The Fruit Of The Spirit Is Faithfulness
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
Faithfulness is created within us when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. The Spirit discloses Jesus’ character to the world, “testifying that Jesus is the Savior,” and “bearing to salvation.”
Faithfulness Requires Trusting
If we are full of faithfulness, we believe God; we trust that He always has our best interests at heart. We trust that we are ultimately safe. We believe that He loves us, He wants to be with us, He is powerful enough to save us, and He is working in us. We live with the confidence that we will receive God’s promised blessings, even if we never see them in this lifetime.
Faithfulness is necessary when God’s promises seem to completely contradict what we are seeing and experiencing through our human perspective. When God’s ways are hidden from us, as God says in Isaiah 45, when evil strikes, when hardships come one right after another — those are the times when we need the Spirit to produce His fruit of faithfulness in us.
Faith Is The Opponent Of Fear
Faith is the opponent of fear. Faith protects us from fear, and fear erodes faith. Ephesians 6:13-17 lists the armor of God. Faith, “in addition to all,” is the shield. If our shield of faith is strong enough to put out ALL he flaming arrows of the enemy, we are spiritually insulated.
The gospel of Mark tells the story of Jesus calming the storm. After being awakened by the terrified disciples, Jesus stopped the wind and the waves and said, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” As Christians, we are often told that trials bring about spiritual growth. I don’t believe that Jesus was intentionally using a fierce storm to grow the disciples’ faith. I see it more that He didn’t even consider the situation worthy of concern. The disciples feared because they had no faith. Their faith would eventually grow to the point where imprisonment became an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Faith in God means not fearing worldly troubles, not just because God’s sovereign will is for our benefit, but because, as Paul wrote, we “count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.”
God’s Word Regarding Our Faith
“For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin”
Romans 14:23
Whatever actions are not informed by God’s identity and character and not driven by trust in Him, he considers sin.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”
Hebrews 11:1
Hope is “the eager anticipation of good.” A faithful person knows God and trusts that He will fulfill His promises—those things he hopes for but are still unseen.
“The righteous shall live by faith”
Galatians 3:11
The fruit of Spirit gives us life; we don’t simply endure. We live by faith.
God is faithful, and He grants that same quality to His children. The Holy Spirit produces in believers His faithfulness. As a result, we believe God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. His faithful character directly affects our lives. We have nothing to fear as we wait for Him to fulfill His promises.
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