Roots by the River

Loyalty: Unswerving allegiance. a) Faithful in allegiance to one’s lawful sovereign or government. b) Faithful to a private person to whom fidelity is due c) Faithful to a cause or custom The common word in the above definitions is the word faithful . However, there is a big difference between the words “loyal” and “faithful.” “Faithfulness” is a fruit of the Spirit. It is God-given. “Loyal” is a humanist word. It does not show up in the King James Bible and is only twice in the NIV. It is not a fruit of the Spirit. It is the fruit of a place of birth (Yankee fans, Doger fans, Steelers or Cowboy fans), tradition, flag waving, marching bands, pep rallies, indoctrination, songs, and speakers like Hitler and Castro. In other words, it can be caused by something other than the Holy Spirit. We can be taught to be loyal with the assumption that “loyalty” is good. We can be taught to be loyal to a denomination. “I was born a ___ and I will die a ___.” Even if the Holy Spirit le