NOTES for Gal 5:22-23
The apostle Paul writes in the letter to the Galatians not so much about discerning spirits as about the fact that every Christian is called to live by the Holy Spirit. St. Seraphim of Sarov calls the acquisition of Him the goal of our life. And in these words of the apostle we read about simple and understandable things whose presence can serve as an indication of the right direction toward this goal. Both in the context of the apostle Paul's letters and in the context of contemporary life, it is important that the apostle does not include in this list what he calls gifts of the Holy Spirit in the letter to the Corinthians. Here he speaks precisely about what should testify to the action of the Holy Spirit in the life of every Christian; extraordinary gifts, according to the apostle's teaching, are not universally required for all. Therefore there is no mention here of the "gift of tongues," of mystical insights, or of artistic inspiration. Nor is there any talk of emotional experiences, which are changeable and not obligatory.
The apostle speaks, in essence, of very simple things that, when we meet them in people, we usually ascribe to a pleasant character. In reality this is not so: only the Spirit of God can give birth to all this in human hearts, and this is important for understanding the Lord's ways. The fruits of the Holy Spirit's action listed by Paul have several common features. First, they are not traits of character, but everything listed requires an effort of the will. Even joy, which requires the ability to give significance to what is good, needs the help of the will. All the more are efforts necessary for faith, patience, and the other things listed. Second, all these are very practical things: one can test one's heart by this list when preparing for confession. In addition, one can consciously strive for what is listed. It is obvious that only the Lord can fulfill this striving, and by ourselves we are unable to achieve anything of what the apostle speaks about. But without our will, hardly anything can happen.
It is also very important for the apostle that acquiring these fruits of the Holy Spirit frees us from slavery to the law. Indeed, if a person labors in order to bring these fruits to God, he simply cannot do anything unlawful. Thus the law is fulfilled by itself, while the efforts of the will are directed not toward fulfilling it, but toward God. For the apostle, this is the radical difference between the New Covenant and the Old.