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Fruit Of The Spirit: Faithfulness (Galatians 5:22-23)

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In a small log cabin in Franklin, KY, a baby named Thomas Chisolm was born in 1866. Nothing about his beginnings suggested significance – and nothing about his career or accomplishments suggested a great legacy.

He had little formal schooling. His family was not wealthy or connected to anyone famous. Yet, his faith in God’s unwavering promises inspired him to study hard, work faithfully, and trust God’s plan for His life.

At the young age 16, he became a schoolteacher. And at age 21, he became an associate editor for his hometown newspaper. At age 27, he attended a church gathering and recognized his need to trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Ten years later he felt called to pastoral ministry. But this calling was short-lived to a single year due to poor health. For many this would have been a monumental despair, but Chisholm kept his faith and moved forward. He changed careers into the insurance business. And, over his lifetime, he would write more than 1,200 poems with some of them set to music.

Near the end of his life, Chisholm would write: “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me until now. Although, I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God, and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.”

The hymn’s first verse and chorus reads:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions fail not
As Thou has been Thou forever will be
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand has provided
Great Is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Today we look at another characteristic of God and fruit of the Holy Spirit.

EXAMINE        Faithfulness           Galatians 5:22

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Biblical Definitions[1]

  • Emet (אֶמֶת): occurs 127x and is often translated as true or faithful. Israel lacks emet (Hos 4:1) but “all the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and emet faithfulness” (Ps 25:10)
  • ‘Ahman (אָמַן): occurs 49x and has the concept of steadiness or reliability. Examples include and Aaron and Hur helped Moses’ arms remain ‘ahman steady – lifted to God to help win the battle, but if his arms fell (not emuna), then they began to lose the battle (cf. Ex 17:12). Overall, God’s emuna reaches to the skies (Ps 36:5) and is from morning to night (Ps 92:2).  
  • Hesed (חֵסֵד): occurs 255x and is frequently translated as lovingkindness or merciful, but also implies faithfulness. God has covenant loyalty (cf Dt 7:9 “the LORD your God is the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.”).
  • Pistis (πίστις): occurs 67x and implies persuasive belief and faith with conviction; a guarantee. The NT word is used to describe
  • God (2Th 3:3 “Faithful is the Lord. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one”  
  • Jesus (Revelation 19:11 “The one sitting on a white horse coming from heaven is called “Faithful and True,” and in righteousness he judges and makes war.”)
  • Stewards or servants who are faithfully following their master (cf Mt 24:45 ff “Blessed is the faithful servant whose master finds them awake and alert”; 25:21 ff every believer wants to hear “well done good and faithful servant”; Lk  16:10ff “One who is faithful in little will also be faithful in much”).

Overall, faithfulness implies 

  • Truthfulness. Imagine relationships / careers / gov politics – w/o lies and fully trustworthy!?!
  • Reliability. Always follows through; doesn’t forget, falter, or fail.

So, reflecting upon faithfulness requires us to understand our profound need for God. God is the essence of faithfulness, and Scripture is a reliable record of God’s truth and fidelity.

2 Timothy 2:11–13
The saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself.

Let’s look at two passages that exemplify God’s faithfulness and then make final applications.

Human faithfulness is a response to God’s faithfulness.

Genesis 15 1 “the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless… 4 behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And the LORD brought Abram outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness… 9 The LORD said to Abram, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And Abram brought the LORD all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him… 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, [“I will bless your offspring…]

God made a promise to Abram. Abram did nothing to achieve this promised blessing; it was simply an act of grace on the part of the LORD. Further, when Abram doubted, God gave him reassurances that the covenant did not depend upon Abram’s flawlessness but God’s faithfulness.

In the ancient world, a covenant was made by the superior promising provision and/or protection and the lesser party committing servant faithfulness – and if they were unfaithful, then the superior would deliver punishment.

As the lesser party, Abram was supposed to walk the aisle between the sacrificed animals. And if Abram was disloyal, death would occur to him like the slain sacrifices. However, God made Abram rest and walked the aisle himself. God took on the responsibility as provider AND servant – and in essence proclaimed that if/when Abram/Israel became disloyal, God would become like the slain sacrifice. 

