This is a series on the attributes of God.
The Faithfulness of God Part 2: New Testament
Purpose: In this session we shall explore the attribute of the loving-kindness of God as taught in the New Testament and also draw implication for the Christian life as a result of our study.
Reminder: What is the faithfulness of God?
- Millard Erickson: “His faithfulness means that he proves true.”[1]
- Wayne Grudem: “God’s faithfulness means that God will always do what he has said and fulfill what he has promised.”[2]
- Millard Erickson put it another way: “He always fulfills what he has said he will do.”[3]
- My own simple definition: God is trustworthy.
What does the Bible in the New Testament teach about the faithfulness of God?
- The Bible’s plain statement that God is faithful
- “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9)
- “But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no.” (2 Corinthians 1:18)
- God is faithful despite human unfaithfulness
- “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?” (Romans 3:3)
- This is the first verse in the New Testament that mentioned that God is faithful.
- In context Paul is asking a rhetorical question of whether or not people’s unbelief will nullify God’s faithfulness. The answer of course is no.
- God is truly faithful; His faithfulness is not contingent upon us.
- “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)
- Notice again the contrast with human who are unfaithful: “If we are faithless”
- Yet for God, “He remains faithful”
- The reason? “for He cannot deny Himself”
- God’s faithfulness isn’t just a “thing” about Him.
- Rather God’s faithfulness is Himself in light of God’s Divine Simplicity we studied earlier.
- Yet God cannot deny Himself so God cannot be unfaithful if His attribute is faithfulness.
- “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?” (Romans 3:3)
- Faithfulness is an attribute of Jesus the Son of God
- Since Jesus Christ is God, and the Trinity is biblical, we should not be surprised that Jesus Himself is taught in the Bible as being faithful.
- “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.” (Revelation 19:11)
- In the context Revelation 19 is a chapter that focuses on Christ’s second coming.
- There are many titles given to Jesus in chapter 19 such as “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (16) bu here in v.11 Christ “is called Faithful.”
- “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this” (Revelation 3:14)
- Here Jesus is called by many titles including “”
- This is a titled referring to Jesus in a letter to Laodicea.
- Since Jesus is faithful we are not surprised to find Jesus being called faithful witness: “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—” (Revelation 1:5)
- Since Jesus is faithful we are not surprised to find Jesus is a faithful high priest: “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17)
What does God’s faithfulness means for believers?
- Note: Most of the New Testament teaching on God’s faithfulness takes place in the epistles. The epistles were written to address specific church situations so we can learn something about how God’s faithfulness can be applied by Christians from examining in its context.
- God’s faithfulness means Christians will preserve in their salvation and faith: “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
- Who is the one who calls you? We see it is God who called the believers into His Kingdom according to 1 Thessalonians 2:12, and in sanctification according to 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
- What is it that “He also will bring it to pass?”
- The previous verse answers that: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
- Notice verse 23 talks about sanctification.
- The reason believers will be sanctified and whole being will be preserved has to do with the fact that “faithful is He who calls you.”
- God’s faithfulness means Christians can confess their sins to God: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
- Notice it says of God that “He is faithful”
- Since God is faithful we can “confess our sins”
- Then after our confession God would:
- “forgive us our sins”
- “and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
- God’s faithfulness means there’s always a way to escape sin: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
-
- Notice it says “God is faithful”
- Since God is faithful there is always a way for God to escape from sins.
-
- God’s faithfulness means we need not anxiously fear the devil: “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
- Here “the evil one” is likely the devil in view.
- We need not anxiously fear Satan because “the Lord is faithful.”
- God’s faithfulness means He will do two things:
- “He will strengthen…you”
- “He will… protect you”
- God’s faithfulness means persecuted Christians can entrust their souls to God: “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” (1 Peter 4:19)
- Peter in 1 Peter is writing to persecuted Christians.
- His encouragement to them in this verse is towards “those also who suffer according to the will”
- Note: it is not suffering in general but those that result from following God’s will.
- Peter says in such a situation the persecuted Christian can “entrust their souls to a faithful Creator”
- The trust is concerning how God can do “what is right.”
