Post by Jim Pate on Jan 9, 2014 10:02:02 GMT -5
Faithful (4103) (pistos from peítho = to persuade - induce one by words to believe, have confidence) is something or someone who is worthy of faith or keeps promises and is applied to God, humans, His Word, etc
Pistos is used 67 times in the NT (Mt 24:45; 25:21, 23; Luke 12:42; 16:10, 11, 12; 19:17; John 20:27; Acts 10:45; 13:34; 16:1, 15; 1 Cor 1:9; 4:2, 17; 7:25; 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 6:15; Gal 3:9; Eph 1:1; 6:21; Col 1:2, 7; 4:7, 9; 1Th 5:24; 2Th 3:3; 1Ti 1:12, 15; 3:1, 11; 4:3, 9, 10, 12; 5:16; 6:2; 2Ti 2:2, 11, 13; Titus 1:6, 9; 3:8; He 2:17; 3:2, 5; 10:23; 11:11; 1Pe 1:21; 4:19; 5:12; 1Jn 1:9; 3Jn 1:5; Re 1:5; 2:10, 13; 3:14; 17:14; 19:11; 21:5; 22:6) Pistos is translated believe(2), believer(4), believers(5), believing(1), faithful(43), Faithful(1), faithful one(1), faithfully(1), sure(1), trustworthy(7), who believe(1).
Pistos occurs some 46 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Nu 12:7; Deut 7:9; 28:59; 32:4; 1Sa 2:35; 3:20; 22:14; 25:28; 2Sa 20:18; 23:1; 1Ki 11:38; Neh 9:8; 13:13; Job 12:20; 17:9; Ps 19:7; 89:28, 37; 101:6; 111:7; 145:13; Pr 2:12; 11:13, 21; 13:17; 14:5, 25; 17:6f; 20:6; 25:13; Isa 1:21, 26; 8:2; 22:23, 25; 33:16; 49:7; 55:3; Je 42:5; Da 2:45; 6:4; Hos 5:9)
Vincent gives a nice summary (expanded in the discussion that follows) of the meaning of pistos, faithful, writing that it is used
"(1), of one who shows Himself faithful in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust (Mt 24:45). Hence, trustworthy (2Ti 2:2). Of things that can be relied upon (2Ti 2:11). (2), Confiding; trusting; a believer (Gal 3:9; Acts16:1; 2Cor 6:15; 1Ti 5:16)" (Word Studies in the New Testament)
Webster says that "Faithful" means firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance and implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.
Pistos is used in two senses in the NT
1) An active meaning = trusting or believing
This is the less frequent usage. This sense speaks of a sinner exercising faith in the Lord Jesus. In the first NT use in this sense, Jesus "said to Thomas,
“Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing." (Jn 20:27)
Paul instructs Timothy to
"let those who have believers (pistos) as their masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but let them serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers (pistos) and beloved. Teach and preach these principles." (1Ti 6:2)
When pistos is used in this active sense to refer to the faith which a lost sinner must place in the Lord Jesus in order to be saved, it includes the following ideas -- the act of considering the Lord Jesus worthy of trust as to His character and motives, the act of placing confidence in His ability to do just what He says He will do, the act of entrusting the salvation of his soul into the hands of the Lord Jesus, the act of committing the work of saving his soul to the care of the Lord. This means a definite taking of one’s self out of one’s own keeping and entrusting one’s self into the keeping of the Lord Jesus. Thus Paul says
So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer (pistos). (Gal 3:9)
Using a striking contrast, Paul asks
what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? (2Cor 6:15)
Luke records that Paul
came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. (Acts 16:1)
Note also that with regard to believers, they are spoken of sometimes in the Active sense (as "believers") and sometimes in the Passive (as "faithful").
The New Testament concept of faith includes three main elements, mutually connected and requisite, though according to circumstances sometimes one and sometimes another may be more prominent
(1) a fully convinced acknowledgement of the revelation of grace; (2) a self-surrendering fellowship (adhesion); and (3) a fully assured and unswerving trust (and with this at the same time hope) in the God of salvation or in Christ. (Modified from Cremer)
2) A passive meaning = trustworthy or faithful.
Here the basic idea is that of trustworthiness. In this sense pistos describes God, Christ, servants, His Word as faithful, reliable, worthy of belief or trust, , , dependable.