Similarly in the NT, Jesus became slain for us. So that, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all righteousness.” (1John 1:9) So, human faithfulness is a response to God’s faithfulness. Christianity isn’t about “try harder” or “do better” but faith relationship trusting in transformative grace.

Christianity isn’t about “try harder” or “do better” but faith relationship trusting in transformative grace.

Faithfulness to God requires refusing to blend in and a resolve to follow God at any cost.

Daniel 6: 3 Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”  

How was Daniel faithful?

He was distinguished from all the others. His diet was different. His character and lifestyle were uncommon. His values and behavior were elevated. His entire life was devoted to the audience of one – God! There was nothing that anyone could do or say that would distract his focus and faithfulness to the LORD.

Daniel was so distinguished that his detractors sought to bring him down. The only way they could accuse him of wrongdoing was to craft a law that opposed God and demanded loyalty to a corrupt government.

Daniel 6: 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

When external pressure came upon Daniel, he simply moved forward in his well-worn path. Daniel responded to negative circumstances with positive practices: prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

When it comes to being faithful to God, it flows from a long obedience in the same direction. Christianity is not about instant gratification or any easy path; instead it’s about endurance outside of our comfort zone with the down 7 up 8 path of aligning ourselves with God.

APPLY/TAKEAWAY

How can we cultivate the fruit of faithfulness?

  • Cling to the cross. Realize God’s faithful love for you is based on God’s faithfulness not your perfection. The more we cling to Jesus in awe and wonder, the more a grace-fueled devotion will stir in our heart and actions.
    Some practical ways of clinging to the cross are
    •  singing songs about the cross… listen to 1 /day and share out – –  

    • participate in communion
  • Discipline your reading of God’s word. If you want to grow in faith and faithfulness, then you need to be equipped with the truth of God’s word. You need a distinct diet of good fruit, which can only come through the well-worn paths in God’s word. Either your Bible should be falling apart, or your life will.
    •  Ps 33:4 “For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness”
    •  Pr 3:3-4 “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart; so you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and others.”
  • Steward the small. Jesus instructs us to be trustworthy with small areas, then God will entrust greater areas of responsibility (Lk 16:10). So, bloom where you’re planted. Whatever you’ve said, “Yes,” make sure you are “all in.” Consistency in your commitments, even when you face challenges are the means of God’s grace to cultivate your character and the fruit of faithfulness. 
    •  Are you present with your family? 
    • Do you show up on time at work?
    • Do you attend MORE than Sundays 10:45am?
      • 9:30am Bible Group
      • Men/Women/Youth/Park60
        Not saying attend everything, but each member can discern ways to be involved & connected.
    • Do you seek to know names and stories of others in your church? Take the initiative – each week!
    • Do you give a % of your income? Faithful members who receive the benefits of a church’s ministry should be invested in its well-being and financial support. Be involved in budget process
    • Have you memorized and practiced our GOSPEL Dashboard?
  • Confess unfaithfulness and seek accountability. Again, studying the fruit of the spirit is not meant for us to focus on our performance but our posture toward the Lord in humble and eager faith.  
    Ro 12:11 “Do not be slotfhful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”
    1 Cor 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to others. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, and will provide the way of escape”

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD… But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

So, if you have been unfaithful in an area of your Christian walk, your church involvement, your relationships, or any other area not seeking to be a faithful witness of the excellencies of God –

“God’s mercies are new every morning; Great is his faithfulness.” (Lam 3:23) Jesus is the author of fresh starts and new beginnings.

Jesus is the author of fresh starts and new beginnings.

2 pastoral spbc exhortations about faithfulness

  1. Be faithful to whatever end...
  2. Be faithful not fearful.

There is so much chaos and confusion going on in our world. It is easy to grow discouraged, feel dejected, and be tempted to dwindle away.

But Jesus reminds us we will experience tribulation. In fact, the end times are described in Scripture…
2 Tim 3:1-5 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. People will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, w/o self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power. Avoid such people.

Rev 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, … AND THE LAMB WILL CONQUER THEM, FOR HE IS LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS, and those WITH HIM are called and CHOSEN and FAITHFUL.”

When life feels out of control, Jesus isn’t. Take heart friends, God is working all things together for good – and He is a promise keeper, unchanging, unfailing, and unstoppable.
Be faithful, not fearful.

When life feels out of control, Jesus isn’t.

[1] See https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/faithfulness-of-god/

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