We were not able to contribute anything to be saved from hell and be reconciled to God. Our righteousness before God is given to us solely by grace, and there is nothing we could boast of before God: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9; KJV)
At the moment of accepting Jesus through faith, we receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. And it is the Holy Spirit (if we do not interfere with Him through wrong thinking), who then grows the fruits of the Spirit in and through us:
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23; NLT)
Do not be tempted into the demonic thought trap that, after your salvation, because of your love for Jesus, you have to rely on your own willpower and strength. Paul already warned against such thinking 2,000 years ago: “How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” (Galatians 3:3; NLT)
