Perhaps we are facing an overwhelming situation. Perhaps faithfulness could cost us our jobs or a friendship. Maybe we’re fearful of the consequences of standing for the truth. Yet, the fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness, so we are committed to the truth without compromise, even when we are fearful.

In the spring of 1992, after the former Soviet Union had been dissolved, then-Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lukin asked American Robert Gates, “So when are we going to get together and make some new rules for spying on each other?” What is true of the CIA and other intelligence groups is openly admitted (the lack of trust), but what is not as openly admitted is that these problems also exist in people’s personal lives.

The sad reality of living in a sinful world is that most people are usually untrustworthy and unfaithful. It is difficult to find someone faithful, one who tells the truth and is trustworthy. 

While that is the unfortunate reality of the world, the church is called to be different. The world is characterized by unfaithfulness and deception. However, God’s people are called to faithfulness without compromise. To help us understand what it means to be faithful and what this work of the Spirit looks like in our lives, there are three questions to help us gain a deeper understanding of this specific fruit.

The first question to be answered is this: What is faithfulness?

Once again, we have a divine attribute the Lord calls us to manifest as a virtue in our lives. Faithfulness characterizes who God is and how He acts (Hebrews 10:23, Deuteronomy 7:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Isaiah 25:1, Numbers 23:19). The Lord has an unwavering and infinite commitment to truth. God’s faithfulness reaches up to the skies (Psalm 36:5). It is so immense, vast, high that it is beyond human comprehension and measurement. 

Just as God is faithful, He calls us to be faithful; and He produces His faithfulness in us by the Spirit who dwells within us. So, how should we define this faithfulness?

Faithfulness is an unwavering commitment to the truth produced by the Spirit in all believers. This definition emphasizes what we have previously seen, that faithfulness as God defines it is only something Christians are capable of manifesting because it comes from His Spirit. It also emphasizes that all believers will manifest God’s faithfulness, at least in some measure. Faithfulness is marked by unwavering commitment to the truth – faithful people do not lie, and they fulfill their obligations. 

It’s important to note that faithfulness is not natural. We cannot be faithful as God is without the Lord manifesting His faithfulness in and through us by the Spirit. 

So, when should we be faithful?

The obvious answer is – all the time! However, this general answer fails to take into account specific times when we are more tempted to be unfaithful. As such, I want to look at four occasions when it is difficult to be faithful. Yes, we should always be faithful, but sometimes we will be tempted more to be unfaithful to God and others. 

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