We are continuing with the series on the fruit of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is . . . FAITHFULNESS . . .” Today we are looking at the fruit of faithfulness. It is very close to the spiritual gift of faith. So to make sure there is no confusion between faith and faithfulness, we need to clarify the difference. Let’s talk first about faith, the spiritual gift of faith.
The spiritual gift of faith describes something that is within us. Faith as a spiritual gift is something that we are given. It is something that is inside us. It is something that we have. It’s closely related to faithfulness. They both come from the same basic Greek word. But we must not get them mixed up.
In the New Testament there is only one word that really deals with the concept of faith. It has very few words that are related to it. In the Old Testament there are four or five words that speak of faith, and being faithful. They all come from one basic Hebrew word that means to be verified. So our faithfulness verifies the faith that we have. If I say I have faith in God, but I don’t do anything to show my faith, then I am not showing myself faithful to what I believe. Because I have faith in God, I am going to be faithful to that relationship, in good times and in bad.
For instance, our marriage vows are a covenant. When we make our marriage vows, we covenant, not only to have faith in our partner, but to be faithful to our partner. We already have faith in our partner or else we wouldn’t be getting married. We covenant to be faithful to them. We covenant to support them. We covenant to a relationship, and we are promising to be faithful to that covenant.
This is the difference between the fruit of faithfulness, and the gift of faith. Faith as a gift is something that is within. Faith as a gift is something that matures. I have faith that God was with me in the past, that He is with me now, and I can use that foundation, as I walk by faith into the future.
Because I know God was with me in the past and present, I can have faith that God will be with me in the future. So I have an obligation to that faith. My obligation is tied up in the verb, faithful. I have to be faithful to God as He has been faithful to me. That is the distinction between the fruit of the Spirit, and the gift of the Spirit. One is something that we are given as a Gift of the Spirit. The other is something that we offer. The spiritual gift of faith speaks about a belief. It is about a belief that we have in someone or something. We all have strong beliefs in God. We develop that faith to its maturity. We use our present faith to build on the future. That is the gift of faith.
Now let’s talk about faithfulness. The Fruit of faithfulness as a fruit of the spirit, describes a characteristic of commitment. Faithfulness, as a fruit of the Spirit, is a verb. It is something that we must do. It is a state in which we must remain—like when we remain faithful to a cause. Faithful, the fruit of the Spirit, is what we remain to God. Because I have faith in something or someone, I remain faithful to that thing or person. So the spiritual gift of faith is a noun, it is something we have, and the fruit of the spirit, faithfulness, is a verb, it is something we do.
To be faithful is an action based on faith. You might be faithful to a cause, to a person, or to a thing. Many people believe in several different types of charities, for instance. They are faithful to their beliefs. They act on their faith by supporting that charity.
People who support the heart society, for example, have a belief that heart disease and heart attacks can be cured or at least helped. To prove that faith they are faithful to that cause.
So, by faith we believe in God. Because of our relationship to God, we remain faithful. Now that we know that there is difference between the spiritual gift of faith and the fruit of the spirit faithfulness we need to get a better understanding of the fruit of the spirit, faithfulness. This brings us to our passage today. 1 Corinthians 3. I am going to suggest to you today that there are five things included in this passage in 1 Corinthians that speak about faithfulness.
First, to be faithful is a maturing process. READ verses 1-2.
If being faithful was something that was all encompassing, and started right away after becoming a Christian, Paul would never use the term "Infants". He would never say "I give you milk first, and then meat." Being faithful is a maturing process. There are times that we will be more faithful to our beliefs than others. Don’t think you have failed because someone exhibited more faith than you.
Being faithful is a maturing process. Let me give you an example. When I first became a Christian I started paying attention to the preacher when he talked about tithing. I gave to the church, but it was nowhere near the 10% that God asks of us. I always felt like I needed that money or I would end up in the poor house.
As my faithfulness increased, I soon came to realize that it all belonged to God anyway. I had faith that God would provide. I had faith that God would take care of things if I was only obedient to what He asked me to do. When I finally implemented my faithfulness, I then saw that I never had anything to worry about. God has blessed more since I made that decision than I ever knew He would. You see, it was a maturing process. When the process matured in me, I then realized all the blessings I had been missing for years. FAITHFULNESS IS A MATURING PROCESS.
Paul is saying this to the people in these first two verses. There will be times when you will be faithful to the cause, and times when you won’t be. There will be times of severe persecution because of your faith. Being faithful to Christianity could endanger your lives. When you face that pressure, sometimes you may fall.
