“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We can eagerly expect Christ’s coming (1:8) because God is faithful. All the prerogatives of grace listed in verses 4-9 rest on God’s faithfulness to His grace.

God is faithful,

We count on God’s grace because God is faithful. The word “faithful” is emphatic in Greek. God is always true to His word — to His past grace, present grace, or future grace. God is trustworthy and reliable. He is faithful in the absolute sense; we are never faithful in the absolute sense. God attests our calling eternally by His character. We can depend on that. He is worthy of trust.

by whom

God is the agent of our salvation.

you were called

God’s call is an effectual call that brings forth salvation. We have eternal life because God saved our souls and is true to His Word. God’s faithfulness keeps us saved because He is faithful to His promises. His character is at stake in keeping His promises.

into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God desires that we enter into fellowship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This fellowship is the entire fellowship with Jesus Christ. We have complete communion with Him.

Co 2:9-10, ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

We have all things in common with Christ. We entered into a partnership with Him at salvation.

PRINCIPLE:

God’s faithfulness gives confidence to the assurance of our salvation.

APPLICATION:

We can trust God with our future because He will deliver on His promises. There will be no disappointment in Him. He is totally trustworthy. For this reason, we have the ultimate ground of confidence. We can be thankful for divine faithfulness because His faithfulness is immutable.

We do not deserve His faithfulness toward us. We cannot earn that faithfulness. It all rests on the work of the Son. Our position in Christ can never be improved. His faithfulness guarantees our salvation. God will preserve us blameless.

Ro 8:30, Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

God will never let us down. People will let us down. We will be disappointed if we put on eyes on people. That will give us trouble. Trust in God’s promises assures us of salvation. It also gives assurance of God’s keeping His promises to us in time.

1 Co 10:13, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

1 Th 5:24, He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

2 Th 3:3, But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

1 Jn 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.