Faith and Faithfulness
Jesus was giving a parable on prayer to the people (Luke 18:8). We don't have Jesus' ministry on video from those ancient days, but I imagine something. I see Jesus preaching to a crowd with some disciples nearby. His voice trails off but just loud enough for a close disciple to hear. He pauses for a moment and turns His face toward the sky or toward the wilderness. He has a concerned look. His gaze seems blank and far-off as if seeing something. He almost whispers, “When the end comes, will I find any faithful people on earth at all?”
Chilling.
I believe He will find saving faith. I believe He will find the gift of faith. But will He find any faithfulness to Him? Will He find any loyalty to the Scriptures, since there is all kinds of resistance to it? (pp. 82-83 A House of Two Rooms)
At the end will Jesus find faithfulness? In English we use faith and faithfulness to speak of two slightly different ideas. Faith is generally the idea of having confidence in someone or something. It seems to refer to the moment. Faithfulness has the idea of the characteristic of having faith long term, an endurance in confiding in someone. The Bible seems to use the word faith for “in the moment” kind of belief and for long term loyalty. It is almost as if God expects us to endure, despite hardships or lures away from God. It is more than repeating someone else's words and then never giving it another thought.
Our daily routine may seem mundane or unimportant. We think, “Where are great exploits?” Mighty works for God require faith but it is more instinct and gifting than enduring belief. Healing the sick, casting out devils, and raising the dead certainly require faith. All of those things are good (and imitating Jesus) but that is not where faithfulness is seen. It is seen over time.
And he (Abram) believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Gen 15:6)
When Abram was 75 years old, God told him that he would have a biological son. He said that his descendants would be numerous as the stars of the sky. Abram believed God and he was counted as a righteous man in that moment.
Fast forward 25 years. When Abram (now called Abraham) was 100 years old, God renewed the promise. It was so ridiculously impossible that both Abraham and his wife Sarah laughed out loud. Abraham was an impotent old man, Sarah could never conceive children on a good day, much less now that she was 90 years old. Abraham and Sarah certainly had worries, doubts, and faltered at times but Hebrews 11 calls them faithful. When their promised son was born they named him Laughter (Isaac).
Abram believed God in the moment when God made promises to him and Abraham also believed God 25 years later. This is what the Bible calls faith. God expects real faith to endure, even against apparent evidence to the contrary.
Noah believed God when he was told about the coming flood. He was still in faith a hundred years later, working on or overseeing the construction of the ark. Though he had times of weakness, he had faith in God's promise over a prolonged period of time (Gen 6-9).
There was a man named Simeon, probably an old man, who was in the temple at Jerusalem when the child Jesus was presented (Luke 2:25-35). He had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. He probably had waited a long time. When he saw the baby Jesus, he was still sensitive to the leading of Lord. A man of faith that was faithful.
At the same time there was a woman in the temple named Anna who was 84 years old (Luke 2:36-38).
And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. (Luke 2:37)
Here was a long-term saint who was full of faith, even into old age. The story of her life was not about a quick spasm of faith decades ago, but rather a lifetime of walking with God.
In Acts 10 we read the account of Cornelius, a Gentile centurion. He was probably not an old man. However, he had the reputation of having a custom of genuine respect for God. Peter presented the Gospel to him and his family. He received the Gospel and continued in his faithfulness, now understanding more clearly the God he had general faith in.
Many others had faith in God, some with short term exploits and some with a history of faithfulness. There were and are many martyrs, some unknown. Though many may not have had a long life in which to display their faith in God, they had a lifetime of persecution compressed into a short period of time.
The thief crucified beside Jesus had a short sprint of his faith for a few minutes before he died (Luke23:40-43). This can give us great hope and encouragement concerning those who have had a “deathbed” conversion but it is not given to us as an example to follow.
What is God looking for in you and me? Certainly He is looking for trust from us in the moment that we hear His Word. The idea of faith also includes a history of walking out our loyalty to Him. Whether our remaining time is long or short, let us be found faithful.
... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Rev 2:10)
Dec. 16, 2023