Tag: Faithfulness

The Scriptures clearly teach the faithfulness of God. For the believer in Christ, to have faith, or to believe, means to trust, depend, commit and to worship one object and one object alone. The sole object is God, in the person and work of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. It stands to reason that if faith means to trust, depend, commit and worship God, it is because He is trustworthy, dependable, committed and worthy of worship.

The following categories are but a small sampling of what the Scriptures say about God’s faithfulness.

• Faithfulness is part of God’s character (Isaiah 49:1-7; I Corinthians 1:1-9; I Thessalonians 5:24).
• God’s faithfulness is biblically declared to be (1) Great (Lamentation 3:23); (2) Established (Psalm 89:1-2); (3) Incomparable (Psalm 89:8); (4) Unfailing (Psalm 89:33; 2 Timothy 2:13); (4) Infinite (Psalm 36:1-5); and (5) Everlasting (Psalm 119:90; 146:1-6).
• God’s faithfulness is the believer’s confidence in prayer (Psalm 143:1).
• God’s faithfulness should be proclaimed to all (Psalm 40:1-10; 89:1).
• God’s faithfulness is revealed in His (1) Counsels (Isaiah 25:1); (2) in man’s afflictions (Psalm 119:75); (3) In fulfilling His promises (I Kings 8:1-20; Psalm 132:1-11; Micah 7:1-20; Hebrews 10:1-23); (4) In keeping covenant (Deuteronomy 7:1-9; Psalm 111:1-5); (5) In carrying out His judgments (Jeremiah 23:1-20; 51:1-29); (6) In rejoicing before God (Deuteronomy 14:26).
• Believers are warned to not wander from God’s faithfulness (Deuteronomy 29:18).
• God will faithfully remove liars and deceivers from His presence (Psalm 101:7).
• God will faithfully punish the irreligious (Jeremiah 10:25).

As theologian and author Arthur Pink observes, “Scripture abounds in illustrations of God’s faithfulness. God is true. His Word of Promise is sure. In all His relations with His people God is faithful. He may be safely relied upon. No one ever yet really trusted Him in vain. We find this precious truth expressed almost everywhere in the Scriptures, for His people need to know that faithfulness is an essential part of the Divine character. This is the basis of our confidence in Him. But it is one thing to accept the faithfulness of God as a Divine truth, it is quite another to act upon it. God has given us many “exceeding great and precious promises,” but are we really counting on His fulfillment of them? Are we actually expecting Him to do for us all that He has said? Are we resting with implicit assurance on these words, “He is faithful that promised” (Hebrews 10:23)?”

Great Is Thy Faithfulness is a popular Christian hymn written by Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960) in 1923 with music composed by William M. Runyan (1870–1957) that same year. The phrase “great is thy faithfulness” comes from the Old Testament Book of Lamentations 3:23. Mr. Chisholm wrote the poem about God’s faithfulness over his lifetime.

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 wilt be.

Chorus
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.

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 ten thousand beside.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23.

The Scriptures clearly teach the faithfulness of God. For the believer in Christ, to have faith, or to believe, means to trust, depend, commit and to worship one object and one object alone. The sole object is God, in the person and work of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. It stands to reason that if faith means to trust, depend, commit and worship God, it is because He is trustworthy, dependable, committed and worthy of worship.

Theologian and author Arthur Pink writes, “Unfaithfulness is one of the most outstanding sins of these evil days. In the business world, a man’s word is, with exceedingly rare exceptions, no longer his bond. In the social world, marital infidelity abounds on every hand, the sacred bonds of wedlock being broken with as little regard as the discarding of an old garment. In the ecclesiastical realm, thousands who have solemnly covenanted to preach the truth make no scruple to attack and deny it. Nor can reader or writer claim complete immunity from this fearful sin: in how many ways have we been unfaithful to Christ, and to the light and privileges which God has entrusted to us! How refreshing, then, how unspeakably blessed, to lift our eyes above this scene of ruin, and behold One who is faithful, faithful in all things, faithful at all times.”

Have there been times in your life when you have doubted the faithfulness of God? Have there been occasions, few or many, when you struggled to trust, depend, commit and worship Him? Was it because of illness, yours or someone else’s? Was it because of the loss of a job (or potential loss), the ending of a marriage, or a wayward and disobedient child?

