|
|
Being Faithful
We will often hear the term “faithful” applied in a variety of contexts concerning the practice of Christianity. Perhaps the most common usage among those we consider to be brethren is to imply agreement. You might hear someone describe another as faithful, such as, “Brother John Doe is a faithful gospel preacher.” What they generally mean is that in the issues they consider important, John Doe holds similar views to the speaker. That is not the usage of the term in the New Testament. Perhaps it would be helpful for us to look at the root of the word in the original language. It comes from the Greek verb, pisteuo, which means to believe, trust, or have confidence. The noun form is used in Heb 11:1, and gives us a working definition:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The adjective form is the term translated “faithful”, on which we will focus the rest of our article. It means one who has confidence or trust in something OR one who is trustworthy or reliable. It is used both ways in the NT (Tit 1:6; 3:8), although the latter is more common. The two ideas are very closely related and interdependent. A disciple is trustworthy (1 Cor 4:1,2) because they place their confidence in God (1 Tim 4:10). That is the point I want to emphasize.
Consider the definition of the English term. “Faithful” is one who is full of faith. “Faith” is occasionally used to address the doctrine of Christ (1 Tim 5:8), but its most common NT application is the one above; our assurance and conviction of the Christ. Following this definition of faith, the “faithful” are those who are full of assurance and conviction. Perhaps it is even more illustrative for us to consider the opposites. The opposite of faithful is not one who is doctrinally wrong, but one who is fearful of trusting God completely (Heb 10:38,39). The whole point of Hebrews 11 is to show the absolute trust with which we must place our lives in God’s hands (Heb 11:6). Notice that the writer does not show examples of men who were correct in their doctrine, but men who acted in such a manner to show that they would trust God no matter what might happen. Abraham acted by faith by doing God’s bidding of him, even though he did not know how it would work (vs.8-10, 17-19). Of course, because Abraham trusted God, he obeyed Him, but the clear emphasis of Hebrews is the trust, not the obedience.
When we consider what it means to be a faithful Christian, I believe we should also emphasize the trust we have, or do not have, for God to supply the lamb (Gen 22:8). God calls us to service; but promises to provide the means for us to serve (2 Tim 3:16,17; 2 Cor 9:8-15). Even when, or especially when, it seems that we are unable to fulfill that call (2 Cor 12:9,10). Remember, when we say, “We can’t do it”, we are right. But, when we don’t try because we can’t, we are also saying, “God can’t!” That is as UNfaithful as we can get! |