Marvin Vincent adds that pistos used of God describes Him as
True to his own nature and promises; keeping faith with Himself and with man.
Paul writes that even
if we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself. (see note 2 Timothy 2:13)
Pistos in this passive sense is used of one who shows Himself faithful in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust
Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Mt 24:45.
Hence, pistos describes the one who is trustworthy
And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. see note 2 Timothy 2:2).
Of the Word of God (which is the sense pistos is used in Titus 1:9) that can be relied upon
"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do." 1Ti 3:1
"It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him." - see note 2 Timothy 2:11
In this passive sense of trustworthy or faithful, pistos is applied to God as fulfilling His own promises (see notes Hebrews 10:23; Hebrews 11:11), as fulfilling the purpose for which He called men (1Th 5:24-note; 1Co 1:9), as responding with guardianship to the trust reposed in Him by men (1Co 10:13-note; 1Pe 4:19-note). Christ is faithful (2Thes 3:3; He 3:2-note; He 2:17-note Re 19:11-note) Christ as the faithful witness (RE 1:5-note; Re 3:14-note). God’s and Christ's faithfulness in these verses speak not only of His essential being (faithful is Who He is), but also of His faithfulness toward us, as shown for example in the famous verse
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn 1:9)
In the papyri, we find the following illustrations of the use of pistos -- "Whom no one would trust even if they were willing to work" = confidence in the person’s character and motives. "I have trusted no one to take it to her" = confidence in the ability of another to perform a certain task.
The Septuagint (Greek of the Hebrew OT) uses pistos 42 times, the first occurrence describing God's testimony about Moses declaring
"Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household." (Nu 12:7)
Moses in turn records the following of God writing
"Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments." (Dt 7:9)
Notice the seal of assurance stamped upon God's covenant. It is backed up by His faithful character.
In addition there are three uses of pistos in the Septuagint which parallel the truth in Titus 1:9 ("the faithful word"), two of these uses in Psalms and the other in Daniel in reference to one of the most foundational prophecies ever recorded in Daniel 2:
Psalm 19:7 "The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the LORD is sure (Translated in Septuagint with pistos - "faithful"), making wise the simple." (Comment: Spurgeon comments that "God’s witness in his Word is so sure that we may draw solid comfort from it both for time and eternity, and so sure that no attacks made upon it, however fierce or subtle, can ever weaken its force. What a blessing that in a world of uncertainties we have something sure to rest upon! We hasten from the quicksands of human speculations to the solid ground of divine revelation." - see Spurgeon's note)
Psalm 111:7 "The works of His hands are truth and justice. All His precepts are sure (Translated in Septuagint with pistos - "faithful")."
Spurgeon (his commentary) writes "All that he has appointed or decreed shall surely stand, and his precepts which he has proclaimed shall be found worthy of our obedience, for surely they are founded in justice and are meant for our lasting good. He is no fickle despot, commanding one thing one day and another another, but His commands remain absolutely unaltered, their necessity equally unquestionable, their excellence permanently proven, and their reward eternally secure. Take the word commandments to relate either to his decrees or his precepts, and we have in each case an important sense; but it seems more in accordance with the connection to take the first sense and consider the words to refer to the ordinances, appointments, or decrees of the great King."
Whatever the mighty Lord decrees,
Shall stand for ever sure.
The settled purpose of his heart
To ages shall endure.
Daniel 2:45 "Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy."
In short, God's Holy Word is trustworthy, dependable, reliable and sure because God Himself is faithful (1Cor 1:9, 1Th 5:24-note) and cannot lie (Titus 1:2 [note], Nu 23:19). Because God's Word is faithful, those who teach and preach the Word must also be faithful or trustworthy (1Cor 4:2, cf Num 12:7) and "entrust it to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2Ti 2:2-note).
The same combination of "faithful" (pistos) and "logos" translated here as "faithful word" is found five other times in the pastoral epistles and each of these other occurrences is translated "trustworthy statement" (1Ti 1:15, 3:1, 4:9, 2Ti 2:11-note, Titus 3:8-note).
