1) Faithfulness is being committed to and trusting in God above all else, even one's own desires. It requires obedience to God rather than being self-centered or pleasure-seeking. 2) True faithfulness means loving God supremely and being willing to give up anything else if necessary. Without complete commitment to God, one's faith is weak. 3) Faithfulness, or being faithful, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that involves believing God's word is true and can be trusted despite challenges. It is the Spirit that enables Christians to have true faithfulness.

1. What is Faithfulnessin the Fruit of the Holy Spirit - 15th March 2016
“But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”Show me your faith without deeds, and
I will show you my faith by my deeds (James 2:18).
If any term catches the essence of mankind's character at the end of the age, it is
"faithlessness." Man is generally faithless to any standard that can be considered as godly. In 2
Timothy 3 the apostle Paul describes the spirit of people at the end of the age. Paul lists
nineteen characteristics, with "lovers of themselves" and "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,
unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the
good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a
form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:1-
5)“. When we read this it questions us as to how a person could be faithful to God when he
loves himself more than God? How can a person be faithful to God when his own gratification
means more to him than pleasing God? How can a person be faithful if he is a headstrong,
haughty slanderer and traitor who is disobedient to parents, greedy, unloving and without self-
control…?
Faithfulness hinges upon what we value as important combined with commitment. Humans
have a powerful tendency to be faithful to what they think is truly important, be it a family
name, spouse, friendship, employer, school, athletic team etc. This tendency was an issue when
the disciples decided to follow Peter's lead and return to their fishing trade after Jesus' death
and resurrection. In John 21, we can learn where Jesus pointedly asks Peter three times
whether he loved Him. “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son
of John, do you love me more than these?”“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
(John 21:15).
The first time He asks whether he loved Him "more than these," referring either to his fellow
apostles or the tools of his fishing trade. The inference is inescapable: Jesus wanted Peter to
hold Him of greater importance than anything on earth. Considering Peter's weighty
responsibility, he could not be faithful to Jesus without the staunchest commitment to Him as
most important of all in his life. The meaning to us is clear. We must love Christ supremely, or
we do not love Him much if at all. If we are not willing to give up all earthly possessions, forsake
all earthly friends, and obey Him above all others—including our own carnal desires—to be
faithful to Him, our attachment to Him is tenuous at best. Is such a proposition too much? Does
not marriage require a similar faithfulness from each spouse? Without it, it is no wonder there
is so much adultery and divorce in the world today!.
"Faithfulness" does not even appear in the New Testament of the King James version (KJV).
However, the idea certainly does in the Greek. In the listing of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians
5:22, every modern translation renders the word that the KJV translates into "faith" as

2. "faithfulness," "fidelity" or "good faith." In his commentary on Galatians, WilliamBarclay writes,
"This word (pistis) is common in secular Greek for trustworthiness. It is the characteristic of the
man who is reliable". Faithfulness is steadfastness, constancy, or allegiance; it is carefulness in
keeping what we are entrusted with; it is the conviction that the Scriptures accurately reflect
reality.
Biblical faithfulness requires belief in what the Bible says about God—His existence, His works,
and His character. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit and it is the result of the Spirit working in
us. But the Spirit is also our seal of faithfulness. He is our witness to God's promise that if we
accept the truth about God, He will save us. We know that without faith it is impossible to
please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of
those who seek Him". Faith, or a faithful commitment or being faithful to God, is the beginning
to walk with God. We can learn that as Jesus traveled when carrying out His mission on earth,
He responded to people's faith and curtailed His involvement where there was no faith, We can
learn in Mark 6:4-6, “Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own
town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except
lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith”.
Therefore as Christians we must know that faithfulness to God is one of primary importance to
us. Our future existence and even for thereafter!
Holding true to the course God has laid before us is difficult amid this world's many alluring
distractions clamoring for sin and our attention. This world is attractive to human nature and
bids us to expend our energies in self-satisfaction. Jesus warns all who take up their cross that
the way is difficult and narrow, requiring a great deal of vision and discipline to be faithful to
His cause. Some have completed the course. Those who held God and His way in the highest
esteem in their lives are awaiting those of us traveling the path now. The question is whether
we will be faithful as they were?
Faithfulness is believing that God is who He says He is and continuing in that belief despite what
the world may throw at us and the vagaries of life. Functionally, that means we trust what God
says in the Bible, and not necessarily what the world or our own minds tell us. We trust He will
work out everything for good. We also trust and have faith that He will work His will in us and
He will never leave or forsake us. As Christians we must trust that our situation on earth is
nothing compared to our future reward in heaven as promised to us through the bible. But we
must know that the only way we can have such faith is by the Holy Spirit's influence. He testifies
to the truth and impels us to seek God. The Spirit makes us faithful. Faithfulness is an important
requirement for Christians and as such we can learn from Psalm86 and pray to God: “Teach me
your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may
fear your name”(Psalm 86:11).