FAITHFUL WITNESS

There is, in the three titles in verse 5, a progression of thought. The first, which occupies us today, looks back over the life of the Lord and pronounces ‘faithful’. The second is a statement for the present. The Lord is, and remains, the ‘first begotten of the dead’. He is risen and remains alive, the assurance of the believer’s hope. The third, ‘prince of the kings of the earth’, points forward to the time when He shall be recognised and obeyed as the rightful ruler of this earth, when His kingdom shall be established.

There are times when we can be fulsome in our praise and generous with our plaudits, building the reputation of men higher than we should. Scripture is much more measured in what it has to say and there are very few to whom the word ‘faithful’ is applied. Old Testament saints such as Abraham, Moses, David and Daniel are all called such. In the New Testament, we have Paul and Timothy, as well as saints such as Tychicus, Epaphras, and Onesimus. However, whatever the achievements of these men may have been, all were marked by failure at some stage in their lives.

Only One can carry this title of ‘faithful’ to its full height. Only the Lord was perfect in every aspect of His service, unfailing in His fulfilment of all that the Father required. In His prayer to the Father, He could say, ‘I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do’, John 17.4. This is what faithfulness really means!

There is, in the word ‘witness’, a reminder of the extent of the Lord’s faithfulness. The word marius is also translated ‘martyr’, signifying one who has been prepared to give up his life in order to remain faithful. Of the extent of the Lord’s faithfulness, Paul writes, ‘he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross’, Phil. 2.8. The Lord knew the cost but did not shrink from paying it in order that the work of the Father might be accomplished.

‘Faithful amidst unfaithfulness,
midst darkness only light,
Thou didst Thy Father’s Name confess,
and in His will delight’ [James G. Deck]