- God’s faithfulness means persecuted Christians can entrust their souls to God: “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” (1 Peter 4:19)
- God’s faithfulness means Christians can hold onto His word which is also faithful
- “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” (Titus 1:9)
- Notice the Word is described as “the faithful word”
- Of course if God is faithful we should expect His Word to be faithful.
- Thus as believers we can hold fast to God’s Word because it is faithful.
- “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” (Hebrews 10:23)
- His promises is found in His Word.
- Noticed this verse teaches that “He who promised is faithful”
- Since God is faithful in His promise this passage can say “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering”
- “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” (Titus 1:9)
[1] Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003), 317.
[2] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 160.
[3] Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003), 317.
Amen. Jesus is faithful and we are right to count on Him. Blessings for this series. I really appreciate the insight and wisdom.
Reblogged this on clydeherrin.
[…] https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/03/24/gods-attribute-the-omnipotence-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/03/26/gods-attribute-the-omnipotence-of-god-part-2/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/03/31/gods-attribute-the-omnipotence-of-god-part-3/Sovereignty: God’s sovereignty is His self-control and His control over all things. All controlling.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/04/07/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-1/#more-28084https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/04/14/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-2/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/04/21/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-3/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/04/28/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-4/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-5/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/05/12/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-6/God’s Glory:The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfection.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/05/19/gods-attribute-the-glory-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/05/26/gods-attribute-the-glory-of-god-part-2/God’s Immutability:God is unvarying, reliable, constant, and perpetual. God never adds or subtracts from His character and emotions. They are constant and unchanging.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/06/02/gods-attribute-the-immutability-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/06/09/gods-attribute-the-immutability-of-god-part-2/God’s Holiness:God’s holiness is His defining characteristic. The holiness of God is a term used in the Bible to describe both His goodness and His power. It is completely unique, and utterly all-powerful, radiating out from God like an energy. In fact, in our current physical state, God’s holiness is so overwhelming, that it can actually be dangerous to approach.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/06/16/gods-attribute-the-holiness-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/06/23/gods-attribute-the-holiness-of-god-part-2/God’s Righteousness:God’s righteousness is the form or structure of his goodness, and his goodness is the concrete, active embodiment of his righteousness.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/07/07/gods-attribute-the-righteousness-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/07/14/gods-attribute-the-righteousness-of-god-part-2/God’s Wrath:The wrath of God is an attribute of God as much a part of God as any other attribute, an attribute without which God would be less than God.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/gods-attribute-the-wrath-of-god/God’s Mercy:God’s physical deliverance of people is the result of His mercy, where He shows unmerited favor “specifically to those whose condition is miserable and one of great need”.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/07/28/gods-attribute-the-mercy-of-god/God’s Longsuffering:God’s ability to patiently endure lasting offense.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/08/04/gods-attribute-the-longsuffering-of-god/God’s Grace:When we talk about God’s grace we are talking about God as one who gives favour even when people do not deserve it.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/08/11/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/08/18/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-2/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/08/25/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-3/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/09/01/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-4/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/09/08/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-5/God’s Goodness:When we look at the biblical concept of divine goodness, one major idea stands out. It is that God is concerned about the well-being of his creatures and does things to promote it.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/09/22/gods-attribute-the-goodness-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/09/29/gods-attribute-the-goodness-of-god-part-2/The Love of God:Defined as “His self-giving affection for His image-bearing creatures and His unselfish concern for their well-being, that leads Him to act on their behalf and for their happiness and welfare.”https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/10/06/gods-attribute-the-love-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/10/13/gods-attribute-the-love-of-god-part-2/#more-29625https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/10/20/gods-attribute-the-love-of-god-part-3/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/10/27/gods-attribute-the-love-of-god-part-4/The Loving Kindness of God:Defined as an obligatory and covenantal love that is received or shown only to those among whom a definite relationship exists.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/11/03/gods-attribute-the-loving-kindness-of-god/The Faithfulness of God:Defined as God is always trustworthy.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/11/10/gods-attribute-the-faithfulness-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/11/17/gods-attribute-the-faithfulness-of-god-part-2/More to follow!Thank you Pastor Jim!Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings! […]
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thank you brother Jim for yet another excellent post to feed our souls. The faithfulness of God is so often passed over by many, but as you accurately illustrate it is the very foundation of all things and our existence. Our life and eternal salvation depends wholly on His faithfulness, praise our Mighty God!
