DEFINED
FAITHFUL. After what hath been said under the foregoing article of faith, I shall not think it necessary to add much on the subject of faithfulness. The sense of it is very obvious. I only beg to observe, that it appears from Scripture the Lord delights to be known to his people, in his covenant engagements, by this distinguishing perfection. That sweet passage delivered to the church by Moses, is a most decided proof of it: “Know, therefore, that the Lord thy God, he is God; the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” (Deut. 7:9. See also 1 Sam. 2:35. Ps. 89:37. 1 Cor. 1:9. 1 Thess. 5:24. Rev. 1:5. 19:11.)
Robert Hawker, The Poor Man’s Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures (London: Ebenezer Palmer, 1828), 242.
FAITHFUL—as a designation of Christians, means full of faith, trustful, and not simply trustworthy (Acts 10:45; 16:1; 2 Cor. 6:15; Col. 1:2; 1 Tim. 4:3, 12; 5:16; 6:2; Titus 1:6; Eph. 1:1; 1 Cor. 4:17, etc.).
It is used also of God’s word or covenant as true and to be trusted (Ps. 119:86, 138; Isa. 25:1; 1 Tim. 1:15; Rev. 21:5; 22:6, etc.).
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893), 251.
SELECTED VERSES
Deuteronomy 7:9
9 Know, recognize, and understand therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps covenant and steadfast love and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations,
Joshua 24:14–15
14 Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Psalm 40:10–11
10 I have not concealed Your righteousness within my heart; I have proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation. I have not hid away Your steadfast love and Your truth from the great assembly. [Acts 20:20, 27.]
11 Withhold not Your tender mercy from me, O Lord; let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve me!
Romans 12:1–2
I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
Hebrews 10:23
23 So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.
The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Dt 7:9–Heb 10:23.
You may notice that the above verses seem to be missing something, yes? There is no reference to Job, and I can not explain why my search in LOGOS failed to bring up any verses in the Book of Job related to being Faithful/Faithfulness. So I will inject my top verse on the subject. Job 13:15 in the AMP reads:
“Even though He kills me; I will hope in Him. Nevertheless, I will argue my ways to His face.
In the first part of this verse, Job states he will have faith in God even unto death. While this is the true subject for today, the second part of the verse should not be overlooked. Here, Job proclaims God’s sovereignty and states that only to Him will he discuss his issues.
Job’s faithfulness in the face of suffering is a trait that is needed in the church today.
DEVOTIONAL
Timely, Pertinent Lessons from the Book of Job
There are certainly occasions when our world falls apart, sometimes by the orchestration of Satan. When that happens, Job stands as our example of the way we should respond—with an inalterable and unshakable confidence in the God of the Bible who has revealed Himself to us and mankind. Like Job, will we stand on the promises of God during these times of upheaval? Absent personal abilities or resources of our own, will we hold steady as God leads us through insurmountable hurdles that only He can provide the solutions to or deliver us from?
Like Job, God calls us to faithfulness, both personally and professionally, no matter what crises we may be encountering. May Job daily encourage us to stand firm and be rock solid in our perseverance through the myriad of present national difficulties.
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