Fruit of the Spirit: How to Grow in Faithfulness

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) In order to have faith, we need to know about God and what he has said, his message. To be faithful, we need to know what God requires of us, and what he desires. To have faith and faithfulness, we must know the Word. We need to practice the spiritual discipline of Bible Study.

Galatians 3:6-9 tells us that Abraham, the father of those who have faith, believed God. In order to believe God, we need to know what God has said. We need to learn the Bible.

II Timothy 3:14-17 links Scripture with wisdom, salvation and faith. Scripture teaches us what is true. It tells us what is wrong. It instructs us on how to change. It trains us in how to please God by doing what is right.

Bible study is not just reading the Bible. It is focusing in depth upon a specific part of Scripture: a person, a topic, a passage. The purpose of Bible Study is application. The question that should always be in the back of your mind when you study Scripture is: What does God want me to do because of this truth?

There are many good books on Bible Study. One that I can recommend because I have found it useful personally is Personal Bible Study Methods by Rick Warren.

Fruit of the Spirit: What is Faithfulness?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22,23)

Dictionary Definition: steadfast in affection or allegiance; loyal; firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty; true to the facts.

The Greek word used for this element of the fruit of the Spirit is translated, in the New Testament, faithfulness and faith.

"What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness?" (Romans 3:3) The same root word is used twice in this verse. The first is the negative form of the word which means disbelieve or lack of faith. The second use is in reference to God and refers to his faithfulness.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) The word here is the exact same word as used for the fruit of the Spirit. This is the Biblical description of faith: knowing that what God has promised will happen, that is Jesus will return, and being certain that God exists.

Hebrews chapter 11 is the Hall of Faith. It lists individuals who had faith and were faithful.

"Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." (I Corinthians 4:2) God has given us much. We are to be faithful in how we use it.

Fruit of the Spirit: How to Grow in Goodness

The disciple of serving is doing good for others in a practical way. On a regular basis, we should become a servant to others. Our example is Jesus.

Philippians 2:6-11 tells us that Jesus' life was a life of service. Part of this passages states, "but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." He constantly gave of himself for the benefit of others. He even gave his life for us.

John 13:3-17 gives an example of the servant nature of Jesus. This passage relates how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Jesus was willing to do the lowliest of task to serve others. That is the example that he set. In serving, we should seek out the mundane, the lowly, the difficult, the hidden, the unrecognized tasks.