God’s Divine Character as Faithful

Final Essay

By

W. James Kelly
SID 0812058

Biblical Theology
NT 3A03
Dr. Michael Knowles
November 25th, 2010
Word Count: 3,360
 “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Thomas O. Chisholm was just a simple insurance agent, enduring the many

struggles and pains of life endured by all. In the midst of his labors, Chisholm drew on

God’s faithfulness to bring endurance; entrusting God would provide all he needed.

God’s divine character as faithful gives light in the midst of darkness, joy in the midst of

sorrow and hope in the midst of despair.

To understand God’s divine character as faithful, a foundation of understanding

the meaning of faith is necessary for it sheds light on how God is faithful and why faith is

essential in ministry today. The following paper not only seeks to provide evidence to the

faithful character of God, but take the reader on a journey to experience God. For this

reason, the reader will be invited to take moments of reflection, pausing to feel and

experience God’s wonderful faithfulness. Moreover, following a detailed support and

exploration into God’s faithfulness, the paper will conclude by answering the question:

how do we respond to God’s faithfulness today?

The questions must then be asked: What does “faith” mean? How can it be

categorized? How does scripture define it? How does that help in one’s understanding of

God’s divine character?

Faith has been defined in a number of ways: as an intellectual assent, a

exploring a sea of meaning at least mentioned but often developed in the Scriptures. It is

thus fitting to subsequently explore each meaning.

Faith is most commonly referred to in Western Christendom as what Dr. Michael

Knowles labeled “intellectual assent,” the “belief that something is the way it is claimed

to be.”1 Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God because

anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists…” (NIV). The author of Hebrews

is claiming that faith starts with personal belief. It is impossible for one not to believe in

God and have faith. The two co-exist. In order to please God, the author writes, one must

have faith and to have faith one must come to God believing, not disbelieving. The

intellectual assent also includes the inclusion of new knowledge to which an individual

either chooses to believe (having faith in) or disbelieving (not having faith in).

Theologian L. Morris writes that faith “is response to revelation as contrasted with

discovery of new knowledge.”2 Intellectual assent is the response to a new way of

thinking or feeling and acting on it. In particular reference to faith in God, Dr. Knowles

comments saying, “On this view of things, to have faith consists of believing (agreeing

with, giving mental assent to) the two-fold fact of God’s existence and willingness to

respond to human piety.”3 The assent is therefore conditional on two beliefs. One’s belief

in God is necessary, but without a human distinction, without a human dimension, the

former is unfeasible. Morris says an individual must recognize themselves as a sinner,

unable to forsake evil and do good in order to have faith.4 He claims that faith is

1
Knowles, Tell me Your Name, 283.
2
Morris, Dictionary of Paul, 285
3
Knowles, Tell me Your Name, 284.
4
Morris, Dictionary of Paul, 285 Morris says, “It implies our recognition that we are sinners and thus
unable of ourselves to forsake evil and to do good.”
dependent on one understanding that he or she cannot believe and be redeemed on his or

her own merit. Therefore faith as intellectual assent, in Western Christendom at least,

may be defined as a personal belief through mental consent in something contingent not

on self but on the something to which one believes. Some theologians oppose faith as

intellectual assent claiming that it is based solely on obedience. 5 The only problem with

this claim is that obedience still requires assent.

The second view of faith to discuss is faith as conviction. Jesus replies to Peter’s

amazement that the fig tree Jesus cursed had withered saying, “Have faith in God. I tell

you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does

not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.”

Not doubting in one’s heart and believing in something is a conviction that whatever one

has faith in is true. Scholar Warren Weirsbe claims that faith, “is the inward conviction

from God that what He has promised, He will perform. The presence of God-given faith

in one’s heart is conviction enough that He will keep His Word.”6 Weirsbe claims the

conviction comes from God and believes that God will do exactly what he promises to

do. It can be summarized as God-given faith in God’s faithfulness. The faith is in the

character of God as a faithful God.