In the Revelation John records some of God's final words on His word: "And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words (logos) are faithful and true.” (Re 21:5-note) God always speaks truth ( “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth" Jn 17:17) One of the seven angels said to John "These words (logos) are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place." (Re 22:6-note)
God's Word will surely come to pass. Therefore, it behooves the overseer to be diligent to cling to this precious trustworthy Word as he leads the flock into all truth and counters all lies and liars with the Word of Truth
Pistos is used 67 times in the NT (Mt 24:45; 25:21, 23; Luke 12:42; 16:10, 11, 12; 19:17; John 20:27; Acts 10:45; 13:34; 16:1, 15; 1 Cor 1:9; 4:2, 17; 7:25; 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 6:15; Gal 3:9; Eph 1:1; 6:21; Col 1:2, 7; 4:7, 9; 1Th 5:24; 2Th 3:3; 1Ti 1:12, 15; 3:1, 11; 4:3, 9, 10, 12; 5:16; 6:2; 2Ti 2:2, 11, 13; Titus 1:6, 9; 3:8; He 2:17; 3:2, 5; 10:23; 11:11; 1Pe 1:21; 4:19; 5:12; 1Jn 1:9; 3Jn 1:5; Re 1:5; 2:10, 13; 3:14; 17:14; 19:11; 21:5; 22:6) Pistos is translated believe(2), believer(4), believers(5), believing(1), faithful(43), Faithful(1), faithful one(1), faithfully(1), sure(1), trustworthy(7), who believe(1).
Pistos occurs some 46 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Nu 12:7; Deut 7:9; 28:59; 32:4; 1Sa 2:35; 3:20; 22:14; 25:28; 2Sa 20:18; 23:1; 1Ki 11:38; Neh 9:8; 13:13; Job 12:20; 17:9; Ps 19:7; 89:28, 37; 101:6; 111:7; 145:13; Pr 2:12; 11:13, 21; 13:17; 14:5, 25; 17:6f; 20:6; 25:13; Isa 1:21, 26; 8:2; 22:23, 25; 33:16; 49:7; 55:3; Je 42:5; Da 2:45; 6:4; Hos 5:9)
Vincent gives a nice summary (expanded in the discussion that follows) of the meaning of pistos, faithful, writing that it is used
"(1), of one who shows Himself faithful in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust (Mt 24:45). Hence, trustworthy (2Ti 2:2). Of things that can be relied upon (2Ti 2:11). (2), Confiding; trusting; a believer (Gal 3:9; Acts16:1; 2Cor 6:15; 1Ti 5:16)" (Word Studies in the New Testament)
Webster says that "Faithful" means firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance and implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.
Pistos is used in two senses in the NT
1) An active meaning = trusting or believing
This is the less frequent usage. This sense speaks of a sinner exercising faith in the Lord Jesus. In the first NT use in this sense, Jesus "said to Thomas,
“Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing." (Jn 20:27)
Paul instructs Timothy to
"let those who have believers (pistos) as their masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but let them serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers (pistos) and beloved. Teach and preach these principles." (1Ti 6:2)
When pistos is used in this active sense to refer to the faith which a lost sinner must place in the Lord Jesus in order to be saved, it includes the following ideas -- the act of considering the Lord Jesus worthy of trust as to His character and motives, the act of placing confidence in His ability to do just what He says He will do, the act of entrusting the salvation of his soul into the hands of the Lord Jesus, the act of committing the work of saving his soul to the care of the Lord. This means a definite taking of one’s self out of one’s own keeping and entrusting one’s self into the keeping of the Lord Jesus. Thus Paul says
So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer (pistos). (Gal 3:9)
Using a striking contrast, Paul asks
what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? (2Cor 6:15)
Luke records that Paul
came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. (Acts 16:1)
Note also that with regard to believers, they are spoken of sometimes in the Active sense (as "believers") and sometimes in the Passive (as "faithful").
The New Testament concept of faith includes three main elements, mutually connected and requisite, though according to circumstances sometimes one and sometimes another may be more prominent
(1) a fully convinced acknowledgement of the revelation of grace; (2) a self-surrendering fellowship (adhesion); and (3) a fully assured and unswerving trust (and with this at the same time hope) in the God of salvation or in Christ. (Modified from Cremer)
2) A passive meaning = trustworthy or faithful.
Here the basic idea is that of trustworthiness. In this sense pistos describes God, Christ, servants, His Word as faithful, reliable, worthy of belief or trust, , , dependable.
Marvin Vincent adds that pistos used of God describes Him as
True to his own nature and promises; keeping faith with Himself and with man.
