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Faithful

           Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,
    we will also live with him;
 if we endure,
    we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
    he will also disown us;
 if we are faithless,
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot disown himself.

(II Timothy 2:11-13)

 

          I think I’ve read somewhere that this and other passages like it might be hymns. They might also be early creeds. The cross-references I found were all for New Testament passages, so while one can very likely find parallel texts in the Old Testament, it wasn’t made up of specific, identified quotes. And this ends the dry, scholarly note.

          This brings us back to our whys. Why are we dying with Him or for Him? Because it will lead to living with Him. Why are we enduring? Because it will lead to our reigning with Him. Equally, if we disown Him, He will disown us. After all, if we want nothing to do with Him, would it be right for Him to impose Himself on us? Some years ago, a friend told me she wanted nothing more to do with me and that I was not to contact her again. I’ll admit – I haven’t been perfect about not contacting her. I’ve sent her my standard birthday greetings, for example. But the point is that I have not turned my back on friendship with her. I’ve just granted her (imperfectly) what she demanded of me. So, it’s entirely possible to “disown” someone without maliciousness.

          The first three phrases make sense. They involve a sort of give-and-take. The fourth phrase breaks the pattern. It should be something like, “If we are faithless, He will cast us out.” Isn’t that what we tend to do with unfaithful spouses? Unfaithful friends? We do that because that’s the sort of person we are. It’s what makes sense. It’s natural. God doesn’t do that because that’s not the sort of person He is. It doesn’t make sense to Him. It’s not natural to Him.

That’s what makes this passage magnificent. We begin with two positive whys: living with Him and reigning with Him. It adds a negative why: avoiding being disowned by Him, and then it gives us the reassurance we need. If we’re honest, we know there’s no way that we are going to face dying or enduring as well as Jesus did. We’re afraid we don’t pass the test when it comes to the choice to own or disown Him. What the fourth phrase tells us is that even if we fail, He does not. It doesn’t mean we don’t have to try, but God is faithful even if we are not.

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