Our God is a faithful God in every respect. We as finite creatures born in sin are not absolutely faithful. The Online Etymology Dictionary defines faithfulness in respect to Christian practice as, “sincerely religious, devout, pious.” Webster’s Dictionary defines it as, “Firm in adherence to the truth and to the duties of religion.” In a secular sense it may be understood as someone who is honest, trustworthy, and reliable, which we know from Romans 3, that there are none except for Christ. The word faithful is a compound word composed of faith+ful. For the Christian this expresses that the Christian is supposed to be full of faith. Not full of faith in the sense that we are describing the faith that God gives us in order that we may use as the faculty within us to believe in His Holy Son Jesus Christ; for example:
Romans 10:17 Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Faith is of hearing means that faith comes to man by the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. No man is naturally born with faith. Faith is given to us as a gift from God so no man may boast in salvation as if we had something to do with it. Faith is given freely by God to us through the Gospel.
Matthew 13:13 reads; Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not; nor do they understand.
The second clause of Romans 10:17 reads hearing by the word of God; meaning that true spiritual hearing means understanding, which only comes by the Word of God; which is capitalized in Romans 10; therefore, we receive our understanding from Christ alone who is the living Word of God who gives us faith and understanding through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ.
To give testimony and cast all doubts away about Jesus Christ being the Word of God:
Revelations 19:13 reads; And He had been clothed in a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
In relation to the garments of Christ being dipped in blood; John Gill writes, “Either in his own, (blood) by which he became the Saviour of his church and people; or else in the blood of his saints, he now comes to avenge; or rather in the blood of his enemies, with which he appears as stained, before the battle is fought, the victory being sure, and their slaughter unavoidable,” (Gill). All three propositions from Gill hold great validity, but I believe the last two propositions are closer to the context. Jesus Christ in this chapter is coming to make war against His enemies. Vengeance for His saints is taken into His own hands. Christ reveals to us His faithfulness to His martyrs who have been slain. Christ reveals for us His unwavering faithfulness to righteousness as He comes to destroy the wicked. There are no prisoners taken here, no mercy is shown to those who have rejected God, no love is extended or exists for those who reject the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ will be faithful to His Holiness in judging and condemning the wicked. There are no tears here from God and Christ, no remorse for how they destroy sinners. Christ is not in Heaven at the right hand of the Father interceding on behalf of those in hell; Christ is in Heaven at the right hand of the Father interceding only on behalf of those on earth who currently believe in Christ, as it is written in Romans 8:34, where the word “us” is in reference only to believers. Consider two cross references of Revelation 19:13, which are:
Revelation 14:20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even to the bridles of the horses, for the space of a thousand, six hundred stadia.
Psalms 58:10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus washed His Disciples feet with water, but Christ will wash His feet with the blood of the wicked.
Nevertheless; the primary context of this teaching of God’s attribute of faithfulness; is in respect of God’s reliability, loyalty, credibility, trustworthiness of His being, promises, and His word. In respect to man being full of faith; it’s not primarily the saving faith explained in Romans 10:17 and Matthew 13:13, but instead man’s faithfulness in relation to the inability to remain absolutely loyal; especially loyal to our God.
We may recall in past experiences of our own lives; the countless times we have been unfaithful in particular circumstances. It is impossible for man to remain honest. How many of us may recall just one week in our lives, where we did not tell one lie? For some of us it goes further as just one day without telling a lie. The fallen state of man does not possess the ability to remain faithful to his own integrity. How many of us may recall the countless times we have told someone, and when someone has told us; “I will meet you there at this hour,” and when the hour came we or they were not there. Even worse; for those of us who are married, how many times have we disappointed our wives? For some perhaps have been unfaithful in the wedding bed, and for some at the least have been unfaithful in thought; nevertheless, in action or thought we are incapable of being faithful to the one we are supposed to care for as Christ loved His church, our wives. Even worst of all; the innumerable times we have disobeyed the commandments of God. Some of us have even gave God our word that if God delivered us from a calamity we would repent of some sin, and when God delivered us we forgot His goodness and went back to our sin like a dog licking his own vomit. We sinful beings are such unfaithful creatures.
