Faithful Sayings
Dave Faust
A wise axiom says, “You cannot train a horse with shouts and expect it to obey a whisper.” In healthy families, parents speak truth to their children, but they do it in love. In healthy churches, leaders set the tone by communicating well. In healthy workplaces, employees understand their company’s mission and core values.
People are fed up with divisive creeds and silly slogans, but they are hungry for substantial nuggets of truth, lovingly delivered. In the pastoral epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) the Bible refers to these pithy statements as “faithful (trustworthy) sayings.”
How They Help Us
Faithful sayings stick in our minds. First-century Christians didn’t own printed Bibles conveniently divided into numbered chapters and verses. Short, memorable truth-summaries helped them to recall the apostles’ teachings, and they do the same for us.
Faithful sayings overcome negative talk. There was a lot of unfaithful conversation going around when Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus. Negative talk can destroy a congregation, so Paul said to watch out for “myths and endless genealogies” that “promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work” (1 Timothy 1:4). Faithful sayings stand in sharp contrast to the “meaningless talk” (1:6), “old wives’ tales” (4:7), “nonsense” (5:13), “controversies and quarrels about words” (6:4), and “godless chatter” (6:20) that were spreading through the church. Paul insisted, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels” (2 Timothy 2:23).
Faithful sayings convey spiritual truth. Because they encapsulate “the pattern of sound teaching” (2 Timothy 1:13), the Bible’s faithful sayings can help church leaders “hold firmly to the trustworthy message” so they “can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).
Five Faithful Sayings
Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus contain five sections the apostle identifies as faithful or trustworthy sayings.
According to Jesus, we will be accountable on Judgment Day “for every empty word” we
have spoken (Matthew 12:36). In our homes, workplaces, and churches, are we spreading negativity, or sowing seeds of faithfulness?
QUESTIONS:
This column first appeared in The Lookout on Aug 10, 2014.
Faith Under Cover
After years of handling, my Bible looks worn, torn, and forlorn. Layers of tape hold the leather cover together. Several times I've reattached pages to the spine with Elmer's® glue. Some sections of my Bible are so tattered and yellow, they're starting to resemble those ancient manuscripts copied and handed down by medieval monks! Jesus said his words will never pass away, but what should you do when your personal copy of God's Word starts to wear out?
Faithful Servants
Years ago I took a little survey and asked people to write down on a piece of paper what the word "minister" means. The most common answers were "preacher" and "teacher." The rest were an interesting assortment of definitions: "apostle," "shepherd," "leader," "counselor." One person, I assume a child, wrote "dentist." I laughed at that one, but then upon further reflection I realized there might be some truth in it. Sometimes ministry is like pulling teeth!