Kingdom Living Insights – Biblical Virtues Series – Faithfulness and Its Opposites

After goodness, Paul mentions faith.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, Galatians 5:22 (WEB)

The World English Bible uses the word faith, while many other translations use faithfulness. The word includes faith, trust, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. As we learn to trust God, He also teaches us to become faithful people – faithful towards Him and faithful towards the people He has placed in our lives.

 

God Is Faithful

We can only understand faithfulness properly when we begin with God. He is faithful. He keeps His promises, remains true to His Word, and does not change with every circumstance.

Know therefore that Yahweh your God himself is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness to a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments, Deuteronomy 7:9 (WEB)

God keeps covenant with His people. He does not make promises lightly, and He does not forget what He has said.

There are seasons when we do not understand what God is doing. An answer to prayer may take longer than we hoped. A burden may become heavy. Yet the Lord is still faithful. His character has not changed, and His love has not failed.

If we are faithless, he remains faithful; for he can’t deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 (WEB)

God does not ignore sin, and He calls us to repent when we have gone our own way. But He does not turn away when we come to Him with a sincere heart. Because of His mercy, we can receive forgiveness and continue walking with Him.

Yahweh is faithful in all his words, and loving in all his deeds. Psalm 145:13 (WEB)

 

Faithfulness Towards God

Faithfulness towards God grows from knowing who He is. When we know that He is faithful, we can trust Him, obey His Word, and remain close to Him.

Life does not always go the way we expect. Pain, loss, unanswered prayers, and uncertainty can leave us with questions. God does not ask us to hide those questions from Him. He invites us to bring our hearts before Him.

Prayer is not always easy. At times, all we can pray is, “Lord, help me.” God hears us. His Word gives strength and direction when our thoughts feel chaotic. He remains near, even when the way ahead is not clear.

let’s hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 (WEB)

Faithfulness towards God also includes obedience. We are called to turn away from sin and follow His way, even when it is difficult. God’s way is not always easy, but it is always right.

 

Faithfulness Towards People

Faithfulness should be seen in the way we treat people. Our words should mean something, and we should be careful with the trust that others place in us.

When we promise to do something, we should do our best to keep our word. Plans can change, and there may be times when we cannot do what we hoped to do. In those situations, we should communicate honestly rather than avoiding the person or making excuses.

We also need to be careful with private matters.

One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret. Proverbs 11:13 (WEB)

If someone shares a personal struggle, mistake, or burden with us, we should not use it as something to talk about with other people. Their pain should not become a way for us to gain attention, seek sympathy, or make them look bad.

This does not mean we should hide abuse, danger, or serious sin. It is right to seek safe and wise help in those situations. But ordinary private matters should be treated with care.

Jesus said:

He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. Luke 16:10 (WEB)

God sees the small things. He sees when we keep our word, finish a responsibility, tell the truth, pay what we owe, or protect another person’s trust. These things may seem ordinary, but they show what is growing in our hearts.

 

Faithfulness in Marriage

Marriage is a covenant before God. When we are married, we are called to be faithful to our husband or wife. God is a witness to the promises that were made.

Yet you say, ‘Why?’ Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and the wife of your covenant. Malachi 2:14 (WEB)

A husband and wife are companions. Marriage should be a place where we treat one another with love, honor, care, and respect.

Sexual faithfulness is an important part of marriage. God’s design is that sexual intimacy belongs within marriage, between a husband and wife. When we are married, we should not have a sexual relationship with anyone other than our spouse. This is adultery, and it breaks the trust and covenant of marriage.

You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14 (WEB)

For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (WEB)

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled; but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Hebrews 13:4 (WEB)

Jesus also teaches that adultery is not only a physical act. It can begin in the heart when we deliberately look at another person with lustful desire.

but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 5:28 (WEB)

This does not mean that noticing another person exists or finding someone attractive is the same as adultery. Jesus is speaking about deliberately looking in order to lust. We need to guard our eyes and hearts rather than feeding desires that do not belong within our marriage.

Faithfulness in marriage also includes honesty and protecting the relationship from things that can damage trust. We should not look outside the covenant for attention, comfort, emotional closeness, or sexual intimacy that belongs between a husband and wife.

Secret messages, flirtatious conversations, hidden friendships, or an inappropriate emotional relationship with another person can create distance in a marriage. These things should not be ignored or treated lightly.

Our words can also protect or damage a marriage. Speaking badly about a spouse, sharing private disagreements with people who do not need to know, or using their weaknesses to embarrass them can cause deep hurt. God calls us to treat our husband or wife with honor.

Marriage can have difficult moments. Stress, misunderstandings, disagreements, and hurt feelings need to be dealt with honestly. We may need to apologize, listen, forgive, or seek wise help when a problem is too difficult to deal with alone.

Faithfulness does not mean that we should accept abuse, violence, control, or harmful behavior. God does not ask us to remain unsafe or silent about abuse. If we are in danger, we should seek help from safe people and appropriate support.

 

What Opposes Faithfulness?

Faithfulness is opposed by sins and evil attitudes that break trust, draw us away from God, or harm other people.

 

Unfaithfulness Towards God

God made a covenant with His people, but Israel often turned away from Him. They followed other gods and chose their own way instead of remaining faithful to the Lord.

not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which covenant of mine they broke, although I was a husband to them,” says Yahweh. Jeremiah 31:32 (WEB)

We become unfaithful towards God when we know what He says but choose not to obey. This can happen when we refuse to repent, return to sinful habits, ignore God’s Word, or allow worldly desires and the approval of people to become more important than pleasing Him.

