(by Lorie Codispoti)
Today’s the day I've been dreading.
It’s the saddest part of the book (The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan), and I can hardly hold back the tears as we approach the chapter where Christian’s companion, Faithful, dies after being falsely accused, beaten, chained, and persecuted. Even the children’s version is difficult to get through.
So, why not skip over this part and spare my grand-littles the anguish? Because, while it’s a good thing to insulate children from some of the cruel injustices that fallen people meat out on one another, we cannot isolate them from trying to understand the broken world they live in. At some point they are going to be confronted with the reality that human beings can be incredibly evil. Who better to help them navigate those rough waters than the ones who can point them to the only Answer that makes sense?
Faithful's Trouble
Faithful lived up to his name, as he refused to be influenced and enticed by false ideology. By exposing the real enemy and his deception, he drew the attention of the residents of the wicked prince's city. He wouldn't recant or compromise the truth, and for that he paid the ultimate price. But, what he gained can’t even be compared to what he lost.
“We know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Cor. 5:1)
The Driver
Tim Mackie (Bible Project) asks the question: What energizes faithfulness for God’s people when faithfulness means constantly swimming against the culture we live in?
Scripture is filled with examples of those who were faithful and those who were not. The reason the faithful ones were full-of-faith, remaining steadfast under bleak circumstances, is because they had a clear understanding that their human experience was temporary. They knew that whatever cruelty or injustice they faced wouldn’t last forever. And that energized them with the courage they needed to persevere and to the end.
But, if we’re honest, we know we need more than that. We need something more if we’re going to be faithful in our marriages, faithful parents, and faithful in every situation as we engage our culture and swim against its strong current. We don’t need less than a faith that enables us to see beyond the now; we need more to motivate us to dive into the storm. Our faithfulness is not enough.
What we need is the faithfulness of God. Armed with the assurance that He is steadfast we are fueled to engage the seemingly impossible.
In Deuteronomy 7, God calls His people to conquer the inhabitants of the land He promised them. The Hebrews were vastly outnumbered, untrained, and lacked the resources for battle. The odds were against them on every level, but Moses reminds them that they weren’t chosen for their numbers or ability. God had set His love on them, and He was keeping an oath that He swore to their fathers. Verse nine says, “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.” It was the assurance of God’s faithfulness that drove their ability to faithfully discharge Moses’ orders.
Faithfulness Is A Fruit Of His Spirit, Not Ours
We cannot sustain our faithfulness to God apart from His help. Marriages fail, parents abuse and abandon, friends disappoint, and people exploit and betray one another all the time. Our ability to secure and maintain any kind of faithfulness hinges on one thing: God’s faithfulness. Even when we fail, His Spirit reminds us of the fact that He never will.
2Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
In this passage, the Apostle Paul knows he is about to be martyred for his faith in Christ, so he wants to admonish Timothy to remain faithful. Paul acknowledges Timothy’s “sincere faith” (1:5), but he’s also been with Timothy long enough to recognize his weakness (timidity) and he lovingly rebukes him. He wants to encourage Timothy to be faithful, so he tells him to“be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” “be a soldier,” “be an athlete,” “be a hardworking farmer,” “be a diligent workman,” “be a vessel for honor and flee youthful lusts,” and “be a slave of the Lord.” In chapters 3-4, Paul continues to infuse strength into Timothy by saying, “continue in the things you have learned,” and “preach the word.” He wraps it up by telling Timothy that he’s ready to die, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (4:7)
Paul remained faithful to the end, and he wanted to encourage Timothy, that with the help of God’s indwelling Spirit, he could do the same.
Separation Is Not Forever
Faithful and Christian were both warned that they would suffer at the hands of wicked people. They were even told they could lose their lives. But they believed the faithful words given to them by the King in the Good Book, and were assured that if they lost their lives they would be immediately transported to the Celestial City and live forever with the King.
Paul said as much to Timothy when he told him, “…For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.” (2Tim.2:11)
No child goes to sleep dreaming of becoming a martyr, but they should be able to drift off thinking about all the heroes (real and fictional) of the faith, and how their lives made a difference for the Kingdom of God. The real super-heroes are the ones who are willing to dive into choppy waters, and with God's strength, swim against the evil current - all the way to the Celestial City.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Heb.10:23)
The angels came to escort Faithful into the presence of the King, where all His children will gather one day to celebrate His never-ending faithfulness.
I’m glad we didn’t skip this chapter.
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