Daily Affirmations - Day 1 - Faithful God: He Cannot Disown Himself

This week's Theme: Faithful God

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Day 1: He cannot disown Himself

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

If the rulers do not believe, and if the philosophical minds do not believe, and if in addition to this, public opinion—so called—rejects it, yet the gospel is still the same eternal truth. Public opinion is not the test and gauge of truth, for it has continually altered, and it will continue to alter.

The aggregate thinking of fallible men is less than nothing when set against the one solitary mind of God, who is infallible, as He reveals to us by the Holy Spirit in the words of truth in the Scriptures... [But] the world lieth in the wicked one, and its judgment is under his sway.

What are multitudes when they are all under the influence of the "father of lies?" …Though we believe not— that is, though the whole world believe not— yet God’s gospel is not to be altered to suit human whims and fancies, but in all its angularity and singularity, in all its divine authority, unpared, uncut, wrought out as a whole, it is still to be proclaimed, for “He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself...”

Does the church of God ever fall into such a state that we may say of it, “It believes not”? Yes, the visible church has many and many a time fearfully turned aside. Go back for a type of it to the wilderness.

The children of Israel were brought up out of Egypt with a [mighty] hand and an outstretched arm, and they were fed in the wilderness with angels’ food, and made to drink of water from the rock; but they were continually doubting their God. But what happened? Did God depart from His purpose to give the land that flowed with milk and honey to the seed of Abraham? Did He break up the covenant and grow weary of it?

No... Abraham’s seed inherited the land, and they dwelt therein every man under his own vine and fig-tree. Though the visible people of God rejected Him full often, so that for their unbelief they died in the wilderness, yet He remained faithful: He did not, He could not, deny Himself.

Well, now... sometimes, according to this type...the visible church of God apostatizes from the truth of God. The doctrines of grace, the truths of the gospel are obscured, beclouded, scarcely preached, preached with gaudy words, or hid behind ceremonies and rites, and all sorts of things.

And what happens? Are the foundation truths removed? Is the eternal verity reversed? Has God recalled His promise? Oh no. “He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself…”

Have we not seen large portions of the visible church of God decline into such a state as this till we have been ready to say with our Master, “When the Son of Man cometh shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). But what then, my brethren?

Suppose we should live to see everywhere a degenerate church? Suppose it should become like Laodicea, till the Lord should seem to spew the visible church out of His mouth, because she has become neither hot nor cold (Revelation 3:15-16)...

According as the churches cease to be evangelical they are diminished and brought low. A church that neglects prayer becomes disunited, scattered, lethargic, all but dead. A church that has no faith in the Holy Spirit may carry on her ordinances, but it will be with barren formality and without power from on high: all of which proves the faithfulness of Him who said, “If you walk contrary to me, I will walk contrary to you” (Leviticus 26:21, 24).

If they cast away [the One who] is their strength, it is...faithfulness on God’s part that they should become weak. All the history of the church, if you read it, from the days of Christ till now, will go to show that He deals with His church in such a way as to make her see that He is faithful, whatever she may be.

He will help her when she turns to Him, He will bless her when she trusts Him, He will crown her when she exalts Him, but He will bring her low and chasten her when she turns in any measure aside from the simplicity of her faith.

Thus does He prove that He still is faithful.

~ C.H. Spurgeon, Eternal Faithfulness Unaffected by Human Unbelief