My children loved Dr. Seuss books. One of them, Horton Hatches the Egg, had a line in it that sounds like a foundation for FAITHFULNESS. Horton said, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant.”
Faithfulness requires that kind of integrity yet it also requires backing up what is said with appropriate action. One of my favorite Bible verses is about God’s faithfulness:
(1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This means that if I am willing to agree with God about my sin, He can be depended upon to not only forgive me, but also remove that sin from me. He will no longer hold it against me but also change my attitude and inclinations toward that sin. In other words, God’s faithfulness is vital to living the Christian life!
God means what He says and says what He means, but He also follows through. I can trust Him because He is reliable. Hundreds of verses speak of it, either using forms of that word or other words that mean the same thing.
(Deuteronomy 7:9) Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
(Psalm 33:4) For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
While faithfulness is a quality of God, it is also connects to my personal relationship with Him. The psalmist says, “As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!” (Psalm 40:11) God keeps His promise to love His people and to hear our prayers:
(Psalm 69:13) But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
He does this for His name’s sake, to show us who He is and that He can be trusted:
(Psalm 115:1) Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Several words are used in the OT to describe faithfulness, which is about certainty and dependability. One of them has a derivative that is carried over into the NT. It is ʾāmēn or verily which is amēn in Greek and translated into our English word “amen.” Jesus used this word many times to stress the truth or certainty of things He said. This same word is used at the end of prayers and hymns of praise both in the Bible and in modern Christian living. It means “so be it” and is an expression of certainty and assurance in the Lord to whom I pray. He is totally reliable, even if I am not.
Total reliability is seldom a characteristic of humanity as Romans 3:3 remarks, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” That is, I might not be trustworthy all the time, yet God is. Not only that, He offers to me that ability to be faithful by giving His Spirit to me; He enables faithfulness in those who trust Him! The Bible affirms that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness . . .” which is one of God’s wonderful gifts.
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Along with the gift of the Holy Spirit and His amazing faithfulness, God guards His people from temptation, keeps His promises and does what He says He will do. I can trust Him in suffering and as already said, when I confess my sins and say goodbye to them God changes my heart. Faith is believing. It is a deep assurance of God's promises and all that he has done. FAITHFULNESS is living in accord with that truth. In other words, faith leads to faithfulness. He is an amazing, faithful God!
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