But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness……. Galatians 5:22
The next fruit that is listed is faithfulness. What does it mean to be faithful?
Here are two definitions.
“Faithfulness-dependability, loyalty, an stability, particularly as it describes God in His relationship to human believers.” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
“Faithfulness is steadfastness, constancy, or allegiance; it is carefulness in keeping what we are entrusted with; it is the conviction that the Scriptures accurately reflect reality.” (GotQuestions)
Being faithful is one of God’s attributes, and I am most grateful for it. It means that God can be trusted, and His Word can be trusted. The faithfulness of God is vividly displayed throughout Scripture. We find countless examples of God making promises to His people and faithfully keeping those promises.
Remember the covenant God made with Abraham, promising him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). Despite Abraham’s initial doubts and the passage of time; God fulfilled this promise by granting him a son, Isaac, marking the beginning of a lineage that would lead to the birth of Jesus Christ.
We can’t forget the ultimate expression of God’s faithfulness in Jesus Christ.
The fall told us in Genesis 3 how we became separated from God because of sin. God promised a redeemer to pay the penalty of sin for us. In the New Testament, we learn that God sent His Son into the world to save humanity from sin and death (John 3:16). The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus serve as a testament to God’s unwavering commitment to His plan for our salvation and redemption.
Through Jesus, we see the extraordinary lengths to which God is willing to go to demonstrate His faithfulness. He did not abandon humanity but provided a way for reconciliation and eternal life.
The faithfulness of God is beautifully encapsulated in Hebrews 13:8, which states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (NIV).
Because of Christ, God promises forgiveness
John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” God promise is forgiveness and because He is faithful to keep His promises we can trust that He will.
So, what does it mean for us to be faithful? We know that it is a fruit we as believers should produce, and only through the Holy Spirit can we be faithful.
We should be faithful to God first -by trusting and walking in His Word. We must believe what He says in His Word and not what the world tells us is true. Circumstances will be difficult, but we should remain true to God and see His faithfulness in our lives.
“It also means faithfulness to the Bible, faithfulness to the gospel, faithfulness to the church, and faithfulness to the work God has given you to do. It means faithfulness to the mission of God in the world and to all those who are engaged in it along with you.” (Wright, 2017)
When it comes to others, we are to be trustworthy and dependable. We are to be honest and faithful to our word. This behavior should be continually demonstrated. We are to be routinely dependable so that people don’t have a doubt about our trustworthiness.
We should be a person can simply rely on all the time.
This is who God is to us, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be this to the people around us.
Reference
GotQuestions: The Fruit of the Holy Spirit – What is faithfulness? https://www.gotquestions.org/fruit-Holy-Spirit-faithfulness.html
Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary Editor Ronald F. Youngblood (2014)
Christopher J. H. Wright, Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit: Growing in Christlikeness (2017)
