The Anti-Fruit

What is the opposite of the Fruit of the Spirit? (The Anti-Fruit, if you will.)

You know in Galatians 5 Paul lists both the works of the flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit.

But are the works of the flesh the opposite of the Fruits? As he says, the works of the flesh are OBVIOUS:
1. Adultery
2. Fornication
3. Uncleanness
4. Lewdness
5. Idolatry
6. Sorcery
7. Hatred
8. Contentions
9. Jealousies
10. Outbursts of wrath
11. Selfish ambitions
12. Dissensions
13. Heresies
14. Envy
15. Murders
16. Drunkenness
17. Revelries
(and the like)

These are the things we humans do, all on our own. BAD things.

But the Fruits of the Spirit are what the Spirit of God can produce through us:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Gentleness
7. Faithfuless
8. Goodness
9. Self-Control

So when I look at List #1 versus List #2, I feel pretty okay. I mean, I may not have the second list down, but at least I'm not all over that first list.

You won't catch me (lewdly) half-nekkid and falling-down drunk on reality TV. Or casting spells and whatnot. I'm not committing adultery or murdering anyone. I'm pretty clean. I don't even hate anybody! Whew!

Still though... I notice jealousies AND envy are on the list there, along with (gulp) selfish ambition. I might sometimes have a little problem with those... you know, internally. Not so anyone would notice.

But, I figure those aren't the worst sins on the list, right? I mean, which of the BAD things does Paul caution against the most here?

Here's the last verse of Galatians chapter 5:

 ²⁶ "Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

Wait a minute... Did he just bring up jealousy and selfishness AGAIN? AFTER the list of the fruits?

Maybe Paul is trying to tell us something.

The works of the flesh are obvious and outward, but the fruit of the Spirit comes from within.

So the opposite of the good fruit from the Spirit, is the bad fruit: the Anti-Fruit. And it's also from within. It's just like fruit sometimes goes bad from inside without showing any signs on the surface.

So the little sins that no one sees: envy, self-centeredness, and the like, are the rottenness that threatens to rob our lives of the Spirit's true fruit, eating away at us from the inside.

Ewwww:

(image from tumblr.com)

Lord, help me to guard against the trap of unconfessed sin, the enemy of Your fruit in my life.