“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself – II Timothy 2:13
We have all said some form of it – My bad” – “I made a mistake” – “It was my fault” – “Sorry, I blew it.” These are the things we say when we have been incorrect, mistaken, or erroneous. Even at times when we can’t see we are wrong, we might say them because someone else points out our error.
The world is a scary place. We all make mistakes as we traverse through it. Human nature beckons us to sin even when we want to do what is right. Our tongue rattles off something we know we never intended to say. We easily are caught-up in moments that bring regret and remorse. Though we want to be faithful to God in the things we do and say, so often we come up short, and it weighs us down with guilt and shame. That guilt and shame can then cause us to feel alone and alienated from God.
But there’s the good news – we are never alienated from God. Though we are responsible for our sin, the weight of it does not rest on our shoulders, because Jesus Christ has taken it all upon his. The apostle Paul wrote to the young pastor Timothy, “If we are faithless, he (God) remains faithful.” God not only guarantees us a place in eternity, he guarantees us complete forgiveness – no matter how many times we go tumbling into sin. God’s covenant relationship with us comes with an absolute guarantee that he will be faithful to forgive all our sin.
The reason for this is what Paul wrote about in the last part of verse 13, “For he (God) cannot disown himself.” Being forgiven is not about who WE are – it is about who HE is. This does not mean that it doesn’t matter how we live. It means that our security is not found in our faithfulness, but in God’s. When we cannot be trusted, God can. When we will not be faithful, God will be. When we can’t do what is right, God will. When we think we can’t forgive ourselves, we need to realize that our Judge has already forgiven us.
God’s faithfulness is not a license to do whatever we want. His faithfulness should be our motivation to do whatever he tells us is right. God’s faithfulness to us should give us the desire to be faithful to him.
Darlene