It’s not wrong to fall. Look at Peter. Peter fell. Before the cock crowed in the morning, he had denied Jesus three times. He was not faithful. The other apostles had times of doubting too. Faithfulness in our Christian walk is a maturing process.
We start, we fall down, we get up and we start again.
The important thing is to keep our eye on the goal, not so much on the process. This is not to give us excuses for falling, or failing to be faithful. Paul says "We are infants in Christ." He gives them milk right now, but someday they will be ready for meat.
Secondly, faithfulness is a spiritual process and not a worldly process. In the world there are some causes that we may be faithful to. READ v 3-4. What Paul is getting at here is that faithfulness to God is a spiritual thing, and it is demonstrated to the world. What he is telling the people of Corinth is that faithfulness is a spiritual battle exhibited in the world.
A key ingredient in faithfulness is unity. There is unity in the Spirit. What Paul tells us in v.3, 4 is that when you start quarrelling, you’re showing division. Division is something that happens in the world. It doesn’t happen in the realm of the spiritual.
Faithfulness will always lead to unity of belief. Worldliness will lead to division.
Worldliness would say, this is what I think, or, this is what I believe. Faithfulness comes from a spiritual base. This is what God says. This is what the Bible says.
We are to build on that. That is the foundation that Paul speaks of here in this passage.
Third, Faithfulness is a self-less process: READ 5-9. Paul is being very careful here to make us realize that faithfulness is not something that we bring to God, it is something that is instilled in us by God. Thus, it’s a fruit of the Spirit.
Not everyone in this world is going to have the same ministry. Not everyone will be seed planters. Not everyone will be cultivators of the seed. Not everyone will see the seed come to fruit.
We have to be satisfied with the ministry that God gave us and be faithful to it. Faithfulness to the ministry that God gave us gives us the freedom to believe, that while we are planting the seeds, somewhere down the road, there will be someone to come in and watch those seeds grow and protect them, and further down the road, someone will come in and reap the harvest of the combined work.
I used to think, that because I was in the ministry, I was responsible for doing all of these things. But I will see the harvest that God wants me to see. I will plant the seeds that God wants me to plant. I will cultivate what God wants me to cultivate.
The important thing is to be satisfied and secure in what your ministry is, knowing and being faithful to that ministry, because if I am faithful in planting, someone else will be able to secure it. It is a self-less thing.
Fourth, faithfulness is accountable: READ 10-15. Being faithful to God means standing up and saying, “This is what I believe. Because I believe, I will teach this way. Everything I do will be based on Scripture. If I go by anything else, than by what the Scriptures said, I am going to be held accountable.”
If I have faith that God is who He says He is, that His promises are true, that everything in the Scriptures are true, then I have to be faithful to them. If I am not, then I will be held accountable.
Faithfulness means studying the word. It means being prepared to teach the word.
It means to be prepared to witness. And to be prepared to do them in the proper biblical way.
Fifth, Faithfulness is a witness to God: READ 16-17. We are not our own anymore when we accept the Lord. We become His.
Because we are his bondslaves, those things in our lives that we want to do have to change. Why? Because we want to be faithful to his teachings and be faithful to Him.
Think about someone that you love for a moment. Because you love that person, and because you want to be faithful to that person, you are not going to do a lot of things that is going to get that person upset with you. You have a special relationship with them.
The Hebrew word for faithfulness speaks, in some ways, about nurses and nursing.
If someone you love is sick, you are going to nurse them the very best that you can.
You will treat them the best that you can. This is what being faithful is about, doing your very best for that loved one, doing your very best for God. Nothing else will work.
You may not always succeed, but you always do your very best. Why? Because we have to face God. We face him based on what we do as Christians—how faithful we are.
Paul had to face him. We can join Paul in the manner he went before God.
2 Timothy 4:7,8:
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7,8)
Paul’s last words, speak of his faithfulness to God in his relationship with him.
Paul’s relationship with God parallels the five things that speak about faithfulness.
Paul’s relationship with God was one of a maturing process. Faithfulness is a maturing process.
Paul’s relationship with God was a spiritual process. Faithfulness is a spiritual process, not a worldly process.
Paul’s relationship with God was a self-less process. Faithfulness is a selfless process.
Paul’s relationship with God was an accountable process. Faithfulness involves being accountable for what we believe.
Paul’s relationship with God witnessed to the source of his faith. Our faithfulness to God shows that we have a special relationship with God.
I pray that as a Christian, your fruit of faithfulness shows how special your relationship with God is.
