It’s an irony, often the quality we require most from others, is the one we display the least. Faithfulness is one such quality. Obviously, unfaithfulness is the opposite, and it seeks to undo and reverse all the beautiful qualities and benefits of faithfulness. This is what makes unfaithfulness so hurtful, it attacks with the intent to destroy something that has been established and promised to remain. Even our society recognises the significance of faithfulness, as Civil Unions, Marriages, Legal Contracts, and Sales Agreements, all require the participants to be faithful to their commitment.
It doesn’t matter what area of life you apply the values of faithfulness to, unfaithfulness will always prove to be the ugly dark destroyer. Sadly, we are all guilty of this foul sin. It began in the garden of Eden, that place of human beginnings. Satan challenged Yahweh’s faithfulness to holiness. Obviously, Satan didn’t use my words when talking with Eve, but He did get Eve to completely forget about her expected faithfulness to her Creator God. The unspoken argument goes like this, “I can disobey, and God will be unfaithful to His holiness by removing my responsibility to Him for my disobedience.” And how did that line of thinking work out for Adam and Eve? Disastrously! Their unfaithfulness, expressed through the act of disobedience, introduced the stench of death and rebellion into humanity with eternal consequences.
Lucifer, more than any created being, should have understood Yahweh’s love for and loyalty to holiness, as he watched every action and heard every word spoken by the LORD in sinless heaven. In fact, Yahweh proved His faithfulness to holiness by expelling Lucifer without the possibility of forgiveness or reconciliation when pride hatched in his heart (Isaiah 14:12-14).
So, the LORD is holy, therefore He is faithful. Moses spoke the words of a hymn he had written on this matter to the assembly of Israel. For I proclaim the name of Yahweh; Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He (Deuteronomy 32:3-4). Our greatest example of faithfulness is God towards holiness and righteousness. Like a rock, the LORD is unmovable in this matter. And that holy unmovable determination is what makes faithfulness so beautiful and attractive.
Now, lets make the connection. In Ephesians 5:1, the apostle Paul instructs believers to be imitators of God, as beloved children. Paul is telling us, that the only appropriate response that the beloved children of God (Christians) should have to their Father, is to be imitators of Him. We should be striving towards “faithfulness to holiness” just as God is already.
But the application doesn’t stop there. Among the other manifestations of God’s Spirit, as explained by Paul, is the fruit of the Spirit which is love… and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22). If our beliefs, actions, and words, are not expressive of faithfulness in all of our relationships, then God’s Spirit is NOT present. This can be challenging, because the flesh constantly seeks to justify wrong behaviour. The flesh can be very creative in the ways it tries to convince you that sin is OK. But it’s not OK! Violating God’s holiness is sin, and, all sin falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and calls for justice.
May we today, evaluate our lives, looking for those areas where the devil has deceived us into thinking that it’s OK to disobey because “God will be unfaithful to His holiness by removing my responsibility to Him for my disobedience.” May we rise to a higher standard, where God’s Spirit is evident through our Godlike faithfulness.
