I would like to begin a short study of the Biblical subject of “Faithfulness.” I know this isn’t as exciting as the Millennium or how the upcoming election or War in Gaza relate to the Tribulation. I know that a study of “faithfulness” isn’t like studying evangelism or the nature of the church. So I doubt that anyone will demand that I publish these lessons. And I know that some theologians might not put this on the same level as a study of God’s sovereignty. But the fact is: faithfulness is linked to all of the things I’ve just mentioned. And I believe that you and I are responsible before God for our faithfulness or lack of faithfulness. That means we need to know what it is, striving to put into practice what it is.
The word “faithfulness” is used 105 times in the Bible, almost equally split between the two testaments. But, to my shame, it is not something I have ever directly taught or preached. It simply is not exciting. There are a hundred other subjects pleading to be explored or re-explored. And the truth is: there are few scriptures which jump off page, demanding a study of “faithfulness.” In my study this week, I couldn’t find a single direct exhortation that we should be faithful. Furthermore, the Bible doesn’t give us any nice, neat, crisp definitions of the word. It is not declared to be a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, although I will argue that it is. It is not listed in any of the exhortations to the saints like that of Paul in I Thessalonians 5: Tell me if you hear the word “faithfulness” in these verses: “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
But offsetting the lack of these things, we are told that various eminent saints were faithful in various ways. In several cases, faithfulness is the ONLY thing which the Holy Spirit commends in these people. It must be important. Furthermore, God the Father and God the Son are both described as faithful. If we are supposed to be representatives of the Christ who is the faithful – faithful to His promises, and faithful to us – it means that we should be faithful to Him. One of JEREMIAH’S great contributions to the Word of God is found in the sad book of Lamentations: “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: GREAT is thy FAITHFULNESS. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”
I WANTED to begin our study with a good solid, Biblically-based, DEFINITION of our subject.
So I spent two days surfing through my Bible and combing through my library, but I came up essentially empty. In a thousand books, with only one exception, there is almost nothing on “Christian faithfulness.” In the dozens of books which deal directly with the Christian life, there is nothing on “faithfulness.” Nothing. My Bible dictionaries and Bible encyclopedia offered little help. ISBE – my to go-to encyclopedia – “The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia” – under the word “faithfulness,” the first thing written is: “This article is limited to the consideration of the Scripture teaching concerning the meaning of faithfulness in the application to God.” It doesn’t talk about the faithfulness of the martyr Antipas (Revelation 2:13) or faithful Epaphras or Onesimus in Colossians. Gill’s tome, “A Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity,” doesn’t have a chapter on the immensely practical subject of Christian faithfulness, but he does have more than ten columns on “The faithfulness of God.” We will come to the faithfulness of the Lord, because He is our highest example. But I would really like to begin with a Biblical definition.
Even without one, I will still start with this predetermined a priori – I believe that God expects you and me to be faithful to Him, to His Word, to His brethren and to His church. If you don’t want to hear me say that, then you can ignore the rest of this message and this series. I think that “faithfulness” will be a subject which will come up at the Bema – the judgment seat of Christ. This will be one of the precious stones which we should build onto the foundation of our salvation in Christ. So again I say that this is important. And yet 98% of the authors in my meager library, don’t teach – or even reference – the subject. And I have been remiss in exhorting you to be faithful to the Lord.
For an initial definition and description, I have had to turn to my trusty, 1828 dictionary by Noah Webster.
What is faithfulness?
Webster’s first definition is a synonym: “FIDELITY.” What is “fidelity?” Literally it speaks of accuracy. We don’t use the term as often as we used to, but audiophiles consider “High Fidelity sound” important. Fidelity in recordings refers to how accurately a copy reproduces its source. In audio, high fidelity (hi-fi) describes a recording that is reproduced as closely as possible to the original. So a high fidelity recording of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, is supposed to make the sound in your living room just like the sound in the concert hall, assuming you have the proper equipment to play it. It creates a high-quality listening experience with clear, accurate sound and minimal distortion or background noise.
Of course, the preacher of the gospel is supposed to be faithful in his presentation of God’s word. Paul used that word in I Corinthians to describe Timothy. “Wherefore I beseech you (Corinthian saints), be ye followers of me. “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.” Paul expected Timothy to reproduce, in high fidelity, what Paul, God’s prophet had been teaching. He did, and Timothy was said to be “faithful in the Lord.”
Surprising me just a little, another part of Webster’s definition is “LOYALTY,” but I like it. We may use modern technology to produce quality fidelity, but in my opinion“loyalty” takes “fidelity” to a higher, more personal level. Rather than some sort of mechanical transcription, this fidelity comes from the heart – it is something alive. This little MP3 recorder, which we use to put messages on SermonAudio.com, doesn’t personally care about Scott Silvers or Austin Fulton, or whether or not what they have said is true. It cares only for the accurate transcription of what was said. But I hope that your attitude and love toward these men are such that out of loyalty you are willing to mentally record and then verbally play back the things they have taught you.
As I have said, our faithfulness, will be scrutinized at Christ’s judgment seat, to see if it is wooden or golden. And the difference will not only be our accuracy, but it is also determined by our resonance. Do you serve the Lord because it is expected of you, or do you serve Him because you love Him? Do you faithfully attend the services of House of God out of habit, or do you long for more of your Saviour? Are you faithful or are you faithfully loyal? Do you pray like a Muslim, three times a day, or are you in such love that you constantly think of the Lord?
Webster goes on to say that “faithfulness” involves of “TRUTH” and “VERACITY.” Again that brings us back to accuracy. Did Isaiah truthfully describe what he saw in Heaven? Did John accurately tell the truth about what he saw in Heaven? Of course. When it comes to the written Word of God, we have a faithful declaration of God’s message. But I’ll admit that it necessitated the ministry of the Holy Spirit to produce that accuracy. Not only was the Spirit necessary for the initial inspiration of the Word, but also for its preservation according to the promise of God.
