Faithfulness

Why is faithfulness such a needed fruit of the Spirit?

Faithfulness to God in the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 is loyalty to Him and to His teachings, which should shape how we think and act.

“Faithfulness” is translated from the Greek word pistis. In the King James Version this word is translated “faith.” Pistis includes both meanings (faith and faithfulness), but in Galatians 5:22 it seems to carry more of the meaning “trustworthiness or reliability”

The Bible provides a fundamental description of pistis in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We grow in faith as we use the power God gives us through His Spirit to obey Him and build a relationship with Him. Faith in God grows in us as it did in Abraham as we see that God will always do what He has promised (Romans 4:18-22). So, faithfulness would include being full of belief and confidence in God and all that God promises.

Hebrews 11, often called the Faith Chapter, goes on to say: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the  things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (verse 3).

Faith is what keeps us from believing that we are all here on earth by accident. It assures us of our Creator’s existence and love.

Faith involves the way we live. Paul said we must “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Faithfulness includes loyalty. In Titus 1:9, toward the end of a list of qualifications for ministers, Paul says that an elder should be “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.” “Holding fast the faithful word” means remaining loyal to what we have learned from the Word of God.

So the fruit of the Spirit of faithfulness includes trusting God and remaining loyal to Him and His doctrines.

Our faithfulness greatly influences how we love God and love others, including whether or not we remain loyal to relationships, sound doctrine and God. We must allow our belief and trust in God and the teachings of the Bible to shape our thoughts, speech and actions toward God and others.

Remember and think about God’s faithfulness in every area of life: protecting and providing for us, giving us forgiveness of sins, promising us eternal life and His coming Kingdom of peace. We can let His faithfulness inspire our commitment to be faithful.

Make God and other people a priority in our lives. How? We can make a list of our relationships and commitments and then honestly evaluate ourselves on how faithful we have been. Any unfaithful behaviors and practices have to be eliminated from our lives.

Faithfulness is more than just being there for someone. It is total commitment and loyalty to God that flies in the face of human reasoning. We may easily believe in God, but it takes faithfulness to actually believe His teachings enough to change our lives.

Be Blessed and be a Blessing!