Trustworthy
Sometimes it's hard to get a clear sense of what faithfulness looks like in an unfaithful culture. We regularly hear of faithless acts that can condition our hearts to be reluctant to trust others around us. No one likes to be:
defrauded by an investment firm
scammed by a salesman
lied to by a close friend
abused by an employer
cheated on by a spouse
But none of this will happen with God. One of His commonly highlighted attributes is faithfulness. He will never break a promise. We are told “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thess. 5:24).
We are encouraged to know:
God is faithful to “confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful…” (1 Cor. 1:8–9a).
God is faithful “and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3).
God is faithful during temptation to “not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
God is faithful as His “steadfast love…never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning…” (Lam 3:22–23).
God is faithful so we can “entrust our souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” during times of suffering (1 Pet. 4:19).
God is faithful through His Son as our “merciful and faithful High Priest” who is “able to come to our aid” when tempted because “He was tempted in that which He suffered” (Heb. 2:17-18).
God is faithful when we confess our sins “to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
God “remains faithful” even when “we are faithless” (2 Tim. 2:13).
As we continue to watch the unfolding events of the Middle East with Israel, the Palestinians, and Hamas at war, we need to remember another one of God’s faithful, eternal, and unilateral promises He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about His chosen people (Deut. 7:6–8).
God promised Israel the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:1: “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you”). This land was given to Israel. They forfeited the enjoyment of this land many times throughout history because of their disobedience, but the ownership of this land is unconditionally theirs (Deut. 29:1–30:20; Ezek. 16:1–63).
God promised Israel a nation (Gen. 12:2: “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing”). This covenant promise was given to David (2 Sam 7:11b–17; 1 Chron. 17:10b–15) and it promised four eternal things: a house/dynasty, a throne, a kingdom, and a descendant. The Messiah would be a descendant of David and would sit and reign from David’s throne.
God promised that through Israel a blessing would come to the world (Gen. 12:3: “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed”). God brought the blessing of the Jesus Christ. This new covenant promise (Jer. 31:31–34; Isa. 55:3; 59:21; 61:8–9; Jer. 32:40; Ezek. 16:60; 34:25–31; 37:26–28; Rom. 11:25–27) would replace the conditional Mosaic Covenant, bring a future salvation to the nation Israel (Rom. 11:26), and extend spiritual blessings to the church (Gal. 3:6–9, 13–14).
Let’s embrace this call: “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
Pastor Jeff