Faithfulness: Edit history

Occurrences in Scripture

The term appears in the following passages (as rendered in the Korean Revised Version):

• Numbers 12:7: God says of Moses that he "is faithful in all mine house."
• Proverbs 25:13: A faithful messenger is likened to the cold of snow in the time of harvest.
• Matthew 25:21: In the Parable of the Talents, the master commends his servant: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things." The same expression appears in the Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:17).
• Luke 16:10: The Parable of the Unjust Steward is followed by the saying, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much."
• 1 Corinthians 4:2: Paul, presenting himself as one of the "stewards of the mysteries of God," writes, "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."
• Galatians 5:22: It is listed seventh among the nine fruit of the Spirit.
• Revelation 2:10: The church in Smyrna is told, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

Original Languages and Background

The Old Testament Hebrew terms ne'eman and emunah derive from a root meaning "to stand firm, to be reliable." Amen comes from the same root. The New Testament Greek terms pistos ("trustworthy") and pistis carry the meanings of both "faith" and "faithfulness." For this reason the same word may be translated either "faith" or "faithfulness" depending on the context. Some have pointed out that the biblical terms denote less a devotion offered to a ruler or nation than a trustworthiness that does not disappoint the one who has entrusted something. Among Korean translations, the New Korean Standard Version renders this word in Galatians 5:22 as "faithfulness" (sinsil).

Meaning Across Scripture

In the Old Testament, faithfulness is first of all an attribute of God (Lamentations 3:23); the Korean Revised Version usually renders this divine quality with terms meaning "sincerity" or "faithfulness." Human faithfulness is portrayed as a response to the faithfulness of God. The New Testament connects the concept with stewardship. Faithfulness is the disposition of guarding what has been entrusted until the master returns to settle accounts, as with stewards (1 Corinthians 4:1-2) and with servants entrusted with their master's property (Matthew 25).

Interpretation and Debates

• The meaning of "be faithful unto death": The original wording of Revelation 2:10 means "be faithful to the point of death." Because the surrounding text speaks of affliction in which believers are cast into prison, many commentators read the verse as an exhortation to keep the faith amid persecution, even to the point of martyrdom. In Korean churches the phrase is often extended to mean "serve without sparing yourself," and some argue that this usage should be distinguished from the verse's original context.
• Faithfulness and salvation: Traditions differ in emphasis on how to understand the "crown of life" and the rewards in the Parable of the Talents. Reformed theology, in keeping with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, regards faithfulness to the end as the fruit of the grace by which God preserves believers. The Wesleyan and Arminian traditions also read these passages as a warning that believers who do not remain faithful may fall from grace.
• "Faith" or "faithfulness"?: Scholarly discussion continues over whether emunah in Habakkuk 2:4 and certain instances of pistis in the Pauline epistles should be read as "faith" or as "faithfulness."

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestant churches, the term for faithfulness (chungseong) is widely used to refer to church service and the fulfillment of church offices. Expressions such as "being faithful in the Lord's work" and "a faithful worker" are typical. Sermons and exhortations at ordination and installation services frequently cite 1 Corinthians 4:2 and Revelation 2:10.