Yet as much as one’s conviction in God’s faithful character is present, the element

of uncertainty is there as well. The third approach to understanding faith as grounds to

understanding the divine faithful character of God is found in Hebrews 11:1. The author

most eloquently proclaims that, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction

of things not seen.” (ESV). The third approach is faith as hidden. Faith often rests in lack

5
Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition, Heb 11:1.
6
Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition, Heb 11:1.
of full-proof, tangible evidence. Collin’s dictionary defines faith as, “strong belief in

something, especially without proof.”7 History and archeological evidence continue to

support Christianity’s claims, yet because Jesus no longer tangibly walks the earth, many

find faith in Him so hidden it becomes a roadblock to faith at all.8 The principle of faith

as hidden is viewed not as a negative but a positive in the Scriptures.9 For example, 2

Corinthians 4:18 reads, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (NIV). The focus is not on

what is seen but what is unseen. The principle here implies that God as unseen is part of

what makes faith in Him stirring. Nevertheless, what makes faith as unseen so pertinent

to God’s divine faithful character is that faith in an unseen God suggests faith comes not

from human effort but through God’s divine character. Dr. Knowles summarizes it this

way, “Thus, to speak of faith in relation to that which is “unseen” suggests that the key to

religious assent lies not in human action alone, but in the nature of God.” God’s

faithfulness enables unseen faith for it is the trust in his unfaltering love that one may

believe “without proof.” Without the next principle of faith, faith as unseen is impossible.

Faith as obedience is the fourth approach to understand faith and thus gain insight

into the divine faithful character of God. Wiersbe boldly claims that, “True Bible faith is

confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences.”10 The

Bible pleas with its audience to believe in God and have faith in God. Jesus says in John

6:35, “believe in me and you will never be thirsty,” and John 11:25, “he who believes in

me will live.” (NIV). God calls all people to believe in His son Jesus. Jesus demonstrated

7
Freffry, “faith,” 283.
8
The Dead Sea Scrolls for example, discovered between 1946 and 1956, furthers the support of evidence in
favor of Christianities claims.
9
Romans 8:24-25; Hew 11:7; 1 John 4:20
10
Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition, Heb 11:1.
this faith in His father by coming to earth and dying on the cross. God calls his people to

this same faith.

The fifth and final definition of faith discussed is that of faith as a gift. The

clearest description of faith as a gift comes from Ephesians 2:8-9 which says, “For it is by

grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of

God” (NIV). God grants the gift of faith because He is faithful. He seeks to share his

attributes with his image bearers. As God grants faith, he is demonstrating his

faithfulness in keeping his promise to “be with” his children.11 To understand faith as an

intellectual assent, a conviction, as hidden from understanding, as obedience, and as a gift

is to set up a foundation to comprehend faith and faithfulness, in particular, God’s faithful

divine character.

To accurately understand the meaning of faith, nonetheless, one must go deeper

into the meaning of faithfulness as a divine attribute of God. The two Hebrew words for

faithfulness provide a thoughtful picture of God’s faithful character. Additionally,

examining Jesus’ character as faithful and the Holy Spirit’s character as faithful will

present a complete Trinitarian comprehension of God’s divine character as faithful.

A Moment of Reflection
Take a moment to reflect on how your faith is most manifested.
o Is your faith driven more by intellectual assent or perhaps conviction or obedience?
o How does that effect how you view God?
o How has God proven faithful to you lately? How has he not?
o What makes God’s faithfulness powerful for you?
o What makes his faithfulness difficult to understand for you?

Two words in the Hebrew Scriptures define faithfulness, emet and emûnah. Both

words may be translated faithfulness, however, the word emet is more generic also
11
Ex 3:12; Jos 1:5; Gen 26:3
meaning “truth” while emûnah is more properly and consistently defined as

“faithfulness.” A study of both will provide a deeper picture into the divine character of

God as faithful.

The Hebrew word emet typically translates either as “truth” or as “faithfulness.”

