God Is Faithful

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

1 Corinthians 1:9

Because God is awesome and infinite in goodness, it is easy for us to overlook His glorious attributes.  One characteristic that separates God from all else He has made is His faithfulness.  He is sure, steadfast and trustworthy at all times.  God is faithful to keep His word and to not withdraw His gracious offers of help, deliverance and salvation from us.  If God was not faithful, fellowship and relationship with God would be impossible.  People will risk everything for the chance to see their dreams come true, yet God's purposes and plans are better than our wildest fantasy.

An example of the blessing of God's faithfulness is seen later in this same letter Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13:  "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."  With every temptation allowed by God (who knows our frame) He also makes the way of escape so we need not fall prey to Satan or return to the bondage of sin.  God is faithful to protect, provide and guide us through challenges which on our own have proved to insurmountable.  We are made more than overcomers through faith in Christ who loves us, for He is faithful.

God is love and wisdom for us and this is revealed in His faithfulness.  God is not like a person who wears many hats:  is a dad to his daughter, the Justice of the Peace when people seek a marriage license and barber when a shave and haircut is needed.  God's faithfulness, love and grace are all active aspects of His glorious character all at once.  We often need to stop doing one thing before we can concentrate fully on something else, but God operates from outside the confines of humanity, time and space.  Because God is faithful we can count on Him always, and He is worthy to be trusted and relied upon.

Psalm 89:1-5 bursts forth with praise of God who is faithful:  "I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. ² For I have said, "Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens." ³ "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: ⁴ 'Your seed I will establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations.' " Selah ⁵ And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints."  The faithful God has made a covenant with the blood of His own Son Jesus He will keep forever, and may we proclaim God's faithfulness by walking in His ways apart from sin.

Trust Without a Doubt

Last night our family read in Romans 14:1, "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things."  While it is perfectly legitimate to have convictions or beliefs from one another, we should not welcome or incite disputes and arguments--especially about controversial subjects.  It is interesting how we can be moved to dispute over particulars but completely miss the heart of the matter.  The Pharisees did this when they were careful to religiously weigh out a tithe of each herb but neglected mercy, faith and the love of God.

I remember once delivering a sermon from Judges 11 about Jephthah, a mighty man of valour who is mentioned by name in the "hall of faith" in Hebrews 11.  I was met afterwards by someone who politely made it a point to say they did not agree with my interpretation of the passage.  He believed what some modern rabbis teach, that Jephthah did not do unto his daughter according to his vow.  My Bible in the margin classifies Jephthah's vow as "rash," though the passage says he did so filled with the Holy Spirit (Judges 11:29-31).  It would be a terrible tragedy to debate the rashness of Jephthah's vow and to miss his example of unwavering, costly faith in his glorious God.  It would be better for us to be people of our word before God and man than argue over a word.

At a conference years ago I heard pastor John MacArthur speak about an incident that occurred in seminary.  A point came for all students when they prepared and delivered a sermon to all the students with all the faculty present who would provide a critique.  MacArthur spoke how he poured himself into his studies, intent on impressing everyone with his mastery of the text.  There was one professor in particular he wanted to please.  He said while addressing the crowd he noticed his professor in the back of the auditorium shaking his head.  After collecting the responses of the staff, he opened the paper from his professor which simply said:  "You missed the whole point."  It was a lesson for him and for me too.  We can have our theology neatly arranged, understand the meaning of words and form interpretations that miss the whole point of the passage.

Instead of debating over doubtful things, let us be convinced in our own minds of the veracity of scripture, our need to apply lessons personally in our lives and to turn our eyes towards Jesus in faith.  There are many passages which for whatever reason can be controversial, but we ought not be contentious.  It would be silly for a starving man to saw into a bone after pushing the meat off to the side.  Psalm 37:3 says, "Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness."  The LORD is faithful, His word is true and this is without dispute.  When it comes to the goodness and worthiness of God to be trusted, there is no doubt.

Faith Beyond Borders

During a worship service recently I was struck by the awesomeness of God, how He can do things for us before we ever thought to ask.  Countless wonders He has fulfilled by His grace and only rarely are we made aware of them.  It is not that God isn't listening, speaking and doing great things, but our faith and minds are awfully small.  A ship only need be about 12 miles apart from another ship at sea before they drop below the horizon and out of sight, and this illustrates well our inability to see all God has purposed and is accomplishing right now.

