Continuing Question 4. What does it mean to be “in the loins of,” or “of the seed of” another? If man inherits more than just biological genes from their parents that affect our appearances, but something that affects our nature as well, is there also a kind of spiritual inheritance that also affects our nature⎯ that determines who we are?
Core scriptures: 1 Jn. 3.9 “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”
Today’s focus: Gal. 5.22 “22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23[g]gentleness, self-control.”
Faithfulness as a Fruit or the Opposite Vice
Faithfulness can have two thoughts in the scriptures. By far the dominant thought of faithfulness is as the primary Christian virtue meaning to believe, trust, or have confidence in God, in His promises, and especially in His saving grace in His Son, Jesus Christ. But in this particular instance, as the context of the scripture shows, faithfulness refers more to being “trustworthy” or having “fidelity,” not only to God, but as being a virtue in one’s character; that it becomes inherent in our nature to be loyal, reliable, and…”dependable;” dependable is a word suggesting the highest level of trustworthiness encompassing both being reliable and having a sense of personal allegiance to Christ.
Though the love of God is said to reach to the heavens, His faithfulness reaches to the clouds. (Ps. 38.5) God never wavers in His faithfulness to us who are in Christ; He is absolutely trustworthy and dependable to keep His word and promises to us, such as being totally confident and resting assuredly in His promise, “that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Jn. 6.40 In this single promise the entire law of the Old Testament has been fulfilled in Christ.
In addition, there is a personal promise that we might be “partakers of the nature” of Christ (2Pet. 1.4), by which we too may have that measure of faithfulness and trustworthiness embedded into our character as well. What a quality of character this is, what a virtue to display towards God, to the Church as the Body of Christ, and to the world. Faithfulness is in itself a testimony to Christ.
Unfaithfulness as a Vice Opposed to Faithfulness as a Fruit
Unfaithfulness or infidelity or adultery, as it is sometimes referenced, all encompass being untrue to a responsibility, an obligation, or a promise such as in a vow or a covenant; of particular offence is in relationship to God, to the Church as a whole or to its members in particular, and to your family and spouse. Unfaithfulness, as depicted in the Bible, is a serious breach of trust, most often experiencing severe repercussions and consequences.
Unfaithfulness to God and our Lord is often described as spiritual adultery where individuals prioritize other pursuits in life such: as careers or jobs, recreation, chasing after bodily and mental hobbies and personal improvements or spiritually following false teachers and prophets. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other.” (MT. 6.24) Those of the Church of Laodicea thought they could mix the two together and serve both the world while ritualistically serving God; to which Jesus said directly to them in Rev. 3.15-16, 15“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Literally He is saying, “I will cast you off as men vomit up lukewarm things.” This is quite a warning.
Meanwhile, as the Church of Laodicea is functioning at what they think is “normal” with their standard worship services and church routines, Jesus at the same time finds Himself outside the church, patiently knocking at the door wanting to be invited back in, Rev. 3.20 20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” The people of this Church have become so worldly and deceived that they are functioning in what they believe to be a spiritual church but have actually substituted worldly elements and their emotions in place of true spiritual fellowship with Christ. Many scholarly writers equate the Laodicean Church, and the church at Ephesus who Jesus warns “they have lost their first love” (Rev. 2.4-5) with the mainstream “Christian” churches of today. You be the judge.
An Old Testament example of unfaithfulness is the infidelity and disobedience of Israel (see Jud. 2.11-15) as a chosen people of God. Isaiah prophesied to them a most terrible consequence of their false pursuits, Is. 59.2 “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” I cannot imagine a worse judgment to be than separated from our Lord, a wall of partition erected between us. But then it happened, the Lord carried out His promise of judgment upon the Church of Ephesus which was, Rev, 2.5 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”
The proper idea of this scripture is that the church, without repenting for departing from its initial love of Christ, would become wholly extinct. Today, there is not the least bit of evidence that the church at Ephesus ever did repent, and the threatening promise has been fulfilled. The church had become utterly extinct, and for ages there is not a single professing Christian there, and aside from remnants of building stones, there is no evidence of a church functioning as the body of Christ ever having been there. Oh, how people assume that such a loving, merciful, and faithful God will remain tolerant with them regardless of their indiscretions, compromises with worldly practices and mixture in their church. But without repentance and return to their first love, even though they may maintain the doctrines of religion, the Lord is faithful to all His promises of His departure from their midst and of removing their candlesticks. They then continue to function in a church as religion alone.
