• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
The Faithfulness of Jesus to God the Father
Hebrews 3:1-2 reads as follows: "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of theheavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, ChristJesus, who was faithful to him who appointed him, as Moses also was faithfulin all his house." (NKJV)Reading this passage and its surrounding context awhile back got me tothinking about the faithfulness of Jesus. We seldom think about Jesus being"faithful," that is in the sense of being faithful to God, even though we knowhe lived a sin free life. I think there is profit to be had in looking into thissubject in as much as Jesus is to be our example. It is Jesus who said, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,and follow me." (Matt. 16:24 NKJV) Following Jesus would include followinghim in faithfulness. While Jesus was in the beginning with God and the Holy Spirit when the wordswere uttered, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness"(Gen. 1:26 NKJV, see also John 1:1-11) once Jesus entered the world, sentby God the Father (John 17:18), he became not only the Son of God but alsothe Son of Man and became subject to the Father. Paul said, in speaking tothe Corinthians, "I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, thehead of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." (1 Cor. 11:3 NKJV)Paul said earlier, in the same book, "And you are Christ's (speaking of theCorinthian Christians-–DS), and Christ is God's." (1 Cor. 3:23 NKJV) WhenPaul wrote those words Jesus was back in heaven but if he was then subjectto the Father then certainly he was subject to him earlier while on earth.We also know that when this world comes to an end and the Day of Judgmenthas come to be history that Jesus who now sits at the "right hand of themajesty on high" (Heb. 1:3 NKJV) ruling "till he has put all enemies under hisfeet" (1 Cor. 15:25 NKJV) will then himself "be subject to him who put allthings under him, that God may be all in all." (1 Cor. 15:28 NKJV)We are really talking here about decisions made by the Godhead before thecreation of the world itself. Sometime before the foundation of the world theGodhead made the decision that once the world was created and man placedupon it that Jesus would, at some future point in time, a time known only toGod, take upon himself the form of man, enter into the world, and become itsSavior by the sacrifice of himself on the cross for the sins of man. Yes, Godknew his creation, man, would sin before man was created.Jesus was our Savior chosen to be so before the foundation of the world."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed uswith every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he choseus in him before the foundation of the world (read that again a second timefor emphasis-–DS), that we should be holy and without blame before him inlove." He was "foreordained before the foundation of the world." (1 Peter1:20 NKJV)
 
Jesus was born into the world to be a sacrifice for man's sin. "But we seeJesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death(emphasis on what you have just read-–DS) … that he, by the grace of Godmight taste death for everyone." (Heb. 2:9 NKJV) Jesus came into the worldfor the express purpose of dying "for everyone." This was by God's graciousact. Jesus was the Lamb of God (John 1:29), "The Lamb slain from thefoundation of the world." (Rev. 13:8 NKJV)Yes, Jesus was and is God. Only God can save us. Jesus was our Saviorchosen to be so by the Godhead before the foundation of the world.However, while Jesus was/is God (see Heb. 1:8, John 1:1-2, Phil. 2:6, andother passages) when he took on the role of the Son of Man coming to earthin bodily form he himself became subject (willingly) to the Father.The Hebrew writer makes this clear when he says:"But to the son he says: 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepterof righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have lovedrighteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, your God, has anointedyou with the oil of gladness more than your companions.'" (Heb. 1:8-9 NKJV)Jesus who was himself God (read the verse above again) had a God. Who didJesus pray to if not to his God and Father? Who did he sing praise to (Heb.2:12) if not to his God? Who did he put his trust in (Heb. 2:13) if not in hisGod?It was "in all things he had to be made like his brethren" (Heb. 2:17 NKJV)and thus his faith in and dependency upon the Father, God in heaven. Nowplease do not misunderstand. The most difficult subject that a man can studyand never really understand is how both deity and humanity dwelt withinJesus at the same time. I am avoiding that subject in this article like theplague. I am only saying here that in Jesus' role as the Son of Man he had adependency on God the Father just as all men do. Even as the Son of Godsons are subject to their fathers and must always show them honor andrespect.The Bible says Jesus was "faithful" to God who appointed him as the apostleand high priest of our confession (Heb. 3:1-2). The text also points out howMoses had also been "faithful." What does the word faithful mean? Whatmakes a person faithful? When we speak of the faithfulness of Jesus whatdoes that mean?A good synonym for faithful would be the word "reliable." Other synonymsmight be "dependable" or "trustworthy." My
Merriam-Webster's Pocket Thesaurus
says of the word faithful, "firm in adherence to whatever one isbound to by duty or promise."
 
The Bible speaks of God being faithful. "Therefore know that the Lord yourGod, he is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy." (Deut. 7:9NKJV) What does that mean? It means if God said it you can depend on it.God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), neither can he grow weary and tired or weak andunable to fulfill what he has said. When God makes a covenant with man,that man enters into with him, God will keep his part right down to dottingevery i and crossing every t. He will fall short in nothing in keeping his partof the covenant. Man must remember, however, that the covenant God hasmade with his people is conditional, not unconditional.In speaking of the children of Israel that came out of Egypt with Moses thePsalmists says, "For their heart was not steadfast with him, nor were theyfaithful in his covenant." (Psalms 78:37 NKJV) They entered into a covenantrelationship with God at Mt. Sinai in the desert but they proved unfaithful inkeeping their part of the covenant and thus were not allowed to enter thePromised Land due to disobedience (Heb. 3:18, 4:6). Jesus, who came manyyears afterwards, did not prove unfaithful in keeping that very samecovenant.We can see then that being faithful means, on man's part, being obedient tothe covenant he is under with God. Have you ever read or paid any attentionto the cover page or title page of your New Testament? The New Testament Iam using as I write says on its cover page "The New Testament of Our LordAnd Savior Jesus Christ." The older versions used to read differently. I amnow looking at the cover page for the old American Standard Version of 1901and that cover page reads "The New Covenant Commonly Called The NewTestament Of Our Lord And Savior Jesus Christ."God has had two covenants with man. The first he made with the Jewishnation. This was the Law of Moses delivered on Mt. Sinai and is the covenantthat Jesus kept faithfully and under which the thief on the cross lived and died(mentioned for benefit of those who think he died under the Christiandispensation of time). The second covenant is the New Covenant commonlycalled the New Testament which all of mankind has lived under or put anotherway been subject to since the cross. Much of the books of Romans,Galatians, and Hebrews are devoted to this very subject of the change of thelaw or the covenants under which men live.As has been said to be faithful is to be obedient to the covenant under whichone lives, in our case the New Testament. The New Testament, or NewCovenant, is God speaking to you and me his will. He speaks through hisword. I cannot be faithful to God while disregarding his words directed to me.If he gives me a command and I try and keep it you can call that an attempton my part to work my way to heaven, some feel that way about obedience,but your calling it that will not make it so. It is, instead, an effort on my partto be faithful to the one who has spoken to me his word, one who is tellingme what his desire for me is.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...