In Christ, I am made faithful. To be faithful has a variety of meanings in our culture. It could simply mean you are one who follows through with an expectation. “He is faithful in completing his work on time.” When I was growing up, if someone was in church whenever there was something on the schedule, they were considered faithful. Some synonyms would be dependable, trustworthy, or considerate.
The Apostle Paul ads a twist to this word when he declares that we are “the faithful in Christ Jesus”. This is an indication that there is something added to our lives when we receive the gift of salvation by faith. It is one of the benefits of being a follower of Jesus.
In many translations, this phrase is interpreted as being in union with Christ. In other words, it is a picture of sharing in his level of dependability and trustworthiness. That takes this quality in our lives to a whole new level.
It’s important to note here that there is a difference between reputation and character. Your reputation is what you want people to think you are. Your character is what everybody who lives with you and knows you knows that you are. The fact that the Ephesians were faithful in Christ Jesus points to the genuine character of these believers.
The Greek work for “faithful” is an adjective used to describe those who are living out the characteristics of saints that we discussed last week. The word means to win over, to persuade. It is translated “to obey” in Hebrews. It has the understanding of someone who has been totally persuaded to the point of a willingness to obey. It means trustworthy. It means one who is dependable to do what God said to do. This means the faithful are living lives that are reflective of the holiness God placed on their account through Jesus.
I want us to note that there are several references in the New Testament using the same Greek word for faithful discussed above. I want us to look at it because as I researched the word it drew a picture of what it means to be faithful in Christ Jesus. When the term is used in relation to God it means something different than when it is used in relation to man. Why? Because God is perfect. When you say God is faithful, He never fails in His faithfulness to do what He says He will do. As a matter of fact, 1Corinthians 1:9 says, “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” This is a promise that God will never let us down. The promises in Scripture will always be fulfilled. It is vital that we understand this quality of God if we are to enjoy and utilize the faithfulness he places on our account as his child.
The only means by which we can live a life of faithfulness is when we place our complete reliance on our Lord. Hebrews 10:23-25 reminds us, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching. This clearly ties our relationship with our Lord to our ability to be trustworthy and dependable in our ministry to others in the Body of Christ. As we hold unswervingly to our hope in Christ, it empowers our faithfulness as we serve others. Although we will never achieve God’s level of faithfulness in this life, it is the goal to which we strive. He has given us the tools to accomplish this through our walk with Christ. We simply need to apply them to our life every day.