Attributes of God · Devotionals · Promises of God · Practical Theology

Is it really true that God is faithful?

14 min read, approximately

“When I planned this, did I act lightly? Or do I make my plans according to the flesh, so that with me there is both Yes and No? But as God is faithful, our word to you is not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you—myself, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in him it has been Yes. For all God’s promises are Yes in him, and in him Amen, through us, to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:17-20)

Faithfulness is the virtue that enables us to keep our promises even when circumstances are adverse. Throughout his blessed Word, God requires faithfulness from us. But beyond that… is God faithful? If we have doubts, let us consider these examples:

\1. Did God fulfill his promise of descendants to Abraham?

“When God made the promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, saying: Surely I will bless you abundantly and multiply you greatly. And after waiting patiently, Abraham received the promise. People swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath serves as confirmation to end every dispute. So God, wishing to show the heirs of the promise more clearly the unchanging nature of his purpose, confirmed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us might have the strongest encouragement.” (Hebrews 6:13-18)

And of course,

“By faith Sarah herself, though barren, received strength to conceive and gave birth even beyond the proper age, because she believed the one who had promised was faithful.” (Hebrews 11:11)

“For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. The son of the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but the son of the free woman through the promise.” (Galatians 4:22-23)

\2. The condition for sparing Sodom and Gomorrah

_“_Then the Lord said to Abraham: The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is now unbearable, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I will go down to see whether their actions are really as bad as the outcry reaching me suggests; if not, I will know. Two of the visitors left and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then he approached the Lord and said: Will you really destroy the righteous along with the wicked? Perhaps there are fifty righteous people in the city. Will you destroy everyone and not spare that place for the sake of the fifty righteous people there? Far be it from you to do such a thing! To kill the righteous with the wicked, treating both alike? Never do such a thing! Will you, the Judge of all the earth, not do what is right? The Lord answered: If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.

Abraham said to him:

“Then the LORD said to him: Since the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is growing greater and their sin has become exceedingly grave, I will now go down and see whether they have acted according to the outcry that has reached me; if not, I will know. The men departed from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham was still before the LORD. Abraham approached and said: Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Perhaps there are fifty righteous people within the city. Will you destroy it and not spare the place for the fifty righteous people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, treating the righteous like the wicked. Never do such a thing! Will the Judge of all the earth not do what is right? The LORD answered: If I find fifty righteous people within Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake. Abraham replied: Look, I have now begun to speak to my Lord, though I am dust and ashes. Perhaps there will be five fewer than fifty righteous people. Will you destroy the whole city for those five? He said: I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there. Abraham spoke again: Perhaps forty will be found there. He answered: I will not do it for the sake of the forty. Then Abraham said: May my Lord not be angry if I speak. Perhaps thirty will be found there. He answered: I will not do it if I find thirty there. Abraham said: Look, I have ventured to speak to my Lord. Perhaps twenty will be found there. He answered: I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty. Abraham spoke again: May my Lord not be angry if I speak just once more. Perhaps ten will be found there. He answered: I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten. The LORD departed when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.” (Genesis 18:20-33)

How many righteous people were there?

“Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house—all the people together, from youngest to oldest. They called to Lot and said: Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out so that we may know them.” (Genesis 19:4-5)

“Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, saying: Get up, leave this place, for the LORD is going to destroy this city. But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. At dawn the angels urged Lot, saying: Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, so that you do not perish in the city’s punishment.” (Genesis 19:14-15)

How many righteous people did the Lord find? Did God honor the condition?

\3. What about the promise of the promised land?

“The LORD said to Moses: Go, leave this place, you and the people you brought out of Egypt, and go to the land I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your descendants. I will send the angel before you and drive out the Canaanite, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.” (Exodus 33:1-3)

And what happened?

“Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. The LORD gave them rest on every side, according to everything he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of their enemies could stand against them, because the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; everything was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21:43-45)

\4. What about the promise of a Savior, the Prince of Peace?

