There are many admonitions in scripture toward good conduct including but not limited to the following:
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV).
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20 (ESV).
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:3-5 (ESV).
These are all, at their essence, a call to submit or yield to the Holy Spirit because this behavior or conduct is not natural for the flesh (humans). Even if done by self-power, the motive to “do good” is not sufficient. The motive must be love. To have both one’s motive and one’s conduct right is a work of the Holy Spirit. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 (ESV).
We are never called by God to works, but rather to relationship. As concerns the Holy Spirit, our relationship is to be one of yielding to His instruction, His correction and His leading. These admonitions to certain conduct are litmus tests for us to test and see if we are in fact yielded.
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