Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. (Deuteronomy 7:9-10)

God Is Faithful

Keeping a promise is often a difficult thing to do. Many factors can delay a promise made or make it impossible to fulfill. Good and honest men make promises intending to keep their word. Because of circumstances beyond their control, a promise can be broken. A man can have a faithful spirit but even the best of men will fall short of perfection. Faithfulness in the character of God is absolute, never failing, always true, and without measure. He is not like men. It is difficult for the human mind to understand how complete the faithfulness of God is. He is not faithful in a few things; His faithfulness has been perfect before time began.

God is God. That is the reason He is faithful. Every promise made by the Lord has been kept. In the garden of Eden, God promised to nurture and care for Adam and Eve. He fulfilled His promise but they broke His command. God was faithful to punish them because He said He would – and He did. The history of Israel is a textbook examination of the faithfulness of God. He delivered them from Egypt, fought their battles to victory, fed them and gave them water and during the forty years wandering did not allow their clothes to wear out, gave them the promised land, and blessed them above all nations on the earth. There was nothing God did not promise that He failed to keep.

Israel was the unfaithful nation that turned its back on the faithfulness of God. Hosea the prophet would vividly illustrate the faithfulness of God when he married a prostitute who bore him one son before having two illegitimate children by other men. Gomer would go away to whoredom before Hosea would once again love a woman loved by lovers and take her back. The faithfulness of God is everlasting – even against the rebellion of His people. Israel became corrupted through idolatry and yet the Lord would continue to appeal for the nation to repent and He would forgive. After the punishment of the bondage, the remnant returned as a symbol of God’s eternal faithfulness to forgive His people.

The faithfulness of God climaxed when Jesus Christ died on the cross. There was no hope or promise of glory without the Son of God dying for the sins of the world. God is faithful to allow His only beloved Son to suffer at the hands of cruel men and to do nothing. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, sin can be destroyed. That is a promise of God. There is no sin a man can commit that God will not forgive because He is faithful. When a heart turns from sin and obeys the commandments of the Lord, he will be saved. Grace is not measured by the goodness of men but by the faithfulness of God.

There is another side to the faithfulness of God. He does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. Often, faithfulness is viewed in the positive response of eternal glory. The other side of the faithfulness of the Lord is He will punish all who refuse to obey His word. He will not be slack with those who hate Him. Many deny there is a place of eternal punishment but if God is a faithful God, His righteousness demands it. Jesus preached the message of eternal fire for those who disobey. God is faithful to bless those who love Him and keep His commandments and God is faithful to repay those who hate Him and refuse to keep His commandments.

God is faithful. What a man does with that promise will determine his eternal destiny. Accepting the grace, mercy, and love of God will find eternal joy in the faithfulness of the Lord. Refusing to obey the will of the Father will bring the faithful judgment of a righteous God on the heart of the disobedient. Everyone in Hell will know that God is faithful. Sadly, it will be too late. Are you faithful? God is. He is faithful.