Unfaithfulness to God is not a slight sin or a minor stumble but is a serious offense against Him. It is a breach of trust, a turning away from His covenant, and a clear departure from our first love of Him, not a love of emotions and affections, mind you, which many feel positive one day and a loss for it the next day. Godly love is simply the desire to know Him, to draw close to Him, and to have His promises fulfilled in our lives. Never confuse the unconditional love of God with the emotional affectionate love of the world, or the erotic sensual love of lust.
Root of Unfaithfulness
Prov. 25.19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.
What is the root cause of unfaithfulness? One can be unfaithful to God, which is the sin of spiritual adultery. One could be unfaithful to their spouse, which is the sin of adultery. And one could be unfaithful to a friend, a fellow believer, though not a sin as such but is certainly not a virtue and is unrighteousness. Consequences for unfaithfulness are significant and often devastating which may include such things as broken relationships, spiritual and emotional damage to our souls, and even physical or bodily health problems. But, what is the root cause of unfaithfulness?
The wisdom of the world says the root cause of unfaithfulness is personal issues like: a feeling that something is missing in the relationship, a lack of emotional connection, unmet needs, self-esteems issues, or an opportunity suddenly arises and you feel your desires will be met in another God, or another mate or a different friend, or a different place. This is all the deeper the world can go in understanding unfaithfulness⎯summed up in self-centered wants and fantasies. All those supposed root causes have one thing in common, and that is “you,” otherwise known as: I, me, myself or the ego. In a true relationship the “I” is lost in the union with another, thus becoming we and us. In regards to marriage, it is written “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (Mt. 19.5); In regards to our heavenly Father, Jesus prayed, “that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be one in Us,” (Jn. 17.21), and in regards to other believers, it is written, “for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3.28)
And so do you see that, according to the word of God we are bound together as “one” with our God and Lord Jesus Christ, as one with our spouses, and as one with other believers; we “are no longer two but one.” In each of these relationships there is a supernatural bonding together where the “self” emphasis ceases to exist. So, the root of unfaithfulness goes deep within the heart, where according to 1 Jn. 2.15-17, we find it rooted in what may be called “the big three lusts of the flesh,
“15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. 17The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.”
The desires of the flesh are rooted in the desires of the body for self-satisfaction and/or the emotional and intellectual pursuit of the mind to enhance one’s life experiences.
The lust of the eyes is the wrongful desire to have things that you see to satisfy your desires, much like when King David looked down from his castle and “saw” the beautiful Bathsheba bathing on the roof top of her house. (2 Sam. 11.2) This triggered not only unfaithfulness in adultery but also the murderous plan for her husband.
The pride of life aligns very closely with the desire of Satan to exalt himself above God and to sit on God’s throne as lord of all. (Is. 14.12-14, 2 Thes. 2.4) So too man desires to sit on his own throne and act like God, to govern his own life, which is spiritual idolatry. Much like Eve succumbing to Satan’s temptation “4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”” Gn. 3.4-5 No one is allowed to share your seat upon your throne, not your spouse, nor your friend, or even God. You alone determine what is right and wrong, good or bad. That is the pride of life, exalting one’s self.
