If we lack this fruit of the Spirit, we lose every good thing given to us. Our youthful resolves give way to adult indifference, our marriages and ministries slowly wilt, and our best ambitions eventually fade with a sigh. This quality is certainly not the only mark of a godly man, but without it a man will not stay godly for long. In fact, he will not stay anything for long: not devoted to his family, not diligent in his work, not zealous in his Master’s business.

Hidden among the nine shining fruit of the Spirit is a virtue some men might find bland. Compared to other marks of Christlikeness, its grandeur may seem small; its glory, dim. The labor required to cultivate this grace can feel unequal to the rewards it offers. Many of us are tempted to forsake the pursuit of it in search of nobler successes or achievements.

And yet, if we lack this fruit of the Spirit, we lose every good thing given to us. Our youthful resolves give way to adult indifference, our marriages and ministries slowly wilt, and our best ambitions eventually fade with a sigh. This quality is certainly not the only mark of a godly man, but without it a man will not stay godly for long. In fact, he will not stay anything for long: not devoted to his family, not diligent in his work, not zealous in his Master’s business.

What is it? Not love, joy, or peace; not patience, kindness, or goodness; not gentleness or self-control — but faithfulness (Galatians 5:22–23).

Words with Weight

Like many of the Spirit’s fruits, faithfulness is not all that difficult to understand. Faithful men are reliable, dependable, trustworthy. They give their word to what matters, and then they live as if that word has weight.

We find faithfulness first in God himself. When we say “God is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9), we mean, in large part, that he always does what he says he will do: “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). No word that goes out from God’s mouth comes back to him empty or untrue (Isaiah 55:10–11). With a faithful God, what you hear is what you get.

A faithful man, in his own imperfect way, reflects this same trustworthiness. He does not “make plans according to the flesh, ready to say ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’ at the same time” (2 Corinthians 1:17). Rather, so far as it depends on him, he “swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalm 15:4).

When this man says he’ll do something — whether as significant as loving a woman for life or as trivial as taking out the trash — others don’t need to wonder whether he actually will. He does not need constant oversight, regular reminders, or daily prodding to fulfill his responsibilities. Nor does he need to add extra assurances on top of his bare word in order to win trust; a simple “Yes” or “No” suffices (Matthew 5:37).

So, faithfulness is not all that difficult to understand. Just to live.

In Search of Faithful Men

Ours is not the first age to struggle with faithfulness. Some three millennia ago, a wise man said, “Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6). Desiring a reputation for faithfulness without actually being faithful; expecting others’ trust without living in a trustworthy manner — these temptations are ancient as well as modern.

We need not wonder why. For one, true faithfulness grows slowly. This grace reveals itself not in a day or a week or a month, but over years — even over a whole lifetime. Almost any man can sprint for a hundred yards; only faithful men can run the slower, lifelong race of faith without giving up or getting distracted.

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