Faithful to “What” or “Who?”

It seems to me we have adopted some strange ways of speaking.  We often speak about being faithful to things and not to people.  We talk about being faithful to the Scriptures, the Confessions, or the traditions of the Church.  I know what people mean by these phrases and I resonate with many of the thoughts they are meant to convey.

But at least in my mind, one can only be faithful to a “who” and not a “what.”  Faithfulness is ultimately about relationship to someone.  Faithfulness is about reaming fiercely loyal forsaking all others.  It is about putting the plow into the ground and not looking back.  It the case of God, it is about fearing, loving, and trusting in him above all things.

I know some willfully call themselves bibliophiles, but the idea of being faithful to a book is really quite odd.  We when speak about being faithful, I feel that we must always be clear that we are seeking to be faithful to the triune God who has revealed himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.  Speaking in other ways can quickly make idols of things that are meant to be blessings.  It can have the appearance of good and truly be evil.

When we speak about being faithful to things, people or congregations walking in sin can think that we are simply accusing them of being unfaithful to some book sitting on a shelf.  And quite frankly for most that carries little to no impact.  We must be clear that sinning is always carried out before God seated in the heavens.  Their problem is not with some book, confession, or tradition.  Ultimately on that last day, they will not stand before any book.  They will stand before God.

Don’t get me wrong.  We cannot come to know this God apart from the scriptures and their proclamation.  The Confessions are a wonderful tool to help us understand our God and his ways.  Traditions can do well to point us towards this God and his salvation. But ultimately the real import of the faith is where we stand or rather if we can stand in the presence of God.  And that is why we remain faithful to the “Who” that lived, died, and rose for us.

Imagine being at a wedding ceremony and when the time come for exchanging vows, each person turned to a book and spoke words.  Odd right?  Faithfulness is ultimately something that exists between two (or more) “whos” and not “whats.”  We all know it.  Let us speak that way in the church as well.