There is one more thing that triggers unfaithfulness, and that is the deliberate violation or breaking of a vow, whether written or unspoken. True vows are considered sacred and binding. Vows, or covenants, represent a deliberate, solemn promise, made to God, or to your spouse, and/or to your fellow brethren in Christ, and it is considered a serious commitment. Noted in Ecc. 5.4-5, “4When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. 5It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”
When one takes their eyes off of the vow, and declares it null and void, they are acting as God in determining what is right and wrong. Israel became unfaithful, took their eyes off the covenant, failing to keep it, and suffered severe consequences⎯their fellowship with God was broken, they often fell into captivity or plagued with pestilence or diseases. A marriage will never fail if, and only if, both partners take with solemn faithfulness the vows they swear before God. As one ages, life itself is full of adjustments, doing things differently in order to function properly in life; we lift less weight, walk shorter distances, eat less food, and take more breaks. Those are life’s adjustments.
So too in marriage each partner must fully realize they are in this union for life, and adjustments must be made to keep the marriage in harmony and not in discord, admitting that you alone are not in control, nor is your partner in control, but you are bound together by the Spirit of God, and each must make Godly concessions, finding what is right and wrong in the marriage in the eyes of God, acknowledging in firm commitment that the marriage will work and that you will grow old together, and continue to be fruitful in what you do.
Because God is every believer’s Father, we are truly brothers and sisters in Christ, in which a special bond exists. Just as there is a sense of oneness, of unity in our natural families, there is the same sense of oneness in our spiritual families. And, there is the same sense of an unwritten vow resident in our hearts. There is a bond between my sister and me, and among the whole of my family; and there is an understanding, an unwritten vow of commitment towards one another, to always be there for one another. This bond overrides individual personalities and personal desires; each member is family and that is all that matters. The comings together at family reunions are always special; as is the coming together of the Body of Christ.
Faithfulness acts as a security blanket to the family, giving it a sense of identity and purpose. To be unfaithful to the family of God is being as a rogue member of the Church, having an independent spirit that is disapproved and discouraged in scripture. Consider the following: Prov. 18.1 “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.”
This means that the one who separates himself from the Body of Christ, the functioning family of God, seeks his own desires and rushes forward against all wise counsel; it is a warning against self-will and self-assertion which exalts itself in differing from our Lord’s intended functioning of His Church as the Body of Christ. Whether it be a flock of 6 or 600, the indisputable fact is the same, that according to 1 Cor. 12.12-26, even as our own body is one, and it has many members, each functions and plays an important role and operates in a particular way; so too the Church as the body of Christ is one with many members with each to function in a particular way for the building up of the whole body. This must be acknowledged by every believer.
One who isolates himself or becomes merely a spectator coming to observe what goes on, fails to function in a particular way as a member of that body and is unfaithful to his calling and the purpose set forth by Christ for the building up of His Church. Commitment is a necessary ingredient to faithfulness in the Church.
Commitment is being dedicated not only to the cause and functioning of the Church, but to your brothers and sisters with whom you share a common bond. One is not legally bound but is morally bound to act as a member of this body, gladly surrendering or restricting personal freedoms for the sake of the body. Number one is one’s personal relationship to Christ; number two is one’s relationship to the members of the body of Christ and the building up of the Church; number three is your personal relationship with your spouse and family.
Heb. 10.25 “25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
This assembling or gathering together as the Church, the Body of Christ for worship and communion, is extremely important for the welfare of the church and individual believers; it is for their spiritual maturity and their protection against the wiles of the devil and worldly incursions. The invisible walls of the Church, like the walls of ancient cities, are built up to protect its inhabitants from the siege of the enemy. They are there for our spiritual security. However, some become unfaithful to this calling, becoming non-committal. Some causes for independence may include such causes as:
- The fear of persecution, or public ridicule, being exposed to outside dangers or ostracism.
- Simply a loss of interest, as the case of many professing Christians today, reflecting either the inability of the church to properly feed and nourish its members or one’s independent spirit and hardness of heart, succumbing to the enticement of the world.
- Many are not properly schooled in the importance of the “physical” gathering together feeling they can get along with TV or Online meetings, or even sensing the presence of God by a walk in nature.
