Articles2

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"GOD IS FAITHFUL"
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"GOD IS FAITHFUL." This statement and expression is found two times in the epistle of I Corinthians (I Corinthians 1:9; 10:13). The same truth repeatedly appears throughout the Bible, but is stated in different terms. This means that God is trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. He is the essence and totality of truth and consistency. He can be trusted.

This is really good to know. Man cannot always be trusted. Men may say one thing today and do another tomorrow. Friends may become enemies. Politics and politicians are synonymous with deceit. Underhanded dealings and dog-eat-dog tactics abound in the harrowed world of business and commerce. Marital infidelity is common. Religious apostasy engulfs the land.

But, thanks be to God, "God is faithful." With this short and simple statement of truth in mind, let us enter into a short and simple study of some of the greatest, yet simple, truths. On it hang all of our hopes.

I. GOD IS FAITHFUL IN HIS PROMISE X
Impossible for God to Lie
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We are told in the Bible that "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). But Scripture must be understood in the light of other Scripture. We find an exception to this in Titus 1:2. Here it states that we have "hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." Hebrews 6:18 more emphatically asserts that it is "impossible for God to lie." God, being God, is the totality and essence of truth. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth (John 14:16,17; 15:26; 16:13; I John 5:6). Therefore, when God speaks, it stands; it is for eternity. "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven" (Psalms 119:89). "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35; I Peter 1:25). Yes, His words can be relied upon. What He says will come to pass. Even as God said, "So shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).

The "Seed" of the Woman
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God is faithful in His Word in the promise of the coming Savior and in the fulfillment of this promise. The coming of such a Savior is first mentioned in Genesis 3:15. Man had sinned and fallen. As God speaks to the different parties involved, and in particular to Satan, He said, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." There would be an ongoing struggle between right and wrong. Finally of the seed of the woman there would be one to bring a crushing blow to the devil. This one of the seed of woman is distinguished from the others by use of the words "it" and "his."

Abraham’s "Seed"
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Years later with the call of Abraham we see that God had not forgotten His promise. The account reads, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram [Abraham], Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3). The descendants of Abraham, the nation of Israel, would be the vehicle of bringing the Savior into the world. Promise of the coming seed is repeatedly made to Abraham and his posterity (Genesis 22:18; 26:4).

Finally David
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This promise is kept alive with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Then from the twelve sons of Jacob, the promise is narrowed down to Judah. On his deathbed, speaking prophetically, old Jacob said, "The septre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh [bearer of tranquility, peace] come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be" (Genesis 49:10). From the tribe of Judah, David continues this narrowing lineage. In fact, he becomes the prophetic prototype of the very "seed" himself. The Savior would be called the son of David when he came.

God Keeps His Promise
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God is faithful in what He says. He keeps His promise. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of woman... " (Galatians 4:4). Paul further speaks of "the gospel of God (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:1-4). I John 3:8 asserts, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." Then I John 4:9 reads, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him" (I John 4:9).

Fulfillment Declared
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The sinless life of Christ took place. At the end of it he was crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead. Then after this, following the establishment of the church on the day of Pentecost, Peter quotes the Scripture about the promised seed and shows its fulfillment. He said, "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities" (Acts 3:25,26).

It is Wonderful!
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It is wonderful to know that we now have a Savior. There is hope for mankind. The power of the devil has been broken. The sin problem has been dealt with. We can be saved from our sins. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Then, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!" Heaven awaits all who accept the Savior and live for him. God is faithful in what He promises.

II. GOD IS FAITHFUL TO ADD US TO THE CHURCH
x Synonymous with the Savior
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Synonymous with the coming of the Savior was the coming of the kingdom. John the Baptist came preaching, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). Jesus took up the same message. He proclaimed: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). In his declaration of intent to establish his church, he uses the terms "church" and "kingdom" interchangeably (Matthew 16:18,19). Jesus told Nicodemus that a person had to be born of water and the Spirit before he could enter the kingdom (John 3:5). The kingdom would be made up of all who accepted the Savior. On another occasion Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power" (Mark 9:1). The kingdom would actually be set up during the lifetime of some who heard the voice of Jesus. This came to pass in the second chapter of the book of Acts. The kingdom came with power with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached that Jesus had been raised from the dead, and now was the Christ sitting upon the throne of David. With his ascension to heaven, he was now enthroned (Acts 2:29-36). The outpouring of the Spirit and demonstration of power ushered in the kingdom. The church was formally established. Men are added to the church (Acts 2:47; Colossians 1:13), and thereafter it is spoken of as an ongoing reality.

