Everybody needs someone they can utterly depend on—someone who will never let them down—someone they know will be there through thick and thin. I need somebody like that, don’t you? The Bible says we do:
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9
God’s Word shows us the faithfulness of God. His faithfulness will totally change how we go through tough problems and circumstances.
So what does it mean to be “faithful?”
Most people would agree that it means something along the lines of… “dependable, reliable, trustworthy, or true to your word at all costs.”
God’s Word describes Him as a “faithful Creator” in 1 Peter 4:19. In Deuteronomy 7:9, He is described as the “faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” The Psalmist, in Psalms 36, said God’s “faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”
What does it mean when the Bible says GOD is faithful?
The Bible tells us God is dependable; He is reliable; He keeps His promises. Even if everyone else in the world lets us down—God will still be there for us! So what makes God more faithful than other folks?
In other words, WHERE does God’s faithfulness come from?
Well, my friend, God’s faithfulness comes from His nature. In our concepts study on the nature of God, we learned His faithfulness is a result of who He is. His nature and attributes produce faithfulness.
Think for a moment about WHY humans are unfaithful.
Sometimes people are unfaithful to their commitments because they were lying when they made the promise. But not so with God. The Bible says God cannot lie because He is holy. This tells us something about God‘s character. He is incapable of deceiving anyone. Titus 1:2 says it is impossible for God to lie.
Therefore, if God promises us something—we can believe it.
Sometimes people aren’t faithful because they make the commitments too quickly and then change their mind. The Bible tells us that God isn’t this way. The Bible tells us something else about His character—He is immutable. To be immutable means that you are not subject to change. The Bible says:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
“For I am the Lord, I do not change.” Malachi 3:6
Because God is immutable, He never makes promises on a whim. And when God makes a promise, He does not change His mind. When God promises something, He means what he says. That’s why David said:
“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations…” Psalms 119:89-90
When God promises us something, He does not change His mind.
Sometimes folks are unfaithful because they don’t have the ability to keep their commitment. Sometimes we make well meaning promises, but we just don’t have the power to follow through. But again, when we look at who God is—He is omnipotent, meaning that there is no limit to His power. And whatever God’s heart promises you, His power is able to back up.
Because of who God is—HE is faithful.
The problem is that we think God is like the people who are unfaithful to us. Even though we read about God’s nature and His character, we still often don’t trust in His faithfulness simply because we’ve been betrayed so many times by humans. When we’ve been hurt so many times—we want proof that we can trust Him.
We want proof of God’s faithfulness.
That’s what this series is about—why we can and should lean into the remarkable faithfulness of God. My friend, you may say, “Why should I believe God without some proof that He’s not going to hurt me like my father; He’s not going to desert me like my ex-wife; He’s not going to knife me in the back like that so-called friend?”
Well, tomorrow we’re going to present you with “Exhibit A” which is amazing historical proof of God’s faithfulness!
