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Witness in the Spirit: Faithfulness

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

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. (John 16:8-15 NIV)

So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. (1 Corinthians 4:1-3 NIV)

One of the purposes of witnessing to others of the Father, Son and the work of love in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ is to generate a believing response to the Father through the Son. This believing response is an act of faith and trust which is expressed in turning from sin to the Father.

If we are witnessing in the Spirit in order to cause faith in the hearer, we must witness in faithfulness. Faithfulness has to do with our guardianship of the truth with which we are entrusted. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment, and He brings glory to Jesus Christ. When we witness in the Spirit, we will bring glory to Jesus Christ. We will be faithful with the truth, and the world will be convicted of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.

(An excerpt from On Being a Christian by Jim Wilson)

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