what if some were unfaithful? does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? by no means! let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “that you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.” [romans 3:3-4]
if some were unfaithful
in any relationship, faithfulness is assumed, but it is certainly not guaranteed. When we trust someone, we assume that they will be faithful not to gossip or betray us. we gain authenticity and vulnerability when we trust that the other person in any relationship will be faithful in return. unfaithfulness can be devastating – be it in marriage or even among co-workers or friends.
when we place any level of trust in another person, it brings pain to have that faithfulness broken. many of us have felt especially betrayed by leaders who proved themselves to be unfaithful to God’s word, and many use this as a reason to not trust God
yet God is always, eternally faithful.
in his second letter to timothy, paul writes about the enduring faithfulness of God, writing that, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (v.13).
the unfaithfulness of people does not affect or negate the faithfulness of God. a hypocrite who uses the name of God for their own gain does not reflect God.
God is unchanging, and his character never fails. He will judge sin, but he also loves us dearly and through Jesus has forgiven our sin. this is undeniable, and no amount of unfaithfulness from us could ever change that. as paul says here, if every human being on earth were proven to be a liar, every teacher false, this would have no effect on the character or faithfulness of God.
faithfulness to God is important to leadership, as paul continues in his words to timothy, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (II timothy 2:2).
God’s words have the most impact when spoken by his faithful servants. not perfect, but striving to be faithful to the Gospel and intentionally living a life that reflects who God is. May we strive to be faithful to others and faithful to our God as we seek to proclaim his message, and back it up through how we live.
~ jason soroski