God is faithful.
Those three words carry an infinite weight of meaning. To say, “God is faithful” means just that — God is constant; He is always what He is. The meaning is not just that He is faithful to us, but that He is faithful to Himself. He is faithful to always be what He is and always act in accordance with His attributes and nature. It means that He is unchanging and undeviating. So to say “God is faithful” means that He is trustworthy to do what is good and gracious for the believer (Ps. 119:68; Rom. 8:28; Phil. 2:13; 2 Cor. 9:8). When we are suffering, tempted, or struggling, we can trust Him to provide us with what we need. In our trials and burdens we can trust that He will always do what is good for us. Know this: He never seeks our harm when we are His (even when He disciplines and corrects us, it is not to harm us but to work something for our benefit and good).
The truth that God is faithful is one of the great promises of Scripture. Read through a short list of things Scripture reminds us that God is faithful to:
- He is faithful to keep His covenant with Israel (Deut. 7:9)
- He is faithful to the choosing of His nation (Isaiah 49:7)
- He is faithful to secure the election and salvation of His (NT) people (1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Th. 5:24)
- He is faithful to helping His people through difficulty (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Th. 3:3)
- He is faithful to Himself (2 Tim. 2:13; Rev. 19:11)
- He is faithful to His (Christ’s) position as High Priest (Intercessor) (Heb. 2:17)
- He (in the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ) is faithful to God the Father (Heb. 3:2)
- He is faithful to all His promises (Heb. 10:23; Rev. 21:5; 22:6)
- He is faithful to His creation and doing what is right (1 Pt. 4:19)
- He is faithful to rescue the godly from temptation (2 Pt. 2:9)
- He is faithful to keep the unrighteous under punishment (for the sake of judgment, 2 Pt. 2:9)
- He is faithful to forgive our sins when we confess them (1 Jn. 1:9)
That God is faithful is a great theological truth, but it is not just for reading about in text books — it is transformative for our lives and hearts. The faithfulness of God is given to us to drive us to Him in very particular ways.
Of what use is God’s faithfulness? If I am a believer in Christ, it means that there is never a reason not to trust Him; there is always reason to trust Him. It means that I am never alone, I am never abandoned, I always have what I need from Him, I can always expect that He will always give me what is good (best!) for me (it may not be easy, but it will be the best for me), I never need to fear or worry, and no matter my circumstances, I am exactly where He wants me and He is doing exactly what His good and righteous will desires in my life.
He is faithful and He is good. In every circumstance, that is peace-giving, hope-filling, trust-building news for me.
Words of Grace 