We sang words to Hillsong's Oceans:  "You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where feet may fail. And there I find You in the mystery. In oceans deep my faith will stand."  This song was written in 2013, several years after my family and I immigrated to Australia located across the Pacific Ocean.  While the song hearkens to Peter being called by Jesus to come to Him on the stormy Sea of Galilee, the adventure of faith God has led me on was to go to a great country and people unknown to us.  In the process of being established in Australia God has already been faithful to do more than I could ever ask or think.  As I considered the lyrics it was wonderful to realise how God had already shown Himself faithful to answer this prayer in the past, and He also will remain faithful for all my future.

The refrain goes, "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders."  To physically walk upon the water as Jesus did is a very little thing compared to the value of trust and reliance upon Christ right where we stand.  No matter what country we reside, regardless which ocean we traverse, faith in Jesus will always bring us to His desired end.  God has brought me to the opposite side of the globe from where I was born, and during the night of worship it was clear God has even more in store:  not distance measured in nautical miles but spiritual growth through faith in Him.  If faith has borders it is confined by my unbelief, not by God's inability.  At the same time God chose in His wisdom to divide the borders of Israel so each tribe and family would have their own inheritance by faith to enter into and possess.

Sometimes a great conquest of faith is not to go far away from what is familiar but to remain content where you are when the world beckons.  It was faith in Jesus that enabled Paul to learn contentment whether he enjoyed abundance or suffered lack, whether he sailed safely or was shipwrecked.  It is faith in Jesus that bid apostles to go, and it was faith  in Him that prompted some to stay as led by the Holy Spirit.  David sang in Psalm 139:17-18, "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! ¹⁸ If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You."  Grains of sand can be numbered, but the thoughts God has are beyond counting.  Our faith in such a great, good God ought to go beyond borders.

Purpose and Reason

I have heard people say, "Everything happens for a reason."  Like many Christian-sounding cliches, this is not a phrase you will find in the Bible.  This sentiment is possibly a hackneyed quote from Ecclesiastes 3:1 that says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven..."  It is important to point out that "purpose" and "reason" are not synonyms, though we might use them interchangeably in common conversation.  Purpose is the target to be reached, and the reason is the cause.  Purpose is all about plans and intention of the will, while a reason is what causes something.

When Solomon spoke about God having a time for every purpose under heaven, it means God has an intended end for everything He allows to occur.  Perhaps a good illustration to explain the difference between purpose and reason can be seen in answering the question:  why is the kettle boiling?  One might explain how the heat causes the water to boil as the reason why the kettle is boiling, but the purpose of the kettle boiling is because I want to make a cup of tea.  We often desire to know reasons while God is working at purposes we cannot fully comprehend because He is God, and all His ways and thoughts are above ours.  We imagine knowing a reason for our suffering will provide some comfort, but it is only in God we find peace, rest and beauty by faith in God who is good.

God is able to make all things beautiful in His time according to His glorious purposes.  Paul says it this way in Romans 8:28:  "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  God had redemptive purposes in the suffering of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, and He has given eternal life and liberty to all who believe.  In His wisdom and grace God has revealed this to us in His word, though He does not reveal everything.  Job fervently desired to know reasons God allowed him to suffer, yet God never even revealed the source of his trial was Satan himself.  God allowed many questions Job asked to go unanswered, yet He was faithful and gracious to answer with a glorious revelation of Himself.

The reason why there are devastating floods in eastern Australia at the moment is because there has been an incredibly large amount of rain in a short time.  The reason why hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing Ukraine today is because it has become a war zone.  The reasons are not hard to explain, but I cannot explain how God will bring good from them.  But because God has purposes in flood and drought, in times of war and peace, we can look to Him with full assurance of faith He will make all things work together for good to those who love God.  I am grateful and thankful God remains good when times are bad, and how He can take what man intends for evil and turn it into good.  Choosing to place our faith in the almighty God is always reasonable, even when we cannot know His purposes.