Christ's Faithfulness

2 Timothy 2:13New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

If we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.

There are many times and in many places that our religious or spiritual life speaks to our faith in Christ, but what about Christ's faith?

Is it possible that it is THAT faith which saves us?

Time after time scripture tells us of Christ's faithfulness and here, the writer to Timothy reminds us that even when we are faithless - or maybe even just a little light on faith - Christ remains faithful.

One of the things that stayed with me the longest, and affected my scripture reading the most, from Seminary was when my New Testament professor, Dr. Erik Heen, told us that Galatians 2:16 was perhaps not translated properly in the texts we were used to hearing.  You know that verse: "yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith IN Jesus Christ."

Instead, many modern scholars have noted that the Greek is a subjective genitive, rather than an objective genitive for the word "faith."  In other words, how the phrase most likely should be translated is this:  "Yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness OF Jesus Christ."

In other words, it is not OUR faith that saves us, but it is Christ's faith that saves us.

Our faith - or at least MY faith - is shakable.  It isn't constant.  Often I identify with the father in Mark's gospel who says, "Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief."  I know that there are times when things seem dark, or the world seems inhospitable that my faith shakes and quakes and begs God for something to sustain it.

Yet Christ's faith in us, Christ's faith in God's kingdom is eternal.  And when I am falling down, fearful, sad, lonely, shaken, doubting, it is THAT faith that picks me up and reminds my that I belong to God.

To depend on my own faith for my place in God's kingdom doesn't often seem possible.  

But to depend on Christ faithfulness is something I know I can count on always.

Faithful Jesus, I believe.  Help my unbelief and lift me up with your ever present faithfulness.  Amen.