Arthur Pink continues by saying, “There are seasons in the lives of all when it is not easy, no not even for Christians, to believe that God is faithful. Our faith is sorely tried, our eyes bedimmed with tears, and we can no longer trace the out workings of His love. Our ears are distracted with the noises of the world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan, and we can no longer hear the sweet accents of His still small voice. Cherished plans have been thwarted, friends on whom we relied have failed us, a professed brother or sister in Christ has betrayed us. We are staggered. We sought to be faithful to God, and now a dark cloud hides Him from us. We find it difficult, yea, impossible, for carnal reason to harmonize His frowning providence with His gracious promises. Ah, faltering soul, severely tried fellow pilgrim, seek grace to heed Isaiah 50:10, “Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

If you’re struggling right now, apply the words of Isaiah 50:10 to your own life and circumstances. Call upon the LORD and begin to rely upon He who is faithful.

Soli deo Gloria!

“The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:24.

“…if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13.

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” – Deuteronomy 7:9.

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:9.

Thus far in our study of Knowing God, we have stipulated that to know God is to know His attributes, which are His personal characteristics. God’s attributes are those qualities which make God, God. Some of God’s attributes He has chosen to share with His creation. Some of His attributes, He alone possesses.

Thus far we have seen that God is self-existent, He makes decisions, He is glorious, omniscient, omnipresent, sovereign and holy It is safe and  biblical to say that God’s holiness is His most significant attribute God. In fact, God’s holiness impacts all of His other attributes.

Therefore, we can correctly conclude that God’s self-existence is a holy self-existence. We can also conclude that God’s decision or decrees, along with His glory, omniscience, omnipresence and sovereignty are all impacted by His holiness. The same can be said of God’s faithfulness.

The Scriptures clearly teach the faithfulness of God. For the believer in Christ, to have faith, or to believe, means to trust, depend, commit and to worship one object and one object alone. The sole object of faith is God, in the person and work of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. It stands to reason that if faith means to trust, depend, commit and worship God, it is because God is trustworthy, dependable, committed and worthy of worship.

As one theologian writes, “[The] faithfulness of God is of the utmost practical significance to the people of God.  It is the ground of their confidence, the foundation of their hope, and the cause of their rejoicing.  It saves them from the despair to which their own unfaithfulness might easily lead, gives them courage to carry on in spite of their failures, and fills their hearts with joyful anticipations, even when they are deeply conscious of the fact that they have forfeited all the blessings of God”

For the Christian, our salvation and sanctification is not based upon our faithfulness. It that were the case, we would be most miserable and always wondering if we have been faithful enough to become acceptable to God. This is the plight of those who base their religion upon their own works of righteousness. Thankfully, our salvation and all subsequent blessings are based upon God’s faithfulness to keep His promises.

Psalm 119:89-90 says, “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.”

Thomas Manton (1620–1677) was an English Puritan clergyman. He was a clerk to the Westminster Assembly and a chaplain to Oliver Cromwell. Regarding God’s faithfulness in Psalm 119:89-90 he writes, “These words contain a truth which is—(1) Asserted; and (2) Represented by a fit and lively emblem, thou hast established the earth, and it abides. He had before said, ‘Thy word is settled in the heavens:’ now he speaks of it as manifested in the earth. There the constancy of God’s promises was set forth by the duration and equal motion of the heavenly bodies, now by the firmness and immovableness of the earth. God’s powerful word and providence reaches to the whole world, this lower part here upon earth, as well as the upper part in heaven. That in all ages God ever showed himself a true God, and faithful in all his promises. It is his mercy to make promises, but it is his faithfulness and truth to fulfil them.”

Psalm 36:5-7 says, “Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

Take the time today to consider how many ways God has been faithful to you throughout the years. Make a list and then take the opportunity to thank God for His faithfulness.

Great is Thy faithfulness,                                                                                                                O God my Father,                                                                                                                        There is no shadow of turning with Thee.                                                                           Thou changes not,                                                                                                                         Thy compassion’s, 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

Soli deo Gloria!