God is Fatihful

Faith is an abstract concept. Similar to love, you can’t see it, but you may feel like you know it exists because you have experienced it or you have seen it in someone else. Though you can’t see love itself, you can see love demonstrated through someone’s actions and words.

Marriage is a demonstration of both love and faithfulness. When two people get married, they publicly declare their love and dedication to each other and, during the wedding ceremony, make vows. Vows are promises. When a couple makes vows, they promise to love, honor, and cherish each other throughout their lives; to support each other even in hard times. We often hear the word “faithful” associated with marriage, though all humans are imperfect, and we know that no one can perfectly keep all of their promises.

God has made promises to us, not through marriage but through a covenant with us, and He is faithful to keep His promises. In the Old Testament, God made covenants with His chosen people, Israel, starting with Abraham. He promised Abraham a child when he was childless and that, through his descendants, all nations of the earth would eventually be blessed.

“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’” (Genesis 12:1-3; NASB)

When God made this promise to Abram, he wasn’t called Abraham yet, and he was old and didn’t even have a child! Abram’s name was changed to Abraham in Genesis chapter 17 as confirmation of God’s promise that, though he was childless at age 99, God would give him a son and make him a father of many nations.

“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.” (Genesis 17:4-6; NASB)

In Genesis 21, when Abraham was 100 years old and his wife Sarah was also old, God provided them with a son, Isaac. God waited until they were past childbearing age to prove that this child was from Him and that He indeed keeps His promises!

The Psalms also tell us about God’s faithfulness:

“For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is [done] in faithfulness.” (Psalm 33:4; NASB)

“Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness [reaches] to the skies.” (Psalm 36:5; NASB)

The prophet Daniel describes God like this:

“…O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Daniel 9:4; NASB)

God’s purpose has always been to reward His faithful people with eternal life at Christ’s return. The covenant in the Old Testament pointed forward to Jesus and involved not only this future hope but also required the Israelites to strictly adhere to the Law of Moses, which they consistently failed to do. This was intended to teach them that they could not earn salvation by their works. It was impossible!

In the New Testament, we are given a new and better covenant through the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as [coming] from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate [as] servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:4-6; NASB)

In 2nd Timothy, God is described like this:

“…God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,” (2 Timothy 1:8-10; NASB)

And in Acts chapter 13:

“And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this [promise] to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.’” (Acts 13:32-33; NASB)

Not only that, but this New Covenant is not just between God and Israel, but has been made available to all who believe and are baptized.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ, have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29; NASB)

“Now, why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (Acts 22:16; NASB)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9; NASB)

“…let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [clean] from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” (Hebrews 10:22-23; NASB)

We hope that you will want to learn more about the promises and baptism into Jesus Christ, knowing that you, too, can be in this covenant relationship with God, our creator and father in heaven, who knows and wants what is best for us.