God's Faithfulness

Dennis Edwards

“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before His presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 1:24-25

We have a faithful God in God the Father, in God the Son Jesus and in God the Holy Spirit. The word faithful means to be steadfast in affection or allegiance, to be loyal, like a faithful friend; to be firm in adherence to promise or in observance of duty, to be conscientious, like a faithful employee or employer; to be given with strong assurance, to be binding, like a faithful promise; to be true to the facts, to a standard, or to an original, like a faithful copy.[1] Faithfulness, therefore, is having lasting loyalty and trustworthiness in relationships, the fact or quality of being true to one’s word or commitments, and or being dedicated and steadfast in performing one’s duty.[2]

The Hebrew word “emuna” is translated “faithfulness” in the Old Testament. It is a feminine noun meaning firmness, steadiness, fidelity, and trustworthiness. It is sometimes translated as “truth” as well. The Greek word “pistos” is translated faithful or faithfulness or believing. Other uses are “sure” and “true”. The word is used of both God’s followers being faithful to Him and He being faithful to them.[3]

How do we use the word faithful? Here are some examples: Faithful to our words, faithful to our commitments, faithful to our jobs – like a faithful worker, faithful to our family – like a faithful father, faithful to our spouse – like a faithful husband, faithful to our friends. The Bible even says “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”[Proverbs 27:6.] In other words, the words of a friend are true and honest, trustworthy, or sure.

If we think about it, the whole Old Testament is a record of God’s faithfulness to His word, God’s faithfulness to complete His promises. All the way back in Genesis 3, God promised to send a “Seed” through the woman that would defeat the serpent. [Genesis 3:15.] However, some 1,500 years later, things had gotten so bad because of mankind’s iniquity God had to destroy the first creation in a world-wide flood. Nevertheless, sure to His word, God saved a remnant from which he would assuredly fulfill His promise. God saved Noah and his family and later chose to work through the lineage of Shem, one of Noah’s sons.

Some 1,000 to 1,500 years later, God forgets not His promise and calls out Abram from the corrupt civilization of his day. God promises to fulfill in him the Promised Seed.

Genesis 15:1-6 “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be your heir; but he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

The Bible says that on the same day the Lord made a covenant, a promise, or a legal agreement with Abram, promising the Promised Land to Abram’s descendants. [Genesis 15:18] Later, even though neither Abram or Sarah at first believed God’s word, God was faithful to complete it.

Genesis 17:15-22  "And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shall call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.  But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.  And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham."

Genesis 18:9-15  "And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?  And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?  Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.  Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh."

Hebrews explains that Sarah judged God faithful to fulfill His promise. Hebrews 11:11 “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” Though Abraham and Sarah both doubted at first, they came to believe that God is faithful to His word and able to do the seemingly impossible. There is nothing too hard for the Lord! Jeremiah 32:17&27,  "Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:  Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?" Matthew 19:26,  "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."  Luke 1:37,  "For with God nothing shall be impossible."

We see that throughout the Old Testament God was faithful to His word. He was true. He was trustworthy. He fulfilled His promises over and over again. Joshua 21:44-45  "And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he swore unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.  There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass." Joshua 23:14  "And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof."

God will fulfill what He has promised. God cannot lie. What he has said He will perform. Numbers 23:19  "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"  In Malachi 3:6 we read, “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Why are they not consumed? Because God’s faithfulness, mercy, truth, and patience are long-suffering. Let’s read Lamentations 3:22-23. “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” God is faithful. God is sure. God is true. His promises are steadfast. He will fulfill His promises to us, just like He did in the days of old for our ancestors.

In Psalm 89 we see the same theme: God’s faithfulness. Psalm 89:1-2  “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.  For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy faithfulness shall thou establish in the very heavens.”  Psalm 119:90 says, “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou has established the earth, and it abides.” God’s faithfulness continues forever, including in our generation.

Let us look at passages in the New Testament that confirm those of the Old Testament regarding God's faithfulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24  "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it." Here we see Apostle Paul praying for his followers and encouraging them that God will keep His promises in them. God will do it. We, as followers of Paul, just have to believe and desire to be faithful and God will do it.

Philippians 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

2 Timothy 2:11-13  "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:  If we believe not, yet he abides faithful: he cannot deny himself." There is a difference between believing not or doubting, and denying or negating the Lord. Abraham and Sarah doubted. Peter doubted. Thomas doubted. The other apostles doubted, but they made it through their doubts, because God is faithful. Jesus had prayed for them. Jesus had interceded for them and for us. John 17:15 & 20  "I pray not that thou should take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from the evil.  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." God kept them according to His word and He will keep us also.

Do we believe John 3:16?  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Do we believe Romans 10:9-10? That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved.  For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Do we believe Romans 10:13?  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How about John 10:28-29?  "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." Who is going to keep us in His hand? All these passages above are promises from God's word and we believe them. God has saved us and will keep us saved.

How about Hebrews 10:23? "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)." Without wavering means without doubting. Apostle James tells us that wavering is akin to doubting and stops us from receiving God’s blessing. James 1:6-8 "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." God has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches and glory, not ours. [Philippians 4:19]  Matthew 6:33  "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

1 Corinthians 1:8-9    "Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."

Here Apostle Paul is encouraging his followers in Corinth that God will confirm their discipleship, that is, He will hold them faithful to the end, because He is faithful. Paul encourages the Thessalonians with the same concept. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil." Will you keep yourself from the evil? No. The Lord will keep you from the evil. Apostle Peter, also, reminds us that even in suffering the Lord will be with us. 1 Peter 4:19  "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." Can we trust God with our lives and with our deaths?

Let us remember God’s faithfulness. He has promised to keep us to the end. Our part is to make the effort to believe His promises, obey His voice, and endure whatever He allows. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 He says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

God will keep us from falling and present us blameless to Himself for we have Jesus, who is called Faithful and True.  Revelation 19:11 describes Jesus in the following manner: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war." Jesus is faithful and true. We have also the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, giving us the power to overcome and be "more than conquerors through Him that loved us." [Romans 8:37] 

Our job is to resist the devil, to resist the compromises of the world, to resist our own carnal nature, and then yield ourselves unto God in total surrender. "Cast thy burden (thy whole self) upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." [Psalm 55:22] He can sustain us because He is faithful. He is steadfast. He is firm. He is trustworthy. He is true. If we do our part, He will do His part and keep us from falling. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is He that called you who also will do it.” Philippians 1:6  "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Hebrew 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Poem: Great is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas Chisholm (1923)

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with 10,000 beside

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0aPxPT0kO0&ab_channel=MatheusCuran

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[1] Htpps//www.merriam-webster.com

[2] https://chasingvibrance.com/25-bible-verses-about-gods-faithfulness

[3] ibid