In absolute contrast; our God exemplifies nothing of the depravity of man. Instead our God is absolutely faithful in His very being. God is faithful in all of His sovereign rule and dominion of heaven and earth from all eternity. God’s is faithfulness is omnipotent; there is no limit of power to the faithfulness of God. The faithfulness of God is omnipresent; being evidenced in the life’s of all whom He has saved. God’s faithfulness is immutable; incapable of change and remaining true through all eternity, and to all His promises.
Psalm 89:8 reads O Jehovah, the God of Hosts, who is a strong Jehovah like You? And Your faithfulness is round about You?
Our God is encompassed with His faithfulness. The only thing around His entire atmosphere is faithfulness. From His angels around Him to His very triune being; God can do nothing contrary to being faithful. A W Pink says in regards to His faithfulness that, “He is clothed with it,” (Pink) which I believe he may have derived from a 19th century Pastor and prolific author; Charles Haddon Spurgeon, also known by various Christian denominations as; “The Prince of Preachers.” One of the books Spurgeon wrote was a commentary on the book of Psalms called, “The Treasury of David.” In commentary to Psalms 89:8 Charles Spurgeon wrote; “He dwells in faithfulness; it is said to be the girdle of the loins of his only-begotten Son, who is the express image of his person,” (Spurgeon) which is consistent with:
Isaiah 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His heart.
We know that Romans chapter 10 the Apostle Paul establishes Jesus Christ as the righteousness of God.
One of the greatest aspects of God’s faithfulness is perhaps His faithfulness to His own word. When we consider how immutable and omnipotent God is; it makes His faithfulness far more relevant. Knowing that God’s spoken word and promises are unchangeable, all powerful, and absolutely faithful; consider these following passages.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?
Psalms 89: 34-36 I will not break My covenant, nor change the thing that has gone out of My lips. 35 Once I have sworn by My holiness that I will not lie to David. 36 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me.
Thanks to the faithfulness of God; we can be certain that everything that comes out of His mouth, He will bring to pass. Through that covenant spoken of in verse 34; bible scholars agree that this covenant is also in reference with David the Messiah, the Son of David as Christ is called. The covenant made here is the covenant between God the Father and Christ the Son for the redemption of sinners. We who now live in the New Covenant era can attest to the faithfulness of God’s covenant between God and Christ, as we witness by faith the fulfillment of prophecy. “Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” What God decreed as prophecy concerning His son has come to pass and no man could have stopped it. Just as the Father decreed in eternity past; God’s providence brought it to fruition.
In verse 35 He said; “Once I have sworn by My holiness that I will not lie to David.” What an astonishing thing for God to do. God is not obligated to swear by anything in order to prove to us that He is not a liar as we are. He was and is not obligate to swear by anything in order to prove to us that He will abide by His promises. But because of His love, grace, and empathy for our finite minds, He swears for us. He does not swear by any of His creation. He did not say, I swear by my earth for it is my footstool, neither by the stars which I made, neither by the angels who I created, but instead; God reveals to us how faithful He is by swearing by the most perfect, the most beautiful, the most purest, the most immutable, the most powerful thing we can imagine; God swore by His most precious attribute, His own Holiness!
Deuteronomy 7:9 reads; therefore, know that Jehovah your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.
In context this is written strictly to those who love God and keep His commandments. Remember that our God is the only God in existence. He is a faithful God to His people. God was faithful to keep His covenant and promises with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; showing mercy and never forsaking His people. God delivered them through His awesome power from Egypt. God Jehovah was faithful to deliver nations more powerful and larger than Israel to their feet such as; the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Since God is immutable and does not change; God still does the same for His people today. For those of us who are in Christ; God is faithful to deliver us who love and obey the commandments of God from the greatest threat any sinner may ultimately face, and that is the eternal wrath of God in hell. The following verse of Deuteronomy verse ten reads:
Deuteronomy 7:10 And He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slow to repay him who hates Him. He will repay him to his face.
Repent of your sins and believe in Christ while you live in this physical realm, so that you may be a subject of God’s mighty faithfulness as a savior, or you will know God’s mighty faithfulness as a judge, and receive what the wicked deserves most most; His eternal condemnation. Therefore confess you are a sinner in need of His forgiveness and He will be faithful to forgive and cleans you of all unrighteousness, as it is written in:
1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1John 4:15 Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him and he in God.
Descendants of Grace Monergistic Agora 