My oldest son and I were having a conversation about differing points of view about God and the Bible. I offered up my point of view on the subject of God, the Creator of the universe and everything. Thoughts of His might and love and generosity were mixed in with thoughts of His righteousness and justice and sovereignty. I just couldn’t fully articulate all that He is given that He is infinite. My son gave descriptions as well on how thoughtful and complex God is. He is a good, good Father.
Then we began to discuss the subject of the Bible. The complexity of the Bible is evident, and yet, it is simple enough for a child to understand. This book is presented to the entirety of the human race from an uneducated person just reading it for the first time to a person will multiple doctorates having studied it for a lifetime. This book is simple yet complex. Every time I read it, I learn another truth. The Bible is thought-provoking when I need more, and it is simple when I am overwhelmed and need a simple promise and truth to get me through.
This led us to the amazing engineering of the book as a whole. It was written by many men, not just one or two, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). And these men that wrote portions of it separately from the others. It took hundreds of years for all of the pieces of the book to be written and more to bring it all together. Over the years, as information and teachings have become more and more available to most, connecting the dots has been easier revealing more and more about the fullness of God. And throughout my reading and study of the Bible, I’ve come to the conclusion that His number one attribute is His “steadfast love.”
Connecting the dots to His steadfast love (mercy) causes us to see a fuller picture of who and what God is. We can never see His complete fullness for He is infinite. However, He has revealed enough of Himself to show how truly powerful and loving He is.
Dot #1 – His steadfast love never fails.
There is a Psalm that repeats over and over that His steadfast love never fails. Over and over the psalmist calls the people to give thanks to the Lord and lists how God has shown His steadfast love in action. And note here that all of these areas that we go over first translated this word as “mercy”, but there is a fuller picture to this. So as these were translated into different ‘versions’, this word “mercy” is rendered “steadfast love” because it gives us a better understanding of what the author was getting at. God’s mercy is His steadfast love and faithfulness.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 136:1-3 ESV)
He goes on to state, “to him who alone does great wonders,… to him who by his understanding made the heavens, to him who spread out the earth above the waters,… to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,… and brought Israel out from among them,… to him who divided the Red Sea in two,… and made Israel pass through the midst of it,… to him who struck down great kings,… and gave their land as a heritage,… a heritage to Israel his servant… It is he who remembered us in our low estate,… and rescued us from our foes,… and gives food to all flesh.” He seems to be calling to remembrance the continuation of God’s deliverance, care, and enduring commitment to His people. And in between all of these truths is “for his steadfast love endures forever.” The author is reminding us constantly as he lists them out, and in doing so, he is telling us to remember the big idea that God has done all of these things because of just how much God loves us. He loves us so very much, not because of anything we do or did, but because of His own perfect, steadfast, faithful love.
Dot #2 – He is faithful.
Steadfast can also be rendered faithful. And His faithfulness endures throughout all generations. There is a song of praise by David in Psalm 145 that praises the Lord for His goodness and generosity toward His people. He is praising and commending God because He is “greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. (v. 3).” God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (v. 8).” Psalm 145:13 says,
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures thought all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.(Ps. 145:13, ESV)
God is faithful. He is faithful in all his words. His Word never fails. He if full of compassion and love and truth. His character can not change. He is immutable. So in this steadfast love, He is faithful and true. In Revelation, Jesus reveals His character traits, and in Revelation 1:5, Jesus is described as the “faithful witness.” He does not change. He does not turn away from us. He does not leave us. He remains ever faithful even when we are not. He said at the end of Matthew’s gospel, “and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In the interlinear Bible that I have (by Green), the Greek is literally translated “And behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the age.” In Strong’s concordance, the Greek word for “completion” is transliterated sunteleia, and it is not denoting termination, but the heading up of events to the appointed climax. The word for age in the Greek is aion. Aion is not ‘the world’, but a period or epoch or era in which events take place on the world.
I review this bit of information because it gives a fuller picture of His faithfulness, His mercy, His steadfast love. He is with us forever and ever. When we translate “I am with you always, to the end of the age,” the fuller picture is that even when it gets really bad, when the climax of this redemption plan and the purification of it all comes about, Jesus will still be our covering. He will still stand for us saving us from the wrath. He is without beginning and without end. He is. And He loves His people so fully and so perfectly that His faithfulness is unmatched, and it is perfect. He is steadfast and faithful.
Dots #1 and #2 connected – God is faithfully steadfast.
God does not change, like I stated before. He cannot change or He wouldn’t be who He is. He is perfectly faithful, and gave us everything. Paul talks about God’s everlasting love to the Romans. He says:
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor death, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39, ESV)
God’s steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness do not stop. He will be with us always, even when it gets so bad that we think He left us. He will still be there. Nothing can separate us from God. When you think that He has left you, or if you think you are not good enough to be loved, remember His promises. He loves you not because of anything you think, say, or do. He loves you because He loves you. He is love. And He does not change. Take that with you throughout the remainder of your life, which if you are in Christ is forever. God loves you so much.
Gotta go fill up my cup…..
Coffee with Candee 