In the case of Exodus 34:6, emet is viewed as an extension of hesed: “abundant in

steadfast love and faithfulness.” As Dr. Knowles points out, “Throughout the Hebrew

Bible hesed is often (as in Exod 34:6) paired with emet…” The pairing of these two

words displays the close link between God’s faithfulness and God’s love. Love and faith

are often linked in scripture and as so, display God’s uniting attributes.12 Moreover, the

use of emet in reference to Israel’s God is, “less an abstract quality than a relational

one.”13 When God speaks to Moses declaring that he is “abounding in emet,” Moses

possibly took it more as a relational faithfulness than an abstract unconnected

faithfulness. The connection emet makes ultimately points to an active relation trust in

God’s faithful character.14 Dr. Knowles ties together emet with God’s faithful character in

saying,

God’s “faithfulness” is thus a matter of being true to his name, his word,
and his covenant promises. This suggests that “faith” is a matter of active
trust as much as intellectual assent. That is, the essential ingredient for
faith lies not in the “believer,” the one who exercises trust, but rather in a
God who proves trustworthy. Because God is faithful to his name and
covenant, faith in this God is indeed possible.15

12
God’s love is linked with God’s faithfulness in Philemon 5; Generic love is linked with faith in the
following: 1 Cor 13:13; Gal 5:5-6; Eph 1:15-18; Col 1:4-5; 1 Thess 1:3
13
Knowles, Tell me Your Name, 285.
14
The Hebrew word meaning “faithful” supports the active relation trust in God’s faithful character in its
interesting play on word. The Hebrew word amûn, meaning “faithful,” is nearly identical to its brother
word aman, meaning “to be true, consistent, or faithful.” This play on word further supports a bridge
between trust and faithfulness in the character of God. However, Ian Wallis argues the vague account aman
brings forth saying, “Often it is not possible to distinguish clearly between, for example, faith as intellectual
acceptance and faith as personal trust, in that both aspects are present in most occurrences, although in
different promotions.” Wallis. The Faith of Christ, 13.
15
Knowles, Tell me Your Name, 285.
Emet signifies faith comes not from the one exercising that trust but from the ultimate

source of all trustworthiness and faithfulness, the God to whom the faith is placed in. It is

because of God’s faithfulness that any form of faith, whether it be assent, conviction or

obedience, be made possible. The second Hebrew word for faithfulness sheds even more

light on the divine faithful character of God.

In his ecstasy of adoration, a Psalmist makes it clear that God is a faithful God: “I

will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your

faithfulness [emûnah] to all generations. I declare that your steadfast love is established

forever; your faithfulness [emûnah] is as firm as the heavens.16 The LORD, or YHWH, is

labeled plainly by the Psalmist as having abundant hesed (steadfast love) and emûnah

(faithfulness). Later in that same Psalm, Psalm 89, Dr. Knowles points out that God’s

faithfulness is evident in the LORD’S reign over the might of creation, for “Who is mighty

as you, O LORD? Your faithfulness [emûnah] surrounds you. You rule the raging of the

sea; when its waves rise, you still them.”17 The verse couldn’t be clearer. God’s divine

character of emûnah surrounds Him, demonstrated even in the calming of a raging sea,

which Jesus promptly performs during His ministry.18 God’s divine character is emûnah.

Additional Psalms shed more light on God’s character as faithful. Psalm 111:7 uses the

imagery of God’s hands, his acting works, as faithful and just. The Psalmist in Psalm

40:10 dares not hide the truth of God’s faithfulness but must speak of it saying, “I do not

hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.”

The New Testament continues to plainly declare the faithfulness of God. In Paul’s

16
Psalm 89:1–2
17
Psalm 89:8 (NIV).
18
Matt 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25
opening thanksgiving to the Corinthian church, his encouragement concludes by saying,

“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is

faithful.”19 Paul declares the churches formation under God’s faithfulness to plea for unity

amongst the churches in Corinth. In reference to God as faithful, particularly pointed out

in this verse, Morris declares that, “this is basic for the whole Christian understanding of

God’s dealings with his people, in both covenant ages.”20 God as faithful is core to

people’s faith both in the Old and New covenant eras. God’s divine character as faithful

is pivotal for authors such as Paul because without trust in God’s faithfulness, hope is lost

and without hope, faith and love loose credibility.