God does not want only part of our hearts. He wants us to trust Him and follow Him with sincerity.

 

Double-Mindedness

Double-mindedness is a divided heart. It happens when we want God’s help but also want to hold on to sin. We may ask for His direction while resisting it when His direction is different from what we want.

For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:7–8 (WEB)

A divided heart cannot be steady. God calls us to trust Him with our whole heart and let go of the things that keep drawing us away from Him.

 

Dishonesty

Dishonesty opposes faithfulness because trust cannot grow where truth is hidden. It includes lying, deceiving, exaggerating, making excuses, hiding important information, and making promises that we do not intend to keep.

Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Ephesians 4:25 (WEB)

Truth should be spoken with wisdom and kindness, but it should still be truth. We should not say what people want to hear while planning to do something else.

 

Broken Promises

Promises should be taken seriously. Circumstances outside our control, such as illness or an emergency, can sometimes prevent us from doing something we planned. In those situations, clear and honest communication is important.

However, if we regularly make promises and do not keep them, people will find it difficult to trust us. This can be painful in close relationships, especially when someone depends on us.

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one. Matthew 5:37 (WEB)

God wants our words to be sincere. We do not need to say yes to everything because we are afraid to disappoint people.

 

Gossip and Betrayal

Gossip breaks trust because it reveals private matters to people who do not need to know. It can harm someone’s reputation and make them feel unsafe around the people they trusted.

One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret. Proverbs 11:13 (WEB)

Betrayal is especially painful when it comes from someone close to us. A spouse, friend, family member, or fellow believer may know personal things about us. That knowledge should never be used to embarrass, control, hurt, or expose another person.

Keeping a confidence does not mean covering up abuse, danger, or serious sin. Those situations need safe and wise help. Gossip is different. It shares private things because of anger, revenge, attention, entertainment, or a desire to make another person look bad.

 

Disloyalty in Marriage

Marriage is one of the clearest places where faithfulness is needed. Sexual sin breaks the marriage covenant and damages the trust between a husband and wife.

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled; but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Hebrews 13:4 (WEB)

Jesus also teaches that adultery begins in the heart when we deliberately look at another person with lustful desire.

but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 5:28 (WEB)

This does not mean that noticing another person exists or finding someone attractive is the same as adultery. Jesus is speaking about deliberately looking in order to lust. We need to guard our eyes and hearts rather than feeding desires that do not belong within our marriage.

Disloyalty can begin before there is physical adultery. Secret messages, flirting, hidden friendships, and emotional dependence on another person can create distance within a marriage. When we are married, we need to guard our hearts and protect the trust God has given us.

God cares about marriage. He sees the pain caused by betrayal and calls us to honour the covenant we have made.

 

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is pretending to be faithful before others while secretly living in a different way. We may speak about honesty, holiness, or marriage faithfulness while hiding sin in private.

But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (WEB)

God sees our hearts. He does not ask us to pretend that we have no struggles. When sin is revealed, He calls us to repentance and honesty.

 

Neglecting Responsibilities

Faithfulness includes caring for the responsibilities God has given us. These may include marriage, children, family members, work, debts, commitments, ministry, or other duties.

But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8 (WEB)

This does not mean that we must carry every burden alone. Illness, disability, unemployment, and other hardships can make life difficult. There are times when we need support. But willingly neglecting the responsibilities God has given us can harm the people who depend on us.

 

Compromise and Giving Up

Compromise begins when we know what is right but choose what is easier. It may seem small at first, but it can slowly pull us away from God and weaken our faithfulness.

We can also become tired of praying, waiting, forgiving, serving, or doing good. God does not promise that faithfulness will always be easy, but He does promise to be with us.

Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (WEB)

When we are tired, we can come to God for strength instead of making peace with sin or walking away from what He has called us to do.

 

When We Have Failed

All of us have failed at some point. We may have broken a promise, spoken dishonestly, neglected a responsibility, or hurt someone who trusted us.

God does not ask us to hide. He calls us to come to Him honestly and confess our sin.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (WEB)

God forgives us when we confess our sins. He can also show us how to make things right. An apology may be needed. Trust may need to be rebuilt over time. Some habits may need to change. God’s grace meets us in these places and helps us take the next right step.

 

Growing in Faithfulness

Faithfulness is fruit of the Holy Spirit. We cannot become faithful through our own strength alone. God works in us as we trust Him, obey His Word, and allow Him to correct us.

Here, moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2 (WEB)

Each of us has been given different responsibilities, relationships, abilities, and opportunities. We do not need to compare our lives with other people. God asks us to be faithful with what He has placed in our hands.

He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (WEB)

The God who calls us is faithful. He can help us become faithful towards Him and towards the people He has placed in our lives.

 

Reflection Question

Is there an area where God may be calling you to become more faithful – towards Him, in marriage, in another relationship, in your words, or in a responsibility He has given you?

Prayer

Father, thank You that You are faithful. Forgive us for the times we have not been faithful towards You or towards others. Help us to be honest, dependable, and careful with the trust people have placed in us. Teach us to honor our commitments, guard our hearts, and follow You with a whole heart. Please grow faithfulness in us through the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.