Faithfulness to God

Hebrews 3:1-2 "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house."

What it means to be faithful?
What does it mean to be faithful? Several times in Hebrews 3 we see reference to this word. I am convinced that this is the chief mark of success in God's sight. The English word translated "faithful" derives from two Greek words that could be rendered "being in a state of firm persuasion or trust". Sometimes when explaining this word to people I tell them that faithfulness is established by the case by case opportunities we have to trust God or doubt God. The more consistent I get at demonstrating myself to trust God than doubt God, the more it can be said that I am faithful. Moreover, with faith being the root, obedience follows as the necessary fruit. Hence it can be equally said that the more consistent I get at obeying God than disobeying God in a case by case fashion, I demonstrate myself to be faithful. The remainder of today's post aims to understand what it means to be faithful to God.

What it means to be faithful to God from Hebrews 3:1-14

1. Consistently obeys God. Hebrews 3:1-4
Hebrews 3:2 states - "He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house." As a general pattern Moses did as the Lord told him. In a comprehensive and perfect manner Jesus carried out in His full humanity and undiminished Deity the will of the Father. Can a Christian be consistently faithful? Moses was considered as such and we know there were times in his life where he got angry, frustrated and tired. Yet the pattern of his life was growing faithfulness. Moses' faithfulness and really every believer's faithfulness borrows capital from the perfect faithfulness of Jesus Christ. By the Person of the Holy Spirit we are granted access to "partake" or "share" in the power and Person of Christ's achievements in his perfect humanity. In Christ it can be said we are consistently faithful while we are growing in faithfulness.

2. Carefully serves God's purposes. Hebrews 3:5-6
Hebrews 3:5 states that Moses was a faithful "servant" in God's house. The word translated "servant" is from the Greek word "therapaya" from whence we derive our English word "therapist". A therapist in the modern day sense is one who aids people in thinking more clearly or in achieving goals in their psychological life. A therapist was a servant who gave aid and made things easier for the master's purposes to be communicated and achieved. Typically these servants had specialized training in the medical field. Thus when we speak of something today as being "therapeutic", we are referring to its benefit to the one whom we are administering the service. 

Encouraging people or providing practical ministry can be "therapeutic" and requires a willingness to help out that person. When Jesus came He performed 35 miracles, with many of them having to do with healing. When God's people are faithful, the purposes of God are set free to do their work through us to that other person. Such purposes can prove to be "therapeutic" to people as a result of the faithful efforts of the child of God.

3. Keeps the heart sensitive to God. Hebrews 3:7-11
Hebrews 3:7-8 warns - "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me." A true child of God will make keeping their heart sensitive to God a major priority. How is it we hear God? Chiefly we hear God through the scriptures. (Romans 10:17) In secondary ways we hear God by way of other people's counsel (Proverbs 11:14; 24:6); the course of circumstances and of course prayer. Loving the Lord with all our heart is considered the Greatest of the commandments and the core of true Biblical spirituality. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matt 22:37-39)

4. Cherishes God's people. Hebrews 3:12-14
Faithfulness to God is never to be done in isolation. We only deepen our faithfulness to God to the degree we are in fellowship with the people of God. Hebrews 3:12-13 states - "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heartthat falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Individual faith and obedience can never be any greater than the corporate faith and obedience of the Body of Christ at large. Truly the Lord ministers to His people in a far more profound and richer way corporately. The local church is the primary way in which the individual Christian can find all they need to be equipped to mature and excel in the faith. (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Closing thoughts
We have considered in short order today what it means to be faithful to God from Hebrews 3:12-13. We discovered the following traits of Biblical faithfulness:

1. Consistently obeys God. Hebrews 3:1-4

2. Carefully serves God's purposes. Hebrews 3:5-6

3. Keeps the heart sensitive to God. Hebrews 3:7-11

4. Cherishes God's people. Hebrews 3:12-14