Defining Faithfulness

Mike Hosey, Elder

What does it mean to be faithful?  This is an important question because the Bible seems to require of God's people a strong faithfulness. Does it mean that we are to be perfect in everything we do and never make a mistake in our beliefs or logic? Does it mean that we are to attend every single church service everytime the doors are open? Does it mean that we are to visit every homeless person in Gainesville, Alachua or High Springs everyday? Does it mean that we are to always treat our spouses with utmost care?

The answer to those questions is no, not necessarily. In reflecting on this, I thought about the Old Testament character of Moses.  He was not a perfect person (Exodus 2:11-12, Numbers 20:8, Numbers 20:9-12). But even though he was not perfect, and even though he blatantly disobeyed God because of an apparent moment of frustration and anger with his people, he is still described as faithful (Numbers 12:7, Hebrews 3:5). The Old Testament uses the same word for faithful ('aman, Strongs H539) that it does to describe God (Deuteronomy 7:9).

So somehow Moses is faithful in a similar way to how God is faithful. That's a pretty tall trait for a mortal man who sinned and eventually died! Well, it's a good idea to know what that word "faithful" mean's in the Old Testament's original Hebrew if we are to understand why the Bible makes such a comparison. The common threads that run through that word's many shades of meaning are the concepts of standing firm, to confirm, to uphold or to be reliable.

Just a cursory overview of the Bible shows that God stands firm on truth, and his word; that he upholds it, and that he confirms it with miracles.  The faith that Moses had for God was confirmed when he stood his ground consistently on the tasks that God asked him to do, and when he upheld God's word, and when he proved reliable to God's mission.

We can be called faithful when we do the same things.  When our spouses aren't doing as they should be doing, or the world is falling apart around us, we can be called faithful when we walk by a belief in what God has told us, rather than in what we see.  When we stand firm, uphold God's word, confirm our faith by our behavior and prove that our character is reliable in terms of our allegiance to God and his mission in our lives, we can be called faithful, just like Moses was.


SEE MY SERMON FROM LAST WEEK FOR THE RELATED TOPIC OF COVENANT
http://sermonations.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-ball-chain-mike-hosey-march-9-2014.html