The New Topical Textbook edited by R.A. Torrey categorizes the faithfulness of

God in six ways: great, established, incomparable, unfailing, infinite, and everlasting.21

Each category describes an aspect of God’s marvelous faithful character. Each category

magnifies the depths of His beautiful faithfulness. Together, all the categories paint a

complete picture of the emûnah of God. Additionally, God’s faithfulness is revealed in

how it is manifested. For example, God’s faithfulness is manifested in forgiving sins as

John proclaims, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our

sins…”22 Although it may seem strange, God’s faithfulness is also manifested in the

afflictions of man as Psalm 119:75 reads, “I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous,

and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” God’s character is faithful in his affliction and

judgment for it is his faithfulness to his promises that makes him just and right. God’s

19
1 Corinthians 1:9. Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul again grounds his argument in God’s divine faithful
character ensuring his readers God will always provide a way out in the midst of temptation. (1 Corinthians
10:13)
20
Morris, Dictionary of Paul, 287
21
Great, La 3:23; Established, Ps 89:2; Incomparable, Ps 89:8; Unfailing, 2 Tim 2:13; Infinite, Ps 36:5; and
Everlasting, Ps 119:90.
22
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
divine character is faithful, whether he gives just punishment or just grace. It is that same

justice through faithfulness the New Testament reveals through Jesus Christ.

A Moment of Reflection

Take a moment to read each of these verses out loud. After each category, take a
moment to pause and reflect. Let the power of God’s faithfulness dwell deep in your
mind, spirit, and heart. How marvelous is the faithfulness of our God!

Great: “They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” La 3:23
Established: “I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you establish
your faithfulness in heaven itself.” Ps 89:2
Incomparable: “O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD,
and your faithfulness surrounds you.” Ps 89:8
Unfailing: “But I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my
faithfulness.” Ps 89:33
Infinite: “Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the
skies.” Ps 36:5
Everlasting: “Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you establish the
earth, and it endures.” Ps 119:90
 “The pinnacle of faithfulness in the Bible,” as Walter A. Elwell and Philip Wesley

of the Tyndale Bible Dictionary put it, “is seen in the work of Jesus Christ, who shows

himself faithful to his Father (Heb 3:2) and in his witness (Rev 1:5).”23 Jesus is faithful

first and foremost to his Father who sent him. Hebrews 3:2 reads, “He [Jesus] was

faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.”

Jesus is faithful by humbling himself to fully resemble God by coming to earth. As Dr.

Knowles points out, “the author of Hebrews proposes something more startling, namely

that in sharing the human condition, the Messiah came to more fully resemble God.”24

Jesus is created like humanity in every way “in order that he might become a merciful

and faithful high priest in service to God.”25 God’s character of faithfulness is manifested

through his Son’s obedience and returned faithfulness in his Father.

Additionally, the divine attribute of faithfulness is clearly transferred to Jesus.

The rider of a white horse in Revelation 19:11-12 is given the label “Faithful” and

“True.” That rider is Jesus Christ. Moreover, in Revelation 3:14, the author of the words

to the Church of Laodicea is given the name, “the Amen, the faithful, the true witness.”

The author is Jesus Christ. To this, Dr. Knowles comments saying,

Here, however, not only has a divine attribute once more been transferred
to Jesus — for that is indeed the rider’s real name — but the task of
“Faithfulness” and “Truth” is “to strike down the nations...” Knowles
adds, “The author of Revelation is equally confident that in this matter too,
the exalted Jesus fully expresses God’s purpose and identity.

As established above, faithfulness is undoubtedly viewed as part of God’s identity.

Therefore if Jesus fully expresses God’s identity, he undoubtedly manifests faithfulness

as a divine character trait. The Lord Jesus Christ is faithful, and will remain faithful, for
23
Elwell, Comfort, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, 472
24
Knowles, Tell me Your Name, 313.
25
Hebrews 2:17
“indeed there is ‘one Lord, one faith; the two go together.”26

Finally, although brief, it is important to take a moment to establish the faithful

character of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, as Paul argues in Galatians, is received

upon believing what one hears about the Gospel. Paul says in Galatians 3:2, “Did you not

receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” Having faith in

Jesus leads to receiving the Spirit. Similarly, as Morris summarizes 1 Corinthians 12:3 to

say, “it is through faith that they [the believers] receive the gift of the Spirit of God, and

so the gift of saving faith.”27 The gift of saving faith comes by means of the gift of the

Spirit. The Spirit brings with him saving faith, therefore the Spirit must manifest the

character of faithfulness in order to fulfill such an exchange. And lastly, as 1 Corinthians

12:9 makes clear, God through the Spirit produces the gift of faith, a faith to believe in a

faithful God.

