The fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness … (Galatians 5:22)
Today we come to the final three attributes of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5: faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. We can view love, joy, and peace as expressed towards God, and longsuffering, kindness, and goodness expressed towards others. All six attributes are shown in faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Faithfulness describes godly loyalty, trustworthiness, and reliability. It is a response in our lives to the faithfulness of God:
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
In the Old Testament, we learn of God’s faithfulness in creation, in the lives of the patriarchs and in the nation of Israel. Because of idolatry and departure from God, Israel became a divided kingdom and eventually suffered captivity in Assyria and Babylon. During the reigns of failing and wicked kings and then exile in strange lands, God remained faithful to His promises. We see the greatness of God’s faithfulness most clearly as He brought His people out of captivity and back to the Promised Land He had given them. Against the dark background of exile, faithfulness to God by men like Daniel and women like Esther shone brightly. They did not rebel against God and take advantage of their new lives in Babylon. They chose to be faithful to God in distant lands that, as far we know, they never left. Daniel’s faithfulness to God throughout the reign of Nebuchadnezzar until the days of Cyrus remained constant. And it was a source of great blessing to his people and the kings he served. His faithfulness did not change with circumstances. It stayed true, whatever the cost. The basis of this faithfulness was a complete and unshakeable trust in God and His promises.
The Lord Jesus perfectly expressed faithfulness to His Father. He is called “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth” in Revelation 1:5. This faithfulness is seen in His life, sufferings, death, and the glory of His resurrection.
Throughout the New Testament, Christians are encouraged to be faithful to the Lord Jesus in all the aspects of life – in their behaviour, relationships, marriages; as parents, employers and employees; in the smallest and most important details of their lives. And in their worship and service. Faithfulness is not an out-of-date or obsolete concept. It is a vibrant testimony to the character of God and the character of His children.
Interestingly, goodness and faithfulness appear next to each other in Galatians 5. In the parable of the talents, the lord, who is an illustration of the Lord Jesus, says to his faithful servants, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:23). These words show how much the Lord Jesus values goodness and faithfulness, and links them to our future blessing. What value do we place on them?
