Unfaithful

Unfaithful

October 16, 2017

2 Timothy 2:13 "If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself."

The word "unfaithful" suggests cheating on someone, not being true to your vows of dedication. It certainly promotes vivid emotions. The Apostle Paul did not use the word unfaithful when writing to his favorite disciple, Timothy, rather the word "faithless." The choice of words used to communicate with Timothy is interesting though. In the second letter to Timothy, the tone of communication is clearly different than the first letter to Timothy. The first letter carries far more elementary topics and the second letter builds on those topics, representing the maturity of Timothy's understanding. Paul takes a break from his lengthy discourse in the second letter to Timothy and gives him a summary song to learn. The summary song, not necessarily meant to be sung, was meant to be memorized as a short collection of idioms to spark meaning when easily quoted. The full stanza is:

     "If we died with Him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself."

In the set of verses, Paul uses opposites. He juxtaposes dying with Christ as well as living with Christ. He said the opposite of owning is disowning. He says if we endure, living as powerless, then we will reign. Then Paul says if we are faithless the Lord will remain faithful, because the Lord cannot disown Himself. The Lord's portion in that line is to remain faithful, as in He cannot leave or deny or revoke His intention. The Lord does this despite someone being faithless. What does it mean to be faithless? The opposite of faithful is unfaithful, not faithless. Does it mean to doubt or deny? Does it mean to cheat, as in know the truth but not walk in it? It can mean many things to many people, but the apostle Paul used it to communicate the perfect opposite of trust or ability to acknowledging the truth. It does not mean to cheat, because that would mean being confident in the truth yet denying it. Paul was saying that when we doubt, or question the truth, or forget it altogether, that the Lord maintains that truth as an absolute.

You and I have the propensity to doubt, question things when it gets tough or the timing does not submit to our ideals. But the Lord would say that no matter how much we doubt the truth about our lives or His Word or His plan, the Lord would maintain it, standing there with the truth in His hand, ready to help us take it up again in absolute terms. You have come to the knowledge of many truths, about the Lord, about your life, and about your participation in the Lord's plan. If you doubt those truths at any time, forgetting them or wondering the accuracy, the Lord wants to help you in that unbelief. His desire is that you have clarity and peace about the knowledge you should hold dear. If it no longer seems certain than take it to Him and ask Him to re-establish its validity in your heart. It is always true and valid, but sometimes we lose heart as human beings. If you lack faith, the Lord maintains all that is true. Doubting does not make something untrue, just untrue in your heart. 

If you doubt something, it is OK to talk to the Lord about it. Ask Him to re-establish it in absolute terms in your heart. Let Him place it there again.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Malachi 3:6, Mark 9:24, James 1:6-7 & 17, Hebrews 13:8