God Is Faithful

I Corinthians 1:1-9

One quality that we like to see in others, particularly a spouse or a close friend, is faithfulness.  We like to know that they will remain true, loyal, and that they are dependable. We like to know that if they promise us something, if they give us their word, we can depend upon it.  When troubles come our way we would like to know that we can rely on friends and family to be there for us, just as we hope we would be there for them. In our Scripture passage for today, I would like to focus on verse 9, where the Apostle Paul speaks of One that he knew was always faithful, One whom he could depend upon no matter what.

Throughout his life, the Apostle Paul had many friends, and also many enemies.  He could always rely upon his enemies to attack him at any opportunity that they had.  Whenever Paul came to a new village or city, bringing the Gospel to the lost, he could depend upon those enemies of the Lord to track him down and try to stop him, often with brutal physical attacks.  What about his friends? Were they dependable, true, and loyal? Frequently they were there to help him when needed. When Paul was stoned nearly to death in Lystra, his friends were there to help him, at the risk of their own safety (Acts 14:19).  In nearly every city and village that he brought the Gospel to, the Jews made plots to kill Paul, and his friends would help him get safely out of town. However, there were a number of times when Paul had no one to stand with him. At the close of his life, when he was brought to trial once again, his execution being right around the corner, Paul wrote to Timothy to say the sad words that no one was standing with him, and he was alone (II Timothy 4:16).

Have you ever been in a similar situation, where your friends were nowhere to be found when you needed them the most?  Perhaps they turned their backs on you while evil lies were being spread about you. Maybe when problems were mounting on your doorstep, all you received was silence to your phone calls, texts, and emails.  If your car broke down, could you rely upon them for a ride when you needed it? Some people are blessed to have good and faithful friends, but others are not, and Paul knew what that was like when he faced the greatest trial of his life and he was all alone.

All alone?  Paul knew that despite times when all his friends forsook him, that he wasn’t really alone.  As he said in our focus verse, “God is faithful”. All throughout his life Paul had found that God was faithful to him.  Reading through the Book of Acts we see over and over again how Paul was run out of town, needing to flee for his life. He was often arrested and even brutally whipped (Acts 16:22-24).  As pointed out above, Paul was also stoned, being revived after having been left for dead. We read in II Corinthians 11:23-28, where Paul gives an account of some of the trials he went through.  What got him through? It was the knowledge that during it all, God was faithful. Paul knew that He would be with him through everything (II Timothy 4:17-18).

Paul knew that he could confidently tell the Corinthian believers that no matter what they might have to go through, no matter the trial or the persecution, God is faithful.  In verse one we read the name of Sosthenes, who was probably Paul’s secretary who transcribed this letter for him. Sosthenes was a Christian from Corinth, who had been beaten there for his faith in Jesus (Acts 18:17).  He also knew that God was faithful. All throughout Scripture we see believers finding this true in their lives. Abraham saw that God faithfully kept His promise to him. David, Elijah, Jeremiah, they each found Him faithful to protect them and that He kept His promises.  Each of the apostles and many of the New Testament saints faced persecution and martyrdom for their faith in Jesus, yet God was still faithful to them to the end. There is not one single promise in Scriptures that God has failed to keep. Our family may abandon us some day.  Our friends may forsake us. We can be confident, though, that God is faithful and we can surely depend on Him in each and every situation we are in just as Paul did.