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, and the government will be upon his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The growth of his rule and peace will have no limit, upon David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and sustaining it with judgment and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

And what happened?

“The birth of Jesus Christ happened in this way: When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to have conceived by the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being righteous and unwilling to disgrace her, intended to leave her secretly. While he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call his name JESUS,[a] because he will save his people from their sins. All this happened to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: Look, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call his name Immanuel, m which means: God with us. When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded and took his wife. But he did not know her until she gave birth to her firstborn son, and he named him JESUS.” (Matthew 1:18-25)

\5. What about the promise that he would indeed be the Savior?

“Despised and rejected by people, a man of sorrows, made for suffering. Everyone avoided looking at him; he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely he bore our illnesses and endured our pains, but we considered him wounded, struck by God, and humiliated. He was pierced for our rebellions and crushed for our iniquities; upon him fell the punishment, the price of our peace, and through his wounds we were healed. We were all wandering like sheep, each following our own path, but the Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Mistreated and humiliated, he did not even open his mouth; like a lamb he was led to slaughter, and like a sheep he was silent before his shearer; he did not even open his mouth.

After arresting and judging him, they put him to death; no one concerned themselves with his descendants. He was taken from the land of the living and struck for the transgression of my people. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and died among evildoers, though he had never committed violence, nor was there deceit in his mouth. But the Lord chose to crush him and make him suffer, and because he offered his life as an atonement, he will see his descendants, prolong his days, and carry out the Lord’s will. After his suffering, he will see the light and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many and bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a place among the great, and he will share the plunder with the strong, because he poured out his life to death and was counted among transgressors. He bore the sin of many and interceded for sinners.

“Despised and rejected among men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering; we hid our faces from him, he was despised, and we did not value him. Surely he bore our illnesses and suffered our pains, yet we considered him stricken, wounded by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our rebellions and crushed for our sins; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wound we were healed. We all went astray like sheep, each turning to our own way, but the LORD laid upon him the sin of us all. Distressed and afflicted, he did not open his mouth; like a lamb he was led to slaughter, and like a sheep before its shearers, he remained silent and did not open his mouth. He was taken away from imprisonment and judgment; who will recount his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living; he was wounded for the rebellion of my people. His burial was arranged with the wicked, but in his death he was with the rich, because he had never done evil, nor was there deceit in his mouth. Yet the LORD chose to crush him, subjecting him to suffering. When he has offered his life as an atonement for sin, he will see descendants, live many days, and the LORD’s will will prosper in his hand. He will see the fruit of his soul’s labor and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a share with the great, and he will divide plunder with the strong, because he poured out his life to death and was counted among the wicked, bearing the sin of many and praying for transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:3-12)

And what happened?

“Let the same attitude be in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to cling to, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant and becoming like humankind. Being found in human condition, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God also exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)

Promises

Beyond this, God has faithfully kept so many promises for our well-being… Yet since it is for us to decide whether we want them, our choice does not diminish the fact that God has been, is, and will be faithful. For example:

\1. The promise of salvation

“But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the word of faith that we preach: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes for righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses for salvation. For Scripture says: Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:8-11)

Is God faithful? God will remain faithful whether or not we decide to confess that Jesus is Lord.

\2. The promise of victory

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through the one who loved us. For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers nor powers, neither the present nor the future, neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

Is God faithful? God will remain faithful whether or not we accept that victory.

\3. The promise of provision

“My God will supply all that you lack according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Is God faithful? God will continue to keep his Word whether or not we understand that he provides for us.

\4. The promise of strength

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of those who have none. Boys grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait for the LORD will have renewed strength. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not grow tired.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)

Is God faithful? God will keep his promise to strengthen us… it is for us to wait on God!

\5. The promise of the Holy Spirit

“But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give it as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:26-27)

Is God faithful?
Let us remember:

“Just as rain and snow descend from the heavens and do not return there without watering the earth, making it sprout and produce, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and succeed in the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)

May God continue to bless you
and may you keep enjoying an excellent day in Christ Jesus!
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