its instructions, then you will be a successful Christian and be well on your way to “good and faithful servant” status.

Of course, this isn’t quite accurate. The Bible is a lot more than just a record of dos and don’ts. It’s the inspired and inerrant Word of God, God’s story of His redemption of mankind. Yes, it contains instruction and guidance, but it also includes hero stories, and handwritten letters, and fulfilled prophecies. Scripture is more than a bunch of rules; it’s a multi-genre book the reveals to us the nature, character, and desires of the God who creates, sustains, and saves us.

And yet, we—especially those of us living in a Western context—still tend to treat what’s written in the Bible as a to-do list, checking off the commands and behaviors that we’re pretty good at and toiling to please God in the areas in which we are lacking. This habit can easily cause us to overlook certain aspects of the Christian life or become weary when we find ourselves unable to overcome our vices. But Jonathan Landry Cruse argues in his book, The Character of Christ, that instead of crossing off items on our scriptural to-do list, we ought to fix our eyes of Jesus and imitate Him.

In The Character of Christ, Cruse specifically focuses on the Fruit of the Spirit, a list of character qualities located in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Like I mentioned earlier, Christians will often view this list as things that we must do. I’m good with kindness and can be self-controlled, but I really need to work on joy and patience. But this is not a correct or biblical mindset. Cruse writes,

“The fruit of the Spirit is not a to-do list…These graces are produced by the work of the Holy Spirit, not by our exertion or effort.”^[1]

Well, if we shouldn’t approach the Fruit of the Spirit like a to-do list, if we can’t acquire these character traits on our own, then how exactly are we to practice them in our daily lives? It’s simple, really. We just need to look to Jesus.

“If we really want to know what it means to be loving, or have patience, or show acts of kindness, we look to the life of the Son of God.”^[2]

There is no man who has emulated the Fruit of the Spirit as well as Jesus. As the righteous, sinless, Spirit-filled Son of God, He was the most loving, the most joyful, the most patient, the most kind, the most faithful, and the most good. Throughout His life and ministry, He demonstrated what it looks like to practice these beautiful qualities, and when we follow His supreme and perfect example, we will be able to practice them, too.

“When we look to our Saviour we start to look like our Saviour.”^[3]

But we don’t just have to look to Jesus and hope for the best, hope that through some osmosis-like process we’ll start to live like Him. The same Spirit that filled and empowered Jesus lives in our hearts, and He is in the business of sanctifying us and equipping us to live a fruitful Christian life. By fixing our eyes on Christ and submitting our hearts to the Holy Spirit, we can rest assured that we are constantly growing and maturing in our faith and that we will live out the Fruit of the Spirit.

“Conformity to all of the beauty that is in Jesus will take place. The fruit of the Spirit is an inevitability for those who have the Spirit.”^[4]

The Character of Christ is a short, uplifting read that prioritizes one’s relationship with Christ over legalism and is rooted in God’s Word. Each concise chapter focuses on a different quality within the Fruit of the Spirit, making this is a great book to pair with your daily Scripture reading. If you’re looking to learn more about Jesus or grow more fruitful in your walk with Him, you should give this book a try.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher is exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

**As an Amazon Associate, I can earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through the affiliate links on this page at no extra cost to you.

^[1] Jonathan Landry Cruse, The Character of Christ: The Fruit of the Spirit in the Life of Our Savior (East Peoria: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2023), 1, 3.

^[2] Ibid., 7.

^[3] Ibid., 149.

^[4] Ibid., 152.