Galatians 3 “8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham“
What does it mean to be faithful?
It means to believe in Jesus Christ. It means to believe in God’s faithfulness.
2 Timothy 2 “12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we deny him, he also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless, he remains faithful; for he can’t deny himself.”
If we struggle in faith, He is faithful in restoring us because we belong to Him.
John told unbelievers that they need to come to Jesus to be saved – come to Him in faith then He is faithful in saving people.
1 John 1 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “
God is just and faithful and will save the believer even if we struggle in faith.
God is faithful to keep us saved until the last day of our lives or until Jesus returns.
1 Corinthians 1 “4 I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus; 5 that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge; 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;
8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.”
It is God alone who keeps us saved by grace until the end.
1 Thessalonians 5 “23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.”
When we first believed in Jesus Christ, He gave us the Holy Spirit as the deposit of the inheritance of heaven that we will surely receive at the end of our lives.
God is faithful and He will give us the promise of salvation in heaven. He is faithful to keep us in the faith till the end.
2nd Corinthians 1 ” 18 But as God is faithful, our word toward you was not “Yes and no.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not “Yes and no,” but in him is “Yes.” 20 For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.” Therefore also through him is the “Amen”, to the glory of God through us. 21 Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.”
God is faithful and He will help us during the Christian journey in this wilderness of life on earth. We cannot do it by our own works. Therefore we need His grace all the time.
1st Corinthians 10 ” 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall. 13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
In the old covenant, it was completely based on the faithfulness of man, and that’s why God found fault with Israel because they could not obey the Law.
The old covenant condemned them for their sins.
Therefore God made a New Covenant where Christ’s obedience (death and resurrection) takes away our sins when we believe in Him.
In the New Covenant, it is God who is faithful to us in Christ.
Hebrews 8
“But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 For finding fault with them, he said,
“Behold, the days come”, says the Lord,
“that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers,
in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
for they didn’t continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them,” says the Lord.
10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel.
After those days,” says the Lord;
“I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
11 They will not teach every man his fellow citizen,
and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for all will know me, from their least to their greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness.
I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more.”
In the New Covenant, it is the faithfulness of God through Jesus Christ.
- God forgave all our sins and promises not to judge the believer forever.
- God Himself will write His laws in our heart (through the fruit of the Holy Spirit).
- We are not the ones who can do anything.
- We cannot keep the law by ourselves.
- God Himself gives us the power and desire to do good.
- He does the good works within us!
- It is not us but the grace of God!
- He saves us by grace and keeps us by grace in the salvation.
- No matter how much we fail, He always restores us.
- He will reveal Himself to all believers, it’s not based on our doing.
All we are called to do is to believe in Jesus Christ who did everything for us!
We believe in Him for this short life on earth but He rewards us with eternal life forever in heaven – therefore His faithfulness is much greater than our faith.
Mathew Simon 