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Chapter 120

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THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

120.010.000 Torrey: p58, T:I
Topic 10: The fact that God is faithful.

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POINT 10: God is faithful.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Isaiah 49:7 This is what the LORD says -- the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel -- to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

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Topic 20: What does "faithful" mean?

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POINT 12: "Faithful" means to "stay" or "support".

(1) THE ETYMOLOGY -- The Hebrew root from which the words translated "faithful" and "faithfulness" in the Old Testament are derived means to prop or stay or support. The intransitive use of the word signifies to stay oneself or be supported; hence, the word "faithful", as applied to a person, means someone a person can safely lean upon. The Greek word used in the New Testament means trustworthy or to be relied upon, but this Greek word is the same used in the Septuagint for the Hebrew word mentioned above, and of course gets its meaning from this usage.

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POINT 22: Usage of the word "faithful".

In each of the following excerpts, the word in italics was translated as "faithful" in the 1885 Revised King James Bible, as indicated in Torrey's 17th Edition:

Psalms 119:86 All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause.

Proverbs 14:5 A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.

Matthew 24:45-46 [45] "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? [46] It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

Matthew 25:21, 23 [21] "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' [23] "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom I am the worst.

Revelation 21:5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

The Biblical usage of the word conforms to its etymology. The thought will come out more fully and definitely as we come to see how the faithfulness of God is manifested. Therefore, the proposition "God is faithful" means God is a being upon whom we can absolutely rely or stay ourselves.

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Topic 30: The extent of God's faithfulness.

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POINT 10: God's faithfulness is great.

Lamentations 3:23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

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POINT 20: God's faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Psalms 36:5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalms 89:2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

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POINT 30: All God's work is done in faithfulness.

Psalms 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

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Topic 40: How the faithfulness of God is manifested.

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POINT 10: God's faithfulness is manifested in His keeping His promise and covenant. His fulfilling every word that goes out of His mouth regardless of what man does.

Hebrews 10:23, 36-37 [23] Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. [36] You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. [37] For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay."

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

1 Kings 8:23-24, 56 [23] and said: "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below -- you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. [24] You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it -- as it is today. [56] "Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses."

Psalms 89:32-34 [32] I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; [33] but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. [34] I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.

Psalms 119:89-90 [89] Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. [90] Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.

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POINT 20: God's faithfulness is manifested in the unfailing defense and deliverance of His servants in times of trial, testing and conflict.

1 Peter 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Psalms 89:20-26 [20] I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him. [21] My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him. [22] No enemy will subject him to tribute; no wicked man will oppress him. [23] I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries. [24] My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted. [25] I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers. [26] He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.'

This might well be called "The Faithfulness Psalm." (See verse 1, etc.)

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POINT 30: God's faithfulness is manifested in His standing by His people and saving them even when they are unfaithful to Him.

Lamentations 3:22-23 [22] Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. [23] They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Jeremiah 51:5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the LORD Almighty, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.

2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

1 Samuel 12:20-22 [20] "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. [21] Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. [22] For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own."

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POINT 40: God's demonstrates his faithfulness by not letting Satan tempt His children beyond their ability to resist, and God always provides an escape.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

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POINT 50: God's faithfulness is shown in strengthening and protecting those He has called, guarding them from the evil one, sanctifying them wholly and preserving them entire -- spirit, soul and body -- without blame at the coming of Jesus. This confidence of God's children in regard to their future is not in their faithfulness, but in His.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 [8] He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1 Thessalonians 5:23- 24 [23] May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

John 10:28-29 [28] I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

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POINT 60: God's faithfulness is manifested in His chastening His children when they go astray.

Psalms 119:75 I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Hebrews 12:6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.

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POINT 70: God's faithfulness is manifested in His forgiving His children when they confess their sins.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Our confidence that God will forgive our sins when confessed rests upon two known facts about God: God is righteous and God is faithful. To doubt that your sin is forgiven when you have confessed it is to question His righteousness and His faithfulness as well as His veracity. It is not humility, but presumption.

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POINT 80: God's faithfulness is manifested in His answering the prayers of His children.

Psalms 143:1-2 [1] O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. [2] Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

The Righteousness, Mercy and Faithfulness of God run along nearly parallel lines, and they are all pledged to the deliverance, defense and complete and eternal salvation of God's people.

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