Paul writes that even
if we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself. (see note 2 Timothy 2:13)
Pistos in this passive sense is used of one who shows Himself faithful in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust
Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Mt 24:45.
Hence, pistos describes the one who is trustworthy
And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. see note 2 Timothy 2:2).
Of the Word of God (which is the sense pistos is used in Titus 1:9) that can be relied upon
"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do." 1Ti 3:1
"It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him." - see note 2 Timothy 2:11
In this passive sense of trustworthy or faithful, pistos is applied to God as fulfilling His own promises (see notes Hebrews 10:23; Hebrews 11:11), as fulfilling the purpose for which He called men (1Th 5:24-note; 1Co 1:9), as responding with guardianship to the trust reposed in Him by men (1Co 10:13-note; 1Pe 4:19-note). Christ is faithful (2Thes 3:3; He 3:2-note; He 2:17-note Re 19:11-note) Christ as the faithful witness (RE 1:5-note; Re 3:14-note). God’s and Christ's faithfulness in these verses speak not only of His essential being (faithful is Who He is), but also of His faithfulness toward us, as shown for example in the famous verse
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn 1:9)
In the papyri, we find the following illustrations of the use of pistos -- "Whom no one would trust even if they were willing to work" = confidence in the person’s character and motives. "I have trusted no one to take it to her" = confidence in the ability of another to perform a certain task.
The Septuagint (Greek of the Hebrew OT) uses pistos 42 times, the first occurrence describing God's testimony about Moses declaring
"Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household." (Nu 12:7)
Moses in turn records the following of God writing
"Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments." (Dt 7:9)
Notice the seal of assurance stamped upon God's covenant. It is backed up by His faithful character.
In addition there are three uses of pistos in the Septuagint which parallel the truth in Titus 1:9 ("the faithful word"), two of these uses in Psalms and the other in Daniel in reference to one of the most foundational prophecies ever recorded in Daniel 2:
Psalm 19:7 "The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the LORD is sure (Translated in Septuagint with pistos - "faithful"), making wise the simple." (Comment: Spurgeon comments that "God’s witness in his Word is so sure that we may draw solid comfort from it both for time and eternity, and so sure that no attacks made upon it, however fierce or subtle, can ever weaken its force. What a blessing that in a world of uncertainties we have something sure to rest upon! We hasten from the quicksands of human speculations to the solid ground of divine revelation." - see Spurgeon's note)
Psalm 111:7 "The works of His hands are truth and justice. All His precepts are sure (Translated in Septuagint with pistos - "faithful")."
Spurgeon (his commentary) writes "All that he has appointed or decreed shall surely stand, and his precepts which he has proclaimed shall be found worthy of our obedience, for surely they are founded in justice and are meant for our lasting good. He is no fickle despot, commanding one thing one day and another another, but His commands remain absolutely unaltered, their necessity equally unquestionable, their excellence permanently proven, and their reward eternally secure. Take the word commandments to relate either to his decrees or his precepts, and we have in each case an important sense; but it seems more in accordance with the connection to take the first sense and consider the words to refer to the ordinances, appointments, or decrees of the great King."
Whatever the mighty Lord decrees,
Shall stand for ever sure.
The settled purpose of his heart
To ages shall endure.
Daniel 2:45 "Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy."
In short, God's Holy Word is trustworthy, dependable, reliable and sure because God Himself is faithful (1Cor 1:9, 1Th 5:24-note) and cannot lie (Titus 1:2 [note], Nu 23:19). Because God's Word is faithful, those who teach and preach the Word must also be faithful or trustworthy (1Cor 4:2, cf Num 12:7) and "entrust it to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2Ti 2:2-note).
The same combination of "faithful" (pistos) and "logos" translated here as "faithful word" is found five other times in the pastoral epistles and each of these other occurrences is translated "trustworthy statement" (1Ti 1:15, 3:1, 4:9, 2Ti 2:11-note, Titus 3:8-note).
In the Revelation John records some of God's final words on His word: "And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words (logos) are faithful and true.” (Re 21:5-note) God always speaks truth ( “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth" Jn 17:17) One of the seven angels said to John "These words (logos) are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place." (Re 22:6-note)
God's Word will surely come to pass. Therefore, it behooves the overseer to be diligent to cling to this precious trustworthy Word as he leads the flock into all truth and counters all lies and liars with the Word of Truth