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Loyalty

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 left the denomination fifty years ago, loyalty is taught when there is no intrinsic value to keep us attached. The Marines have a great loyalty to the Marines. It is trained into them. This has a great value in combat.

Loyalty also causes great sin – being loyal to someone who is in great sin and being unwilling to testify because of empathy.

It is easier to teach loyalty than it is to teach the value of the attachment.

Stephen Decatur said it this way: “'My country.' May she always be right, but
'my country right or wrong.'”

Loyalty can be unreasonable.

Faithfulness always has an intrinsic value, as in faithfulness in marriage.


In the Lord Jesus Christ,

Jim Wilson

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