The Fruit of Faithfulness

Galatians 5:22–23 (NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Today in our discussion of the fruits of the Spirit we touch on the fruit of faithfulness. Faithfulness is defined by Webster either as “the quality of being true and constant in affection or allegiance; loyalty” or as “the quality of being firm in adherence to promises, oaths, or undertakings; firm and thorough in the observance of duty; conscientiousness.” As the Spirit of God works in us He teaches us to be more like God and Yahweh, the Triune God, is faithful – He is loyal and conscientious.

Jeremiah reminds us in Lamentations, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” God’s loyalty to His people has revealed itself time and again. Despite our fathers’ unfaithfulness in the wilderness, God was faithful and brought them into the promised land. Despite the unfaithfulness of Solomon, God remembered His covenant with David and faithfully fulfilled it by sending Jesus as King of kings. Despite the unfaithfulness of the late medieval church hierarchy, God raised up men like Luther and Calvin to recover the truths of Scripture and free God’s people from the bondage of superstition. Despite all men’s unfaithfulness in departing from the living God and serving other gods, God sent His Son to die for us and rescue us from the folly and death of idolatry. God is faithful.

And so, because by grace we have been united to this God and because we become more and more like that which we worship, it is this type of character that the Spirit of God is creating within us – faithfulness, loyalty, conscientiousness. When I make a promise, I fulfill it. When I swear an oath, I uphold it. When I have a duty, I perform it. This is the meaning of faithfulness.

And note that faithfulness manifests itself particularly in the face of the faithlessness, the sin and pettiness, of others. Faithfulness only reveals itself in the context of trials and hardships that make such faithfulness meaningful. I’ve made a promise and it’s hard to fulfill it – do I break my word or do I prove faithful? I’ve made a covenant and that woman/man is just so difficult to love – do I break my oath or do I prove faithful? I’ve got a duty but fulfilling it will demand sacrifice and hardship – do I neglect my duty or do I prove faithful? Mark Dever writes in his book What is a Healthy Church?

You and I cannot demonstrate love or joy or peace or patience or kindness [or faithfulness] sitting all by ourselves on an island. No, we demonstrate it when the people we have committed to loving give us good reasons not to love them, but we do anyway. Do you see it? It's right there - right in the midst of a group of sinners who have committed to loving one another - that the gospel is displayed. The church gives a visual presentation of the gospel when we forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us, when we commit to one another as Christ has committed to us, and when we lay down our lives for one another as Christ laid down his life for us...

So this is the fruit that Paul places before us today: faithfulness. And reminded how often we and our broader culture fail to be faithful, let us kneel and confess our sins to the Lord.

The Fruit of Goodness

Galatians 5:22–23 (NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Our opening Scripture today reminded us that God is good and manifests that goodness toward those who trust in Him. He protects us from harm, preserves us from the plots of men, and shields us from the malicious tongues of those who hate us. Because Christ is risen and reigns at God’s right hand, because He has been appointed by God to judge all men, no evil plots, no crafty schemes, no lying tongues will ultimately prevail. God is on our side and God is good.

And one of the things that God’s Spirit fosters in us as we place our trust in Him is this same goodness – the fruit of the Spirit is goodness, a goodness that looks out for the interests of others more than our own interest. Paul writes that we are not to return evil for evil or insult for insult; instead we are to overcome evil with good and give a blessing instead. In the knowledge that God promises to protect us, shield us, guard us and raise us to new life with Christ, we can face the threats and plots of man with confidence and strength; we can overcome evil with good for the good God is on our side.

So what does goodness look like? Goodness looks a lot like love – it suffers long and is kind; it does not envy; it does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It does not grow bitter, does not wish others harm – but delights as God sends His blessings and prospers. It does not revel in filth, does not gossip, does not slander, does not envy the prosperity of others. Rather goodness rejoices that against all expectations God has had mercy on us in Christ, has rescued us from sin and death, and has promised to work all things together for the good of those who love Him.

And so reminded that we serve a good God, a God who has promised to work all things together for our good, let us kneel and confess that we have often failed to imitate Him and be good ourselves.

The Fruit of Kindness

Galatians 5:22–23 (NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

As we continue our series of exhortation on the fruit of the Spirit we come to the virtue of kindness. What is kindness? Kindness is “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” It is, according to W. E. Vine, “goodness in action, goodness expressing itself in deeds…in grace and tenderness and compassion.” It is not so much a state of the heart as an action that expresses a state of heart. Compassion and mercy manifest themselves in kindness.

As with the other fruits of the Spirit, kindness is grounded in the character of God. Jesus commands us in Luke 6:35, “…love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” God is kind. He causes His rain to fall on the just and unjust, he created our bodies to heal themselves, he placed minerals in the earth that we can use to heal diseases, he sent His Son to die for sinful and rebellious men and women and children. God is kind and as we are conformed into His image we will become increasingly kind ourselves. Like Jesus we will lift up those who are bowed down, strengthen the weak, heal the hurting, comfort the afflicted, pity the wayward.

And notice that, according to Jesus, this kindness is not selective, not to be given only to those we like. We are to be kind even to our enemies. Again listen to the words of Jesus, “…love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” We are called to be kind to everyone, even to the wicked, even to those whose personal habits and choices annoy us and disturb us. We are called upon to practice kindness knowing that God in his grace and mercy extended kindness to us when we were sinners and in rebellion against him.

So why is it that we are often unkind, often harsh and judgmental rather than gracious and merciful? Because we have not reckoned adequately with our own sin; because we think that we’re really pretty good people; because we think that we deserve God’s kindness, we have earned it. But if this is so, then why did the Son of God suffer and die for you? While we were yet sinners Christ died for us, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. God showed kindness to us though we did not deserve it.

Luke 6:32–35 (NKJV)

32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

The need of others – physically, emotionally, spiritually, ethically – should move us to pity and to kindness. So how have you been unkind this week? Have you spoken harshly to or about others rather than use your tongue to bring healing and a blessing? Have you scorned the struggles of another instead of sympathizing with them in their weakness? If so, then you have failed to live in light of the Gospel, the good news of Christ’s death on behalf of sinful, rebellious men. So repent, believe the Gospel, and seek the forgiveness of God for failing to be kind. Let us kneel and confess our sin to the Lord. We will have a time of private confession followed by the public confession found in your bulletin.