Alan thank you for reading this. His faithfulness is so foundational for our salvation and the Christian life. I am super glad that God is faithful! How has your health been lately brother?
For once my memory has been behaving itself, but my problems with my back have been bad in the last two weeks. This is the price I pay for lots of manual work as a young man. God bless you brother.
Point 3 stood out for me: we can confess our sins to God knowing He is faithful to forgive.
That was my favorite points for the application one; I believe confession is a missing key in many individual’s’ sanctification
Thanks for this excellent outline that continues on the attribute of God’s faithfulness! Praise God He is the Solid Rock and perfectly faithful. It’s hard to imagine a lost religionist believing they’re faithful enough to merit salvation.
“It’s hard to imagine a lost religionist believing they’re faithful enough to merit salvation.” So true. It is always so sad seeing religions even those that go by the label of “Christianity” that thinks we can be faithful enough to merit heaven. Even Peter who some see as pope, is unable to be faithful at all times in following Jesus. I’m so glad God is faithful and that our salvation is based upon His faithfulness. No hope without it amen?
RE: No hope without it
Amen! Yes, we see in Peter in the Gospels (and in Galatians 2) and in Paul ‘s self-revelations in his epistles that even those “super apostles” could not maintain their faithfulness at all times.
How is your Wednesday shaping up?
2 Timothy 2:13 is so empowering for me, empowering me to trust God’s faithfulness regardless of my lack of faithfulness. Also your breaking down 1 Peter 4:19, so helpful. Again our trust is in His character alone, our God in whom there is “no shadow of turning,” but is Light that drives away our darkness. Love this meditation on faithfulness.
pax,
dora
2 Timothy 2:13 is such an encouragement! It makes me love God more every time I read it and meditate on it! The more I see my flaws, the more I see others’ flaws, the more I am thankful to God for His faithfulness; in a time where there’s so much that’s unreliable and as our world shifts and turn, God Himself and God’s faithfulness seems like the few things we can trust in doesn’t it?
🙌 ✝️Amen 🙏
Thank you Jim, for this encouraging article!
You’re welcome! Hope there’s no side effects that popped up after your booster shot? Seems from people I know there’s a wide range of reaction and non reaction to the booster, so I’m curious
Doesn’t seem to be. Just a sore arm which has almost gone away, Praise The Lord!
This is so good! Hebrews 10 is something that I am clinging to right now. I am so thankful for our Triune God’s faithfulness as it proves that He is Trustworthy. I am so thankful for all the effort that you have given to these studies. I have learned so much about God through you, the study, these posts and discussions. Love and blessings to you, Nancy and kiddos!
Aww thanks that means a lot Mandy! That’s encouraging what you shared last night. Awesome that you are clinging to Hebrews 10 and thinking of that passage! I’m starting my prayers for the December study you will give our youth, can’t go wrong praying early!
Thank you for praying! I was talking with our discipleship pastor on Monday night about when we were at their house for dinner. I have reached out to the youth pastor at our church (who I went to seminary with) about helping with the youth in whatever capacity is needed and he has never gotten back to me. Sad! What’s ministry for y’all today?! Praying for your mom! If I may ask, is your dad a believer?
So thankful for God’s faithfulness!🙌
You have given us a lot of applications
Amen, thru Jesus Christ. Even if our faith falters, he remains faithful. Praise him that we can lean on him and his trustworthiness!
So thankful that His faithfulness is not dependent upon me.
Beautiful study
[…] God is faithful. That is one of His attributes. See God’s attribute: The Faithfulness of God Part 1 and God’s attribute: The Faithfulness of God Part 2. […]