Faithful. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Merriam-Websters defines “faithful” as “being steadfast in affection or allegiance.”
In the New Testament the word “faithful” and “faith” come from the same Greek word “pistos” and are interchangeable in many ways. They are connected like Siamese twins. Kill one and lose the other.
A person’s faithfulness is totally dependent upon one’s faith. This is important in an age where we often hear character is not connected to a person’s gifting. This is usually used when one is thinking about a Christian leader falling into immorality or getting divorced. Character problems are faith problems. Rigorous standards should be used to help us make proper decisions when our feelings are confused.
In the Old Testament the word “faithful” is truly interesting. The Hebrew verb (aman) translated for “faithful” means true, truth, real. It takes on the application of being faithful, reliable and steady.
In other words, being true makes one trustworthy. If it is real, then it is reliable. We see today a whole number of people saying, “It doesn’t matter what you believe in just so you believe.” People say this because they don’t believe in the truth. There is no ultimate reality or absolute truth for them. In their minds, there is nothing completely trustworthy but their own ideas or self-proclaimed concepts. This is why we live in a current culture of “relative” truth meaning “whatever is good for you is good for you, and whatever is good for me is good for me.” However, we learn from current and historical application that this always results in chaos and war.
You see the idea of being “faithful” that we find in scripture is quite different than what we hear in our world today. God is truth. God is faithful. God is faith-worthy. We can and should put our trust in Him.
Adam stopped believing and being faithful when he sinned. Through Christ, we can put our faith back in Him. Adam sinned when he trusted an unreliable devil who presented relative truth. We believe when we place our faith in the Reliable One and His absolute truth. Therefore, a Christian is not only made right with God through faith, but walks with the Lord by being faithful.
I love when I look at scripture and see real people that lived “as if” God’s promises are actually true (and they are). Abraham was one of these people. Based on Genesis 12, Abraham’s previous relationship with God is almost unknown. It seems that Abraham or Abram, as he is referred to in the beginning, knew of God, but he had a very limited experience with him. Yet, when God said go, Abraham obeyed and continued to be faithful until the end of His life. Abraham became a vagabond living on a prayer and the promise of being the father of many nations—none of which became his before his death.
Let me ask you a question. How faithful are you to God in this current season of your life?
This Sunday at South Side I will share week 2 of our new series entitled “Faithful.” Our onsite worship starts at 10:15, and our Children’s Ministry offers children’s classes for all ages. We are continuing to practice social distancing at our services.
If you are unable to attend, our online services will be available at 5 p.m. on Facebook and on our website. If you would like to give generously just text the word “help” to 84321 and follow the simple instructions. We would love to have you and your family worship with us! For more information visit us on our website at www.southsidewch.com.
