Because the Spirit is Christ’s he is associated not only with power and blessing as we usually see him, but also with the cross of Christ, with lowliness and service to others. This Jesus-character of the Spirit explains why the supreme sign of his presence is love. Love is made possible by the Spirit and love is the greatest “fruit” of the Spirit. Paul puts love first among the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22). Love unites all the gifts of the Spirit.
Since Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, he now relates to the believers in the world via the Spirit. For Paul, the Spirit convinces us that we are God’s children; it is through the Spirit that we cry Abba, “Father!” (Rom 8:16). The Spirit also helps us in our prayer; in fact, there is no true prayer without the presence of the Spirit within us. Paul writes, “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes with inexpressible groaning” (Rom 8:26).