- Regrettably, isolation may arise from the dissatisfaction with the church leadership, or with some member or members, or with the nature of church activities or services.
Whatever the reason, the word of God here is, “25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” The word “not forsaking” is, in the Greek, a very negative connotation, which highlights the seriousness of abandonment, especially in relationships, as in the Church. In terms of the New Testament covenant we must remember that our covenant is first of all cut in the blood of Christ (Lk. 22.20), a most holy and sacred thought, and secondly that this new covenant is not written in stone or on tablets, as laws and rituals, but is written on our hearts, Heb. 8.10,
“10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
In truth, there are conditions in many churches that are uninviting due to numerous inexcusable reasons ranging from leadership without vision or proper anointing, to worldly style worship, or to a good but spiritually apathetic people. However, I believe there exists, in every city or hamlet, a body of believers, large or extremely small, that have set their focus on the high calling of God and are in relentless pursuit of it. Whoever you are, whatever is your state, join such a group of believers. It takes courage to do so. Become faithfully committed; whether the gathering is for worship, Bible study, or a communal meal, regard it as a sacred duty in which the Spirit of God resides. Some measure of spiritual impartation into your life will occur; it may involve growth in spiritual character, in the precious knowledge of our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, or in fellowship and ministry of the Spirit.
May I personally boast, not in myself, but in those of the little flock who have remained faithfully committed for some fifty-three years. They have consistently, without fail, stood with me and by me, and with one with another in prayer, in encouragement, in truly making spiritual input into one another’s life, not neglecting to assemble regardless of personal sacrifices. Without which I or this little flock could not have grown in character, in knowledge, spiritual maturity, or in ministry. It can again be noted that 100 believers, each looking independently to Christ, become more committed to our Lord and to one another of the Church, than if we were to consistently preach on commitment. It is a sacred inherent attribute of the character of Christ now resident in us, to be manifested in our nature. It comes at a personal cost, but the rewards greatly outweigh the losses⎯for they are eternal.
I marvel when I contemplate the faithfulness of God in my life and as I see it in the lives of my dear brothers and sisters. At one time, in years past, we did not know it, nor grasp for it, nor had any understanding of it, but as a caring Father, and a faithful Shepherd, He was and is ever mindful of us. (Heb. 2.6), These many years His faithfulness reaches to the clouds. (Ps. 57.10) And that faithfulness did not abide in Him alone but is imparted into the hearts of my brothers and sisters in Christ. It has become a part of our nature. I pray that the spirit of faithfulness, of true commitment that abides here, in the little flock, finds it true measure in every flock of believers apprehended by God for His high purposes in Christ our Lord.
Of course Christ is the bond that holds all things together, but it is commitment that cements the family and the church of believers together. This faithfulness must never cause a feeling of legal obligation, as some outside force acting upon you, which is bad. But it must become an inherent part of our nature and extend into all of our lives, including marriages, families, and the Church. Faithfulness is being true to our vows and covenants.
Let us truly repent of any areas of unfaithfulness in our lives; consider what it is going to take to be faithfully and wholly committed to our families but especially to the Church as the Body of Christ, and to the leading of the Spirit of Christ; and to surrender all.
S5.E6. Q.4. Pt.3. Questions for Disc
- Explain the meaning of faithfulness. Give examples of faithfulness using both the spiritual in relationship to God and the Church and the natural referring to marriage and the family.
- Explain the meaning of unfaithfulness. Give examples of unfaithfulness using both the spiritual in relationship to God and the Church and the natural referring to marriage and the family.
- Explain both Is. 59.2 and Rev. 2.5 as consequences for unfaithfulness. How may each have been avoided?
- The root cause of unfaithfulness lies in the hearth, the self or ego of man, and in willingly breaking a vow. Explain both roots and give example in relationship to God, the Church, and marriage.
- Are you a “committed” believer? How, or why not? Explain in terms of relationships, both spiritual and natural.