Faithful

Hebrew Terminology: The most significant Hebrew word for faith is aman, a root word that denotes reliability, stability, and firmness. Aman concretely meant to support or to uphold, as for example the strong arms of a parent would uphold an infant.

Deuteronomy 7:9 NKJV

9 “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;

Another significant Hebrew word used to convey the idea of faith is yareʾ, usually translated “to fear.” Yareʾ occurs more often in the OT than aman, although the two express very similar concepts. To fear God is to believe Him with a reverential awe, even to the point that emotional trepidation occurs. To fear Him is to maintain a firm conviction that the Lord’s directives are reliable

God does not force faith upon unwilling people.

He presents His expectations and promised benefits to people, but their freedom to choose and to receive the consequences of their choices remain (Deut. 30:19). Refusal to choose Him can be followed by God’s hardening the unbeliever’s resistance

Faithfulness is a choice we consciously make

We are under a covenant with God or an agreement to submit ourselves fully to him (to remain faithful)

To love God first (which is the first commandment) and to keep his commandments

To keep his commandments is to remain obedient to the fulfillment of his purpose and plan for our lives and to humanity

Faithful implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.

Faithfulness means:

Loyal

Conscientious

Binding

True to

If we look at some of the words that are synonymous with faith we find:

FAITHFUL, LOYAL, CONSTANT, STAUNCH, STEADFAST, RESOLUTE: mean firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance.

FAITHFUL: implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.

LOYAL: implies a firm resistance to any temptation to desert or betray.

CONSTANT: stresses continuing firmness of emotional attachment

STAUNCH: suggests fortitude and resolution in adherence and imperviousness to influences that would weaken it.

STEADFAST: implies a steady and unwavering course in love, allegiance, or conviction.

RESOLUTE: implies firm determination to adhere to a cause or purpose.

Being commited to the “end result”

Loyal

steadfast in affection or allegiance : LOYAL

a faithful friend

LOYAL implies a firm resistance to any temptation to desert or betray.

When we give our lives to Christ, we make a solemn promise to remain loyal to Gods in all things

We make a commitment to not desert, betray, stray from or wonder

To remain faithful in Loyalty

Faithful to his word, to his

Conscientious

METICULOUS, CAREFUL

governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience

According to American writer and editor H. L. Mencken, "Conscience is the inner voice which warns us someone may be looking.

A person who is conscientious makes sure that if others are watching, they approve of what they see.

This is true for someone who is “governed by their conscience” as the oldest sense of the word is defined—as in “a conscientious objector to the war”

—but it is also true for the conscientious person paying close, careful attention to the task at hand.

Conscientious came to English from French, centuries after Middle English had adopted conscience from Old French; both ultimately come from Latin scire, “to know.”

Binding

the action of something that binds : a material or device used to bind: such as a: the cover and materials that hold a book together b: a narrow fabric used to finish raw edges c: a device that holds a boot firmly to a ski or snowboard

Faithfulness is the binding that keeps us connected and firmly in line with God and his purpose

binding as an adjective:

imposing a legal obligation the agreement is binding on the parties : requiring submission to a specified authority

(the suppression order was binding on the Department of Transportation—National Law Journal)

when we are faithful to God, we bind ourselves to his authority through submission.

True To

When we are true to something…We are:

true to form : behaving or proceeding in the usual and expected way

true to oneself : acting in a way that agrees with one's beliefs or values

Joshua 24:15 NKJV

15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We are here to make a choice and a decision

and when we make that choice or decision....we are making an agreement or covenant to be faithful to that which we have pledged our allegiance to

Allegiance is the devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause

specifically in this case:

loyalty to God and his will, plan and desire for not only our lives but more importantly, the kingdom of God

Our life therefor means nothing if we say we are a christian and are not faithful to God and his plan

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