by Kevin Burton
In this life of deceit and disappointments, we pray for something solid we can hold on to, something that is true.
We long for something we can trust.
Trust according to Merriam-Webster is “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something.”
On the 70s detective show Baretta, one catchphrase was “you can take that to the bank.” The actor said that when something was supposed to be sure.
The apostle Paul mentioned trustworthy sayings four times in the New Testament. Alistair Begg listed them in a message from Truth For Life.
In the years since I clicked off Baretta for the last time, I have learned that the bank is not the ultimate symbol of surety. This truth from Paul we can take to the bank and beyond.
Here is how Begg has group Paul’s four sayings:
“The first occurs in 1 Tim. 1:15, ‘The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ The next is in 1 Tim. 4:8-9, ‘Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.’”
The third is in 2 Tim. 2:11, ‘The saying is trustworthy, for: if we have died with him, we will also live with him.’ And the fourth is in Titus 3:8, ‘The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to do good works.’”
“We may trace a connection between these faithful sayings,” Begg wrote. “The first one lays the foundation of our eternal salvation in the free grace of God, as shown to us in the mission of the great Redeemer. The next affirms the double-blessedness that we obtain through this salvation – the blessings of time and eternity.”
“The third shows the nature of the life to which the chosen people are called, we are ordained to die with the promise that “if we have died with him, we will also live with him. The last sets out the active form of Christian service, bidding us to diligently maintain good works,” Begg wrote.
“So we have the root of salvation in free grace, then the privileges of that salvation in the life that now is and in that which is to come, and we have also the two great branches of dying with Christ and living with Christ, loaded with the fruit of the Spirit.”
Of course we know the whole of the Bible to be trustworthy. Paul also wrote that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works,” (2 Tim 3:16-17 KJV).
Theologians say the Bible is “God-breathed,” written by men yes, but with the direct inspiration of God. That is what elevates holy scripture above anything you and I can write, however well-meaning we may be.
“For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12 NASB).
But the sayings Begg has put together tell a story within a story. That’s what makes the word of God, “
“Treasure up these faithful sayings. Let them be the guides of your life, your comfort, and your instruction,” Begg wrote. “The apostle of the Gentiles proved them to be trustworthy, and they are still trustworthy; not one word will fall to the ground.”
“They are worthy of all acceptance, let us accept them now and prove their reliability. Let these four trustworthy sayings be written on the four corners of my house.”
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