TRUSTWORTHY SAYINGS

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

We all want hear wise advice, but it’s a rare commodity today. You never know who to trust and whose word to rely upon. One constant truth in our lives is God’s Word. It is full of wisdom and truth. There are several passages that actually state their credentials as far as their veracity. Following are those passages that proclaim that they are trustworthy sayings that can be relied upon to live by. I hope you find them worthy to apply to your own lives.

 

1 Timothy 1:15-17

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

 

Here we see Paul encouraging Timothy, and us, to completely and absolutely accept the statement that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. We see here that Paul has a very humble view of himself, something each of us might strive to emulate. He tells us that he views himself as the worst of sinners, yet Christ displayed His unlimited patience and mercy towards him by saving him from his sins. He continues by stating the way to receive this mercy and salvation is by believing in Jesus as Lord and Master. The benefit of making such a decision is receiving eternal life. Paul continues by describing God as eternal, immortal and invisible. He praises God by stating He deserves our honor and glory forever and ever. This is truly a trustworthy saying that we should all strive to fully and completely accept and live by.

 

1 Timothy 3:1-13

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.”

 

This trustworthy saying deals with the leadership of God’s most precious possession, His church. God loves His children and desires to assure that they are led properly. This involves the leadership of men fulfilling the role of elder or overseer as well as deacon. Here the requirements and recommendations for these ministry positions are laid out with utmost clarity. God does not want just anyone to care for His church. He knows that if the wrong individuals are placed in such a position His church is in danger, not only from threats from the world but also from within the church itself in the form of false teachers and wolves in sheep’s clothing. Men of integrity who have a love for God’s church will guide His followers in the path of righteousness. These men are not to lord it over those they serve. They are servant leaders. They lead by example and serve the body of Christ as Christ would Himself in a sacrificial manner.

 

1 Timothy 4:9-10

“This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”

 

This passage lays down the foundation of our faith in God. We have placed our hope in the living God. Our hope does not lie in ourselves, what we can become or obtain, it rests solely in our majestic Heavenly Father. Christ died to save all men, but Christ is actually only the savior of those who choose to believe. While Christ’s death paid for everyone’s sin, this payment is not complete until each and every person accepts the gift of salvation. Without accepting Christ as Savior the payment is not validated. Those who fail to take advantage of this free gift offered by Christ’s sacrifice will die in sin and live eternally in hell. It is horribly unfortunate that all do not accept Christ as Savior, but some choose to refuse the payment that is just waiting to be claimed.

 

2 Timothy 2:11-13

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown himself.”

 

Here again in this trustworthy saying we see lots of doctrinal truth. It states that if we die with Christ we will also live with Him. What this means is that when we die to our sins when we accept Christ as Savior we live again just as He rose from the grave. If we endure and persevere in our Christian walk, we will also reign with Him in paradise. Of course the antithesis is also true. If we deny and disown Him, he will disown us. But there is hope because even though when we are faithless and fail to live at times as perfectly as He did, He continues to remain faithful and love us as we are. If we have truly accepted Him as our Savior He cannot disown us for we are a part His flock. We are acceptable to Him not for what we have done, but because of what He did for us in His death on the cross. This doesn’t mean that our obedience to His Word has no meaning; it just means that our salvation is not based on our actions but on His. Our behavior should reflect our commitment. Our obedience should come from our love for Him.

 

Titus 3:3-8

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.”

 

Finally in this last trustworthy saying we gain some perspective. This tells us that at one time we were all foolish, disobedient, deceived and actually a slave to all kinds of pleasures and passions of the world. We were ruled by our emotions and coveted what others had. We hated others and they hated us in return. But praise God when we accepted Christ as our Savior a new creation was birthed in our person. Christ brought about this transformation through His power and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Being justified by the grace given to us through Christ we have been given a great inheritance, the hope of eternal life with Him.

 

These truly are trustworthy sayings that we should take to heart, meditate on, and fall asleep in our beds thinking about, living out in our daily activities. These sayings should prompt us to tell others about Christ so that they too may come to know Him as their personal Savior, Lord and Master, friend and confidant. I hope and pray you will seek to listen to God’s Word in these scriptures I have shared. They are full of life, power, comfort, hope and truth.