The question therefore must surface: how do we respond to God’s faithfulness

today? I believe there are two primary ways to respond: putting faith in God’s faithful

character and in turn acting faithfully to Him and others. The first way, which I believe is

foundational to the second, is to truly accept that God is faithful. It’s easy to say, but I

know in my life, this has been very difficult. In recent years, both deeply physical and

deeply emotional trials have risen in my life. To see God as faithful when it seems like he

is not can become the greatest trial to endure. Yet I know in my heart He will remain

faithful. It is for this reason I believe, as examined above, that trust and faith are so

interconnected. I must trust that God will be faithful for I know it is in His character. Dr.

Knowles remarks on the importance of trusting in God’s faithfulness saying, “the proper

26
Morris, Dictionary of Paul, 285 “The Lord is faithful” comes from 2 Thess 3:3 and “he will remain
faithful” comes from 2 Tim 2:13.
27
Morris, Dictionary of Paul, 288
human response to divine trustworthiness is to place one’s trust in God, as does, for

example, Abraham, in the first such appearance of this form in the Hebrew Bible: “And

he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6).”28

The second way we must respond to God’s faithfulness is by acting as faithful to

God and others. We should reflect in our character the faithful character of God. Morris

claims that, “Because God is faithful those whom God calls must reflect the quality they

have learned from him, that is, in response to his covenant loyalty.”29 Qualities of

faithfulness such as unfailing faithfulness and everlasting faithfulness are qualities we

must strive for. As we manifest the character of faith, that character begins to shine

through us. As it shines through, we then must be proud in speaking of it. The Psalmist in

Psalm 40:10 declares, “I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your

faithfulness and salvation.” The Scripture calls all believers to not only manifest a

character of faithfulness, but to also speak of it. To be bold in proclaiming the great

faithfulness of God, for great is thy faithfulness. Dr. Knowles summarizes these two

responses wonderfully saying, “In short, to live by faith means putting faith in a faithful

God, and acting faithfully in turn. Attitude and action, divine initiative and human

response are each essential to and inseparable from one another.”30 The journey of

understanding and manifesting the faithful character of God is a life long process.

In summary, faith may be categorized five-fold: as an intellectual assent, a

conviction, as hidden from understanding, as obedience, and as a gift. Each category

reveals how one may understand not only their own faith but faith in general.

Additionally, it was shown that two Hebrew words help understand the faithful character
28
Knowles, Tell me Your Name, 304.
29
Morris, Dictionary of Paul, 287
30
Knowles, Tell me Your Name, 307.
of God: emet and emûnah. Emet, as it was concluded, is more generic encompassing a

“trust” aspect while emûnah tends to be more directly correlated with “faithfulness.” It

was concluded that God’s faithful character certainly includes trust, while for believers

trust coincides with faith in understanding and experiencing God’s faithfulness. The

character of faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit were then shown. Jesus Christ, in

obedient faithfulness to his Father and through his witness demonstrates His faithful

character. Moreover, through belief in God, the Holy Spirit is given to a believer, in that

very act demonstrating the faithful character of the Holy Spirit. Finally, the question of

how we respond today to God’s faithfulness was answered two-fold: by putting faith in a

faithful God and acting faithfully in return. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
 Bibliography

Elwell, Walter A., and Philip Wesley. “Comfort.” In Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001)
472.

Freffry, Diana., “faith” In Collins Dictionary (2002).

Gabriel, Hebert. “Faithfulness and Faith” Theology 58 no. 424 (1955) 373-79.

Hays, Richard B. The Faith of Jesus Christ: The Narrative Substructure of Galatians
3:1-4:11. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

L. Morris, “Faith.” In Dictionary of Paul and his Letters, Edited by Gerald F. Hawthorn
and Ralph P. Martin, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 1993.

Wallis, Ian G. The Faith of Christ in Early Christian Traditions. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1995.

Wiersbe, Warren W., “Heb 11:1” In The Bible Exposition Commentary (1996).