Fruits of the Spirit – Faithfulness, Gentleness & Self-control
- Randall Brewer
- May 19
- 8 min read
‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.’
- Galatians 5:22-23 -
THE FRUIT OF FAITHFULNESS
The seventh fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. The Greek word pistis means virtue that makes one reliable. It describes trustworthiness, loyalty, constancy, and dependability. The one with this quality keeps his word and walks in integrity. Faithfulness is also an attribute of God: ‘The faithfulness of God reaches to the clouds’ (Ps. 36:5). So great is His faithfulness that Jeremiah said: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness’ (Lam. 3:23). Because God is faithful, as His children we must be faithful too. ‘For as He is, even so are we in this world’ (1 John 4:14).
Like God, we must be faithful forevermore. Paul called Timothy his ‘beloved and faithful child in the Lord’ (1 Cor. 4:17). Timothy faithfully followed Paul’s teaching, conduct, and mission. Paul ordered all men to be faithful, saying: ‘It’s required of stewards that a man be found faithful’ (4:2). So essential is this fruit that when the Lord returns, the only absolute requirement by which He will judge His servants is faithfulness (Matt. 24:45-46). Were they true to what He ordered them to do? Since God supplies all we need - His Word, His Spirit, His gifts, His power - all we are called to give in return is faithfulness.
God will judge His stewards by how faithful they were, not by what they achieved. No one turned to God as Jeremiah preached, yet he was faithful to do what God ordered. He kept the faith regardless of results or circumstances. So in order to be faithful, we must be steadfast in allegiance to God. We must be dependable and unswerving. Webster’s calls faithfulness: firm adherence to whatever one owes allegiance, whether it be a person, thing, or promise by which a tie was contracted. A good steward must abandon self and yield to the cause of Christ, gladly surrendering their will to His.
Jesus was faithful by going to the cross in obedience to the Father’s will and plan. His faithfulness must be mirrored by us, His younger siblings. God is faithful to His own but demands it in return. Our faithfulness influences how we love God and others. In Jesus’ teachings, faithfulness is emphasized in parables and direct exhortations. The parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) and the faithful servant (Luke 12:25-40) teach the importance of steadfast commitment. The fruit of faithfulness embodies unwavering commitment, steadfast loyalty, and trustworthiness as we interact with God and those around us.
True faithfulness enriches our spiritual lives and relationships. It’s a demonstration of loyalty and trustworthiness. Spurgeon called faithfulness “reliability, keeping good faith with others, so that they know that your word is as good as your bond.” Faithfulness is a friend who seeks the well-being of others. A life characterized by faithfulness is a source of comfort. Proverbs 12:22 says: ‘Those who deal faithfully are His delight.’ It honors and pleases God when we faithfully carry out His divine will. As is said of God, let it be said of us: ‘Great is your faithfulness.’ When David spared King Saul, the man after God’s own heart said: “The Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness” (1 Sam. 26:23). So the goal of every Spirit-filled believer should be to hear the Lord say: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23).
THE FRUIT OF GENTLENESS
The eighth fruit of the spirit is gentleness. The word prautes means restrained power or patient trust in difficult circumstances. Jesus fulfilled the prophetic picture of gentleness in Matthew 21:5: ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.’ And now he offers gentleness as a gift. To be gentle is to restrain behavior toward others. The strong are only truly gentle when they place their power under God’s guidance. By God’s power we are able to correct others gently, not argue out of rage. As Paul said: ‘If anyone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness’ (Gal. 6:1). As the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Titus 3:2 says believers ‘must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.’ Paul wanted us to never tear down with words but be considerate, humble, and courteous to all. C. Norman Bartlett said: “Steam does the most work when it makes the least noise. We do well to store up the capital of quietude against the day of need.” Paul asked: ‘Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?’ (1 Cor. 4:21). In other words, things need not shatter in order to matter. Jesus said: “Join your life with Mine. Learn My ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in Me” (Matt. 11:29).
God’s adopted children are not easily provoked but are gentle and tender as Christ. They offer a soothing influence and a gentle strength. Ours is power under control; strength under submission. Just as wisdom is the right use of knowledge, so gentleness is the right use of authority. One who is gentle has their emotions in check. Gentleness is a measured heart and a bowed knee. God would have our gentleness represent His greatness. After all, He had a lowly shepherd boy slay a warrior giant and meek Moses confront prideful Pharaoh.
