God “is” “Faithful”. “Is” meaning ; “existing in this moment of time“, and “the substance, characteristics, and/or character of a thing”. God “is” a “right now”, “in this moment” God; alive, active and available to us. His “substance”, “characteristics”, and “character” is “Faithful”.But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is,…..” Hebrews 11:6
“Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;…” Deuteronomy 7:9 (NASB)
The Hebrew word translated “faithful” is ʾāman (aw-man’): “to be firm, endure, be faithful, be true, stand fast, trust, have belief, believe.” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words) Interestingly, ʾāman (aw-man’) is a “root” word, a word from which other words are derived that will have different connotations, but will still hold the concepts relative to the root word. For instance the Old Testament concepts of “believing” and “faith” are expressed in words that come from the “root word” ʾāman (aw-man’); that is because man’s “believing” or “faith” in God is directly related to man “trusting in” God’s faithfulness.
Deuteronomy 7:9 (Amplified Bible)
“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,”
“Bottom line”; “where the rubber meets the road”; etc., etc… It is absolutely a foundational “truth” and “principle” upon which our “faith” must be firmly established on in order to be truly functional; we must KNOW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is “faithful”, that He keeps the terms of His covenant, and that His steadfast (unconditional) love, mercy, and grace are unchangeable.
Psalm 146:5-10 (New English Translation)
“How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who remains forever faithful, vindicates the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The LORD releases the imprisoned. The LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD lifts up all who are bent over. The LORD loves the godly. The LORD protects those residing outside their native land; he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, but he opposes the wicked. The LORD rules forever, your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come! Praise the LORD!”
1 John 1:9 (NASB)
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Isn’t this cool? He is “faithful” to keeping us “cleaned up” so that we can maintain a “right” relationship with Him.
Philippians 1:6 (Amplified Bible)
“And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.”
This verse speaks to His faithfulness in bringing His plan and purpose for our lives to completion. Once we become a “”new creature in Christ”, God’s plan and purpose for our lives can really begin to unfold. He will begin to guide us, instruct us, and develop us into the person He created us to be. He will be “faithful”, even when we are not. We may “stray” from His plan for us, but He will not; He will “be there”, ready to “pick up”, and pick us up to continue fulfilling the “good work” He had begun in us. He will take us absolutely as far as we will allow Him to, and then, He will “faithfully” wait for the time when we are ready to go further toward the completion of His work in us; all the time, being “faithful” to fulfilling His covenant.
God cannot complete His plan and purpose in and for our lives without our permission and cooperation. However, He is faithful; even when we are not, and even when we are totally undeserving of His faithfulness. He is faithful.
Our concept of His “isness”; the manner in which we define His nature, substance, characteristics, and character, and the way we “receive” His “isness” into our life and depend on (have faith in) it, will be the role that we “anticipate/expect” or “will allow” God to play in our lives.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is,…..” God “is” “Faithful”.
*** Fred Wilson *** is an author, former coach, teacher and Life and Liberty News Contributor
