A God of Absolutes
Humans are not 100% faithful. We let down people we love, and we struggle being consistent with what we know is healthy. This is one reason we have a hard time believing God is always faithful. We’re not able to live out absolutes, so we struggle believing he can too.
Yet, the Bible says he is always faithful. Not just faithful some of the time and to some people.
“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 commandments.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)
“His is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)
“For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)
See the absolutes? ALL his ways. NO wrong. ALL generations.
The Purpose of His Faithfulness
Why does it matter to us if God is always faithful?
His faithfulness speaks to the core of his character. This means we can know for certain he’ll do what he says he’s going to do. We can know that the character we see him display throughout the Bible, in Old Testament Stories and New Testament teachings, still remains active today.
“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.” (Hebrews 6:17)
He hasn’t changed. He’s the same God we read about in the Bible. His purposes remain the same.
The Activity of His Faithfulness
While we can read about God’s faithfulness in the Bible, we may still struggle with knowing how his faithfulness works in our lives. Fortunately, the Bible gives us a lot of insight into the activity of God’s faithfulness.
- His faithfulness is not dependent upon our faithfulness. (Romans 3:3; 2 Timothy 2:13) No, we’re not always faithful. He remains faithful to His promises, though, regardless of how many times we fail to do so.
- His faithfulness gives us confident hope. (Hebrews 10:23) Because God is faithful, the hope we rely on — that found in the death and resurrection of Jesus — and all the promises that come with that hope, is sure. No matter what else may crumble in our lives, that hope remains.
- His faithfulness is abounding. (Psalm 86:15) Not only is God slow to get angry, love and faithfulness are in abundant supply. In other words, there is no end to them. We cannot use them up.
- His faithfulness is the foundation for all he does. (Psalm 33:4) All that he has done and will do flows out of His faithfulness. In other words, every act of God is reliable, dependable, consistent and loyal. He does not stray from who he is. Ever.
- His faithfulness guarantees our forgiveness. (1 John 1:9) When we regularly confess and repent, God always forgives. He also gives us a clean slate. Every time.
- His faithfulness means fellowship. (1 Corinthians 1:9) God’s faithfulness is fulfilled in Christ. Because of Christ, we can have fellowship with God. If you’re unsure of where to go for any reason, if you doubt God’s faithfulness, look to Christ.
- His faithfulness provides the antidote to temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Temptation is inevitable, but God promises a way to bear it. Always.
- His faithfulness protects us. (2 Thessalonians 3:3) God promises both strength and protection from Satan. Because God is faithful, we know this and all of His promises are true. (Not sure Satan is real? Consider that underestimating him may be exactly what he wants.)
On one level, God’s faithfulness doesn’t make sense. After all, why would he remain reliable, dependable, consistent and loyal when we’re not? Think of it this way. When you are faithful to someone even when they are not faithful to you, why? The answer, likely, is because you love them.
Faithfulness Because of Love
If we in our imperfection can love enough for any semblance of faithfulness in our lives, so much more will God love enough for perfect faithfulness. We may not fully understand or comprehend it, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
To better grasp the truth of God’s faithfulness, saturate yourself with Scripture. Learn God’s promises. As you become more aware of what he says and how his faithfulness is present in your life, your hope will grow. Your ability to forgive and withstand temptation will increase too. Why? Because he is faithful and keeps his promises.
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)
bill (cycleguy)
I rely heavily on His faithfulness. I rely on Him keeping His word. I rely on Him being who he said he was.
Kari Scare
Me too, Bill.
Leslie
Me too, Especially when I've been struggling to believe because of how bad the situation that surrounds me is. Thank God he is Faithful no matter what and as long as the person needs it to regain strength and continue growing in our walk & growing in faith through Him.
coachmbrown
God our sovereign Heavenly Father is the perfection of faithfulness. His will, ways, and wisdom deserve our faithfulness. Faith is the noun and believing is the action verb from the root word. Thus, we must demonstrate our faith by believing. When it comes to faith, it is not that we must pray for God to act but for ourselves to recognize our need to believe in God's faithfulness. God is the standard of faith.
Kari Scare
Well said, Mike.
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Leslie
This message of God's faithfulness ministered to me in a powerful way. Thank you for letting God use you to show how much He loves us in such a gentle way. And with such a profound truth. Using scripture to confirm Gods love. Powerful. I subscribed to this website. Looking forward to receiving emails from this website. Thank you for your words they were like a balsam to a sad heart. 🙂
Smpson Mphohoni
God’s faithfulness is for eternity. His faithfulness is not influenced by our contributions. I have done absolutely nothing deserving God’s faithfulness.
Julie Hans
What a beautiful blog post. I was especially blessed to remember that His faithfulness is not dependent upon our faithfulness! Thank you for an uplifting post!
Kari Scare
Thank you, Julie! God’s faithfulness certainly encourages me as well!!