Gentleness is evidenced by placing oneself under divine authority. It is sensitivity for another. Being concerned for their welfare and security. It is grounded in humility and free of all roughness. Maintaining a gentle spirit is a sure sign of strength. Jesus acted in gentleness but He was not quiet and He was certainly not a push over. He said with David: ‘You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your gentleness has made me great’ (2 Sam. 22:36). Paul pushed the importance of gentleness and its transformative effect, urging us to ‘let your gentleness be known to all men’ (Phil. 4:5). Kenneth Wuest said: “Do not keep the sweet gentleness in your heart. Let it find expression in your conduct. Thus others will experience its blessings also.”
When we show gentleness, we demonstrate godly love and create an environment of safety and trust. Gentleness makes us agents of God’s compassion in this world, bringing healing, reconciliation, and peace to many. It puts others first and extends grace even to those who are hard to love. Gentleness drives seekers into the loving arms of Christ. Therefore ask God to bring circumstances into your life to let you practice tenderness and meekness to others. For sure, being gentle can make all the difference in any part of the world.
THE FRUIT OF SELF-CONTROL
The ninth and final fruit of the Spirit is self-control. The Greek word egkrateia describes mastery over fleshly impulses; to take a grip of oneself. It refers to restraining passions and appetites originating from our old sinful nature. No longer are we to live in bondage to the desires of the flesh. This is vital to our walk with God, as ‘whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city whose walls are broken down’ (Prov. 25:28). Live without restraint and your passions will make you as helpless as a city with no walls; open to enemy attack. Self-control makes us useful in the kingdom of God, so we are to keep our flesh and its desires in subjection to the Spirit Who indwells us.
1 Peter 2:11-12 warns us to ‘abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Be careful to live properly among the Gentiles.’ We must divorce from evil as ‘they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit’ (Gal. 5:24-25). If our sensual appetites are out of control, we must do what Paul did: ‘I beat my body and bring it under submission’ (1 Cor. 9:27). Paul says to control inward passions and outward lusts. W. E. Vine says this isn’t “the bruising of the body itself, but rigid self-denial in order to keep oneself spiritually fit.” The fruit of self-control means being controlled by an inner strength, namely the power of the Holy Spirit. So any self-denial on our part is literally Spirit-enabled self-control.
Self-control is serious business. With the Spirit inside us, we have the power to control our thoughts, words, and deeds. ‘Our old self was crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin’ (Rom. 6:6). Jesus died to dismantle the stronghold of sin so that we would no longer live under it. Man has always known the virtue of self-control. Aristotle said: “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.” But he spoke in vain as only those indwelled by the Spirit can achieve this! Solomon knew this, writing: ‘He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who captures a city’ (Prov. 16:32).
We are motivated to be who God recreated us to be. To achieve this we must keep on resisting distractions from fleshly passions. Self-control makes us fit to serve others, as before we can lead others down the right path, we must first walk it ourselves. We do that by waging war in the Spirit against our sinful nature. We daily bring our body into subjection. Moment by moment, hour by hour, we deny our body the right to do what it wishes. We bring it into servitude and make it our slave. Only then do we control our body and not let it control us.
When Joseph came face-to-face with the very brothers who sold him into slavery, he controlled his emotions as he sought to love, forgive, and provide for them in time of need. On the other hand, consider Samson’s tragic self-destruction and defeat at the hands of seductive Delilah. The mighty judge was imprisoned and died in his prime. Self-control and self-discipline are two sides of the same coin. Self-control restrains sinful impulses, while self-discipline takes positive actions. Proverbs says: ‘Watch over your heart with all diligence for from it flow the springs of life’ (4:23). Above all else, we are to guard our heart as it affects our walk in this world.
To have self-control we must live from the inside out. When we sin and miss the mark, we must repent right away ‘so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord’ (Acts 3:19). God would have us holy, but He is so gracious that ‘if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous’ (1 John 2:1). Paul said ‘to walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work’ (Col. 1:10). Seek to do this by the Holy Spirit’s power and you will be ‘strengthened with all might according to His glorious power’ (1:11). Because God gives new life in Christ and His Spirit dwells in us, we have both the ability and responsibility to yield our will to His. That is true self-control, and what a fruitful blessing it is.
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