God Is Faithful

Alba 1-12-2025

GOD IS FAITHFUL

I Corinthians 1:1-9

The New Year is a time for making resolutions. Have any of you made some this year? Jonathan Edwards, the Puritan preacher and theologian who lived in the 1700's took pen in hand and wrote out his resolutions. He wisely started his list with these words:

“Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake.” Then he added the note to himself, “Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.” And what follows is a list of 70 things he felt would be important to his life.

I won't read them to you here, but I think they could be summarized by saying that Jonathan Edwards wanted to be faithful in his love and service to God and mankind. Today we live in a society that looks for loopholes to excuse unfaithful behavior. I understand that there was a greeting card which said, "I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today."

I am thankful that God's faithfulness lasts day after day. Jeremiah wrote, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Indeed, if you want to define faithfulness. it is revealed in the character of the God we serve. God is Faithful. Deuteronomy 7:9 tells us, “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” And Psalm 119:89-91 says, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. They continue this day according to Your ordinances, For all are Your servants.

Our God who does not change, and cannot fail, is faithful. He is faithful to His own character, He is faithful to His promises, He is faithful to His judgments and His continued care for you and for me. That is what I Corinthians 1:9 in our text for today states clearly. God is faithful.

The apostle Paul was writing to this fairly young church in the city of Corinth, a major city in Greece. Paul first came to this city on his second missionary journey. There in Corinth, he ran into Aquila and Priscilla, two Jewish believers who had recently arrived from Rome. Paul lived with them and joined them in working at their common trade as tent makers so as to support himself. And Paul began preaching the gospel to any and all who would listen. He preached regularly in the synagogue and stayed there about one and a half years, but Jewish opposition increased. Then he left Aquilla and Pricilla in charge. All this is recorded in Acts chapter 18.

But notice here in I Corinthians chapter one that Paul includes a person with the name Sosthenes in his greeting. In Acts 18, a man named Sosthenes led an attack on Paul before the Roman procounsel. After the case against Paul fell apart, Sosthenes was seized and beaten by the crowd there. If this is the same Sosthenes as the man who opposed Paul in Acts 18, it would be yet more evidence of the transforming power of the gospel. Knowing the power of God and the fact that this Sosthenes was known to the people in Corinth, it is certainly a possibility that they are the same man; although it cannot be known for sure. It is clear that this Sosthenes is with Paul, perhaps as his secretary, writing down the words of this letter.

Something else that is important to see in the first verses of this letter. The name of Jesus Christ is mentioned nine times in the first nine verses. The Apostle Paul wanted the minds of the Corinthians, and all who are Christians today, to keep their focus on Jesus Christ.

Look at verse two. The letter is addressed “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.” Our God is faithful to us, and in His faithfulness He has made us:

1. Sanctified In Christ (vs. 2)

The great blessing is that we are sanctified. That means, we are saints! Saint, sanctified, sanctify, sanctification, purify, consecrate, holy, holiness, all come from the same Greek root word. The words purify, consecrate, dedicate, and perfect are related verbs, and are helpful in understanding the concept. Its meaning is of one being set apart. Simply put, God has made us holy.