For "Whosoever Will"
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The Great Commission makes it plain that the gospel is for "whosoever will" (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16; Revelation 22:17). Jesus had told Nicodemus of the necessity of being born of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom (John 3:5). The Great Commission said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). On the day the church was started, sin-convicted men wanted to know what they must do. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]. For this promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:38,39). Next we read, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). Acts 2:47 further tells us likewise that the Lord thereafter added to the church daily those that were being saved.

Come and Be Added
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Beloved, if we want to accept the Savior and be added to his church, we may; we can. God is faithful. His word stands. Peter’s words on Pentecost are far-reaching: "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). The book of Revelation ends with an invitation and a promise, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). Jesus said that "he that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." When we repent and are properly baptized, the Lord adds us to his church (not to some man-made denomination). Denominational people belittle the concept and necessity of the church, but Paul tells us that Christ is the Savior of the body, the church; that he "loved the church and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:23-25). Paul told the Ephesian elders that Christ purchased the church with his own blood (Acts 20:28). We cannot be saved outside of the church. Being saved and becoming a part of the Lord’s church are one and the same thing. Remember, the Lord added to the church those that were being saved (Acts 2:47).

Rejoicing in the Kingdom
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So, let us rejoice in our salvation, being in the eternal kingdom of our Lord, the reign of heaven upon the earth. Looking to Revelation 1:9, we can see that we are in good company: "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ¼ " Men were simply and only commanded to preach the gospel, and the Lord did the adding to his church. We have no authority to invite men to join a denomination (or to start a denomination, or to be a denomination). Just preach the gospel in all of its purity, and let the Lord add people to the church that has already been established in the first century; teach men to observe all things that Christ has commanded. Then, and only then, can we claim the promise of the Great Commission, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world [age]" (Matthew 28:20). And with Paul we can look forward in anticipation: "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father: when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power" (I Corinthians 15:24). Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20,21). Heaven will be our home.

III. GOD IS FAITHFUL TO BE WITH US
x Great and Reassuring Truth
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Then in the context of these wonderful truths, it is reassuring to know that God is with us. We don’t become His children to be left as orphans (John 14:18; Acts 2:38; John 3:5; Galatians 4:6: Ephesians 3:16-21). We are not left alone to pull our own little red wagons. The Great Commission had promised the presence of the Lord for those abiding by its terms (Matthew 28:18-20). Verse nine of the epistle of II John reads, "Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." Therefore the admonition (and promise) in Hebrews 13:5 and 6 is ours, "Let your conversation [the way that you live] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Faithful to Keep Us
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The apostle Peter exclaims, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively [living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice... " (I Peter 1:3-6). God is faithful to keep us. How reassuring! However, it is not Calvinistic "once-in-grace-always-in-grace." We are kept by the power of God through faith. Through faith on our part we tap on to power that keeps us. Let us not cast off this faith (Hebrews 10:35-39; I Timothy 1:19; 5:12; 6:12; Revelation 2:10). Victory is assured. "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4). Paul pointed out to the sinning Corinthians that "God is faithful" (I Corinthians 1:9) in doing His part. Rest assured that He is. Let us do ours (I Corinthians 15:1,2; II Corinthians 7:8-11; Galatians 6:7-9)

What great and wonderful truths! There is One who is faithful in every sense of the word. His Word stands. It will come to pass. God is faithful in His promises, He is faithful to add us to His Church, and He is faithful to be with us as we serve Him. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). And, "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself" (II Timothy 2:11-13). Beloved, let us trust God, and let us respond accordingly. Amen!

(from VOL. 36, NO. 3, 1998)

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