Faithful Or Unfaithful

Christians have many great responsibilities.  From a personal perspective, none of which is more important than continuing to be a faithful child of God.  In the book of Revelation, it is written, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:  behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days:  be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Notice that the crown is only to be given to those who remain faithful, even if it means dying to do so.  Paul readily understood that necessity.  As he was preparing to be executed, Paul wrote, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:  and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8).  Do we “love his appearing,” or are we dreading such?  What if Judgment began right now?  Would I receive a crown?  Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.  Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates” (2 Cor. 13:5)?  Are we truly faithful?

The New Testament contains many details as to what will happen to a child of God who is judged unfaithful.  In the parable of the talents, Jesus gave this description.  “His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed…And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:26-30).  What a strong contrast to the words that  the faithful servants heard.  They were told, “…Well done, thou good and faithful servant:  thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:  enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:21, 23).

In the book of Hebrews, faithfulness is strongly commanded of Christians.  Using the example of unfaithful Israelites of old, the writer gave Christians warning.  “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.  For some, when they had heard, did provoke:  howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.  But with whom was he grieved forty years?  was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?  And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it” (Heb. 3:12-4:1).

Likewise, the apostle Peter also wrote of the need to remain faithful.  He gave graphic description of what it is like for a child of God to become unfaithful.  He wrote, “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Pet. 2:20-22).  Just imagine, a man can be spirtually cleansed of all of his sins, but then he goes back to that way of life again.  By becoming unfaithful, he has polluted his soul all over again.  This time though, unless he repents, he will have to go through eternity knowing that at one time he was pure.  Instead of remaining faithful, he forsook the Lord.

While there is much written about the consequences of unfaithfulness, let us close with some more blessings that come from being faithful.  John wrote, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).  Are you enjoying these blessings, or are you unfaithful?
~ Corey Barnette