You and I, as saved sinners, still with deceitful and desperately wicked hearts, often have problems with veracity. But as we are filled with the Spirit of truth… when we are faithful to the God of truth… we will become more and more truthful. When we are clothed with the breastplate of righteousness and when we are girt about with truth, we will be the faithful representatives of the Lord, He intended us to be.
Our lexicographer adds one more thing: faithfulness involves the “strict performance of promises, vows and covenants.” I will come back to this as a key part in the faithfulness of our God, but my primary objective this afternoon is in our own faithfulness. The Bible tells us in more than one place that Abraham was a faithful man. I don’t know if his example bore fruit in everyone around him, but his closest servant was also a faithful man. There may not be a more concise illustration of human faithfulness than Abraham’s servant. Genesis 24 – “Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.” The rest of that lengthy chapter recounts how that man, probably Eliezer, went about fulfilling his master’s commands, and carrying out the vow he had made. It required considerable work. It required prayer and the blessing of the Lord. It required faith. But the faith of that man, coupled to his faithfulness, is a testimony to all of us. And then, do you know what? He virtually disappeared. Proper faithfulness blends with humility. That man’s faithfulness was its own reward. But if I had to guess he loved Isaac and Rebecca’s baby Jacob.
Have you ever made any vows to God? That time when you were sick and nigh unto death, did you make any promises to the Lord? I hope that you have been very careful about making those vows. Among similar verses, Ecclesiastes 5:4 says, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou hast vowed.” Be slow to make promises to the Lord, because He expects you to be faithful to each and every one them. But isn’t there one vow which we all made when were baptized – prior to joining our church? Perhaps not verbally, but didn’t we essentially promise to faithfully attend Christ’s church? Didn’t we promise to support that church with our prayers, finances and encouragement? Didn’t we become a part of the family that meets in that building? I think that the people whose faithfulness Paul praised in his epistles were more often than not, simply faithful to the Lord through their churches.
Webster uses the words “fidelity,” “loyalty” “truthfulness,” and “trustworthiness,” to define and illustrate “faithfulness.”
Now consider something implied in each of these definitive words.
In order to have a high-fidelity recording, there must be something to record. And there could never be any kind of loyalty if there wasn’t something to which to be loyal. Eliezer was true to the vow he made, and he was faithful to his master to whom he made that vow. The marksman who is honing his skills in an attempt to be accurate, uses a target with a tiny bulls-eye.
When you and I stand before Christ, sitting on His judgment seat, we will have to give an account “according to all we have done, whether it be good or bad” – II Corinthians 5:10. What will be the standard of that “good or bad?” More important than whether or not we have been faithful, will be the target by which our faithfulness will be determined. The standard of our judgment will be the Word of God, not some human explanation of that Word. You will not be judged based upon what your pastor tells you. He will be judged based upon his fidelity to the Word of God, but you will be judged for your own.
The point is, the standard by which our faithfulness will be examined will not be cloudy or fuzzy. We will be judged by Christ, not by some servant of Christ. We will be judged for our Christ-likeness. Paul may say in I Corinthians 11:1 – “Be ye followers of me,” but it is with the addendum, “even as I also am of Christ.” All those people who died in Jonestown, under the leadership of Jim Jones, were fools because they died while being faithful to an anti-Christ. Faithfulness to the Pope means eternal judgment – not salvation. Our faithfulness is meaningless unless we are faithful to the ultimate standard – the Lord and His Word.
And at the same time, the Lord will not be pleased with our faithfulness if it is of a low quality. Both the original sound and the fidelity to that sound must be crisp – not fuzzy. “Nearly faithful” is not the same thing as “faithful.” Periodic loyalty is not loyalty. There is a difference between high fidelity and low fidelity.
I’ll take you to one more thought before I let you go for this afternoon.
The Bible is replete with statements about GOD’S FAITHFULNESS.
He is the standard for faithfulness; we are to be faithful as He is faithful. “Through faith also Sara herself receive strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him FAITHFUL who had promised” – Hebrews 11:12. “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the FAITHFUL God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” There are many more scriptures like these that I hope to share in lessons to come.
But here is the question I’d like to leave with you this afternoon: “to whom – or what – is God faithful?” If to have a high-fidelity recording we need to have something to record – to what is Jehovah faithful? If loyalty is a part of the definition of “faithfulness,” to whom is the Lord loyal? Isn’t the answer: He is faithful to Himself. God never lies; He is totally faithful to the truth; His veracity is undeniable. Why? Because He cannot deny or contradict His own nature. Everything about the Lord is the standard by which our faithfulness is judged.
I hope to have more to say about this in lessons to come… But we who are sinners, and originally were children of the one who was a liar from the beginning, will always have a struggle with faithfulness to the truth. We have struggles with faithfulness – period – faithfulness in every area. But when we are surrendered to the Lord… when we are filled with the Spirit of Truth… Fidelity, loyalty, reliability and faithfulness will be easy.
God is faithful because faithfulness is one of His attributes; it is a part of Who He is. And the saint of God should be faithful, because God is who He is. The saint of God should find at his core – at his heart – the indwelling Spirit of God. We CAN be faithful; we SHOULD be faithful, because we possess new hearts, new natures. We are Christians – possessed by Christ – therefore faithfulness shouldn’t be in doubt when it comes to living our Christian lives.
Paul said, “It is required in stewards that they be found faithful.” I’ll add, “It is required in Christians that they be found faithful.” At this moment, does God consider you to be faithful?