Of All God’s Attributes, Faithfulness Is Near the Top

When we think about an individual, whether it’s someone we know well or a famous person we know only by reputation, certain characteristics often come to mind. They might include charisma, determination, integrity, perseverance when faced with adversity, humor, honesty, generosity, or many other qualities. We hear someone’s name and almost immediately associate one or more traits with them. 

 

What comes to mind when you think about God?

 

A comprehensive listing of His attributes could fill an entire book, even without elaborating on what each one means and how it relates to us. These would include His omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, perfection, mercy, love and sovereignty. You might be able to add several more to the list without a moment’s hesitation.

 

All are intertwined as part of the character of God. If it weren’t for His grace and mercy, we’d still be “dead in our sins and trespasses,” as the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1. 

 

If not for God’s limitless love, Jesus Christ would not have come to earth, not just to teach and serve as an example, but most important, to become the perfect payment in full for our sins. “[He] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and become obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Hebrews 2:7-8).

 

Some of the Lord’s attributes, such as being eternal, infinite, holy and righteous can quickly scramble our brains if we attempt to fully comprehend all that they mean.

 

One attribute or trait that has particularly stood out for me over the years is God’s faithfulness. As 2 Timothy 2:13 declares so clearly, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

 

Each of us, no matter how long we have been striving to follow Christ, has lapsed into times of faithlessness, times when we doubted or disobeyed because we somehow believed we knew better. What if God were like that, losing interest or abandoning us when we’ve gone astray? What if He gave up on us when our best efforts have fallen short, or we’ve become discouraged or disheartened?

 

Thank the Lord – literally – that’s not the case. As the verse says, even if we’re faithless, He remains faithful. God’s faithfulness is emphasized throughout the Bible. Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.” The classic hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” is based on this passage.

 

Psalm 85:10-11 puts it so beautifully, “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.”

 

Why is this important? Because no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, regardless of how difficult our current trials and temptations may seem, these guarantees of God’s faithfulness give us hope. Even when things look the darkest.

 

When God vows, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” both in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 31:6,8 and Joshua 1:5) and the New Testament (Hebrews 13:5), we can trust His promise will hold true no matter what. Friends and family members may fail us at times, but our Lord never will.

 

Is it any wonder that faithfulness is one of the qualities God desires for His followers? Proverbs 20:6 asks, “Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?”

 

Writing to his young protégé, Timothy, the apostle Paul offered this challenge: “And the things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). This is at the heart of true discipleship and disciplemaking – faithful men and women helping other faithful people to grow in their faith, so they then can teach others in the same way.

 

Remaining faithful in our walk with God is crucial, but it isn’t easy. There is much to distract us and lure us away from living the kind of life He expects from us. But if we take to heart the words of the old hymn, we’ll find the assurance needed to press on, no matter what we encounter:

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee.

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou has been, Thou forever will be….

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.” 

Ye Faithful, Are You Coming?

Now that we’re fully immersed in the Christmas season, turkey cadavers successfuly transferred to our trash cans, it’s time for hearing lots of familiar holiday tunes. We’ll all be “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” We’ll feel sad if we learn “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” And we’ll go to sleep “Dreaming of a White Christmas.”

But we’ll also listen to more traditional music that points to the real focus of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. One of those is the revered hymn, “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The words and melody will echo in churches across the land, but what do we really mean by “faithful”?

This book by Dr. Jimmy Ray Lee tells
about God's faithfulness - and ours.

It’s a word that frequently appears in the Bible, sometimes to describe God’s people and other times regarding God Himself. Recently I was part of a small group of men and women discussing what it means to be faithful. Synonyms suggested included being steadfast, reliable, persevering, devoted, and demonstrating unswerving commitment.

The Scriptures offer God’s perspective on how He perceives faithfulness. In Luke 16:10, Jesus declared, “He who is faithful in little will also be faithful in much.” He made a similar statement in Matthew 25:21-23, in a parable describing shrewd stewardship: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things….”

In both instances, Jesus seems to be saying that faithfulness means more than regularly attending worship services, or learning how to speak and act in prescribed ways. It’s being faithful even in little things, whether it involves responsibilities, resources, or whatever God chooses to entrust to us.

The tiny book of Philemon says this applies even to spiritual growth. “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” (Philemon 6). As I understand it, this is telling us that if we are faithful to share what God has taught us with others, whether in an evangelistic or discipling setting, He then will give us more. Conversely, if we’re not willing to pass along what He’s already given to us, why should He entrust us with more?

At the same time, faithfulness is not something we muster up on our own. Our source is from God alone. For instance, the apostle Paul admonished his young disciple, Timothy, “if we are faithless, (God) remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). Writing to members of the early Church, Paul offered this encouragement: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

My friend, Dr. Jimmy Ray Lee, has compiled a book called Faithful, No Matter What. In it he presents more than 40 captivating stories about how God manifested His faithfulness in the lives of men and women, sometimes in miraculous ways, and sometimes in an ordinary but very timely manner. Many of these accounts also tell of how these individuals in turn have endeavored to respond to God’s faithfulness by being faithful to Him – no matter what the circumstances might have been.

Indeed, we can be faithful to God only because of our faith in Him, our trust in His faithfulness. So this season, as we hear the familiar refrains of “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” let’s remember that we can come to Him only because of the great things the Lord has already done for us.All Ye Faithful,” let’s remember that we can come to Him only because of the great things the Lord has already done for us.