Faithfulness As a Fruit of the Spirit

Faithfulness is a characteristic of God, and when God’s Holy Spirit abides in us, that fruit is developed in us. But what is God’s faithfulness, what does it look like, and what should we do with that information once we know?

First, God’s faithfulness is shown in creation in the most foundational things we know, like the sun and moon, the seasons, and even the ocean waves. These things never stop doing what God put them in place to do. He keeps the sun rising every day, the weather changing every season, and the tides ebbing and flowing on cue. We do not even have to wonder about those things; we know that in His faithfulness, God will make them all work properly again tomorrow just as He did today (see Psalm 104; 146:5–10).

God is also faithful in his relationships with people. Look at the promises he made to Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Hannah to all have children—and they all did, even though they had been barren. Look at the promises he made to the Israelites to defeat their enemies, the Amalekites, Hittites, Perizzites, and others—all of them were defeated. Look at the promise to save His people from the Egyptians—which God did through various miracles with Moses at the helm. And look to God’s promise to save people and deliver them from sin—which He did through Jesus. Time and time again, God has proven that He is faithful and trustworthy! When we consider all these stories and more, like the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11, it is clear that God has proven He is faithful (see Psalm 105; Genesis 18; 25; 30; 1 Samuel 1; Exodus 7–12; 33:1-2; Isaiah 43:3, 11; 45:21; Romans 6:14, 23)!

Our faithfulness to God is shown in our actions

So, the next question is, how do we respond to God’s faithfulness? We respond in kind, by showing faithfulness to God, like David did. When faced with a giant and surrounded by fellow Israelites who did not have faith in God, David stood up, confident of God’s faithfulness and ability. He was not afraid to say so, and as a result, Goliath was defeated. Or, like Joshua and Caleb, who were the only two among a dozen spies who believed God would give them victory over the giants in the land as He said He would. As a result, they were the only two who were gifted with the ability to enter the promised land. Or, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to bow to other gods and remained faithful to the one true God even in the face of death. As a result, they walked into a fiery furnace, were guarded by God, and walked back out of the fiery furnace unharmed, which led King Nebuchadnezzar to praise God and make a decree that no one could say anything against God (see 1 Samuel 17; Numbers 14:5–9; Daniel 3). 

When things look dark and bleak, do we have faith that God will do what He said He will do—that He will forgive us if we repent, that He will provide for us when we have needs, and that He will never leave us or forsake us (1 John 1:9; Philippians 4:19; Hebrews 13:5)? If your answer is yes—and you have faith that God will do what He said He would do, then it is time to show your faithfulness to God in return! You may not have to stand up against a literal giant, but we stand against a giant culture where many mock our belief in God, or push doubts, busyness, and selfishness on us to make us unfaithful to God. Do not let that be us. Let us stand in faithfulness and show it by our actions, like the heroes of the Bible. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow in faithfulness toward God. Our faithfulness to God is shown in our actions: the way we live every day, our worship, studying our Bible, gathering together with other Believers, spurring one another on toward good deeds, and encouraging each other with Psalms and God’s words. The author of Hebrews said it well when he said, “Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). And in 1 Samuel, it says “Above all, fear the Lord and worship him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things he has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24).