Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.” You may have heard about the fruit of the Spirit and wondered what it is and how it relates to our Christian faith.
In this series, each fruit will be explored and related to our everyday lives. Just like physical fruit need time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight. As we mature in our faith, all the characteristics of our spiritual fruits will grow as well.
The seventh fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. What exactly is faithfulness? The Holman’s Bible Dictionary defines ‘faithful’ as “steadfast, dedicated, dependable and worthy of trust.” Interestingly, the word ‘faithful’ comes from the same Hebrew root as the word ‘amen,’ which, as Christians, is a word we use frequently to show our belief in God.
In the world today, many people may think of faithfulness in human terms, such as being faithful to our spouse within the bonds of marriage. This faithfulness is certainly necessary for a successful marriage; however, this fruit of the spirit of faithfulness is actually referring to our faithfulness in Christ.
It is a foundational Christian character trait that is necessary for a godly life. As Christians we know and see how faithful God is to us and that his Word stands true and that His promises won’t fail.
There may be many times when we may not feel God’s faithfulness to us, but we must choose to trust and believe that God is truly faithful. The Bible is filled with God’s promises and examples of His faithfulness in our lives.
Because God is faithful to us, we should continue to learn to be faithful to Him. It requires trust and loyalty. Our faithfulness allows us to trust in His promises to us.
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master,” – Matthew 25:21.
