"If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself” (2Tim 2:13).
Remember Weebles? They were goofy little egg-shaped toys that would wobble but never fall down. No matter what you did to these little roly polies, they would always return upright.
So what in the world do Weebles have to do with following Jesus? Okay, hear me out. Sometimes my faith in Christ is strong. Too often I get knocked for a loop. Too often I doubt. Too often I fail to trust Him. Too often I wobble.
Here in 2 Timothy, Paul tells his young buddy how there are going to be times when our unbelief gets the best of us. But there’s good news in the Good News. Our Savior remains rock steady. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself” (v13).
We may wobble but Jesus never wavers.
If you’re familiar with Paul’s second letter to Timothy, you have to wonder if he’s not wobbling. Could you blame him? He’s currently in Caesar’s SuperMax, otherwise known as Rome’s Mamertine prison. The apostle is not just in heavy chains (2Tim 1:16; 2:9) but on Death Row (2Tim 4:6-7). He’s desperate for one last visit from his protege (2Tim 4:9, 12). I don’t know about you, but my faith wouldn’t just be wobbling. More like in free fall.
It’s at this point in his letter that the apostle leans on lyrics of a first century worship song to make his point. It goes a little something like this. Following Jesus is a matter of life THROUGH death (2Tim 2:11). There’s no easy button or fast past, but just wait to see the ultimate payoff (2Tim 2:12a). If I reject Christ my entire life, He will eventually give me exactly what I want in eternity…and that’s NOT a good thing (2Tim 2:12b).
The last line Paul quotes from the tune describe our weakness and Jesus’ strength. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself” (v13). Smart folks who have forgotten more about the Bible than I’ll ever know are divided on this verse. There’s a huge difference of opinion on what the apostle is trying to get across. In other words, what’s he referring to when he talks about our faithlessness? Is this a lifelong rejection of Jesus (like in 2Tim 2:12)? Or is it a short term season of disbelief?
Let me put all my cards on the table. I land on the latter. I could be wrong. I begin to think so when smart dudes like John Piper and John MacArthur take the opposite view. Slippery slope, don’t ya think? But there’s one thing we all agree on. One thing we need to remember. God’s Word is ultimately about God, not us. So no matter whether Paul is talking about our faithless rejection of Him over a lifetime or our temporary distrust, one thing is certain. “He remains faithful” (v13). The big idea? Our Savior is rocky steady.
We may wobble but Jesus never wavers.
Don’t forget who’s the Hero of Scripture. Jesus. He says so Himself (Jn 5:39). He goes so far as to say that when Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, “He wrote of Me” (Jn 5:46). In what might be the greatest Bible study the world has ever seen, the resurrected Christ unpacked Scriptures Big Idea to a couple of dudes headed home to Emmaus. “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Lk 24:27).
Jesus is the Point. He’s the Hero. He’s the Reason. Everything from Genesis to Revelation is there to shine the spotlight of salvation on our Savior.
So let’s turn it around. Who is God’s story NOT about? I can say for certain that it’s NOT about me. Pretty sure it’s NOT about you either. At it’s core, Scripture is NOT a handbook for unlocking God’s blessings. Are we part of the story? You betcha. But we’re not the point.
If that’s the case, do you know who else isn’t the point? People like Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, John the Dunker, Peter, and the rest of Jesus’ Dirty Dozen. We need to stop turning these people into some sort of Sunday School version of the Avengers. Each and every one of them are flawed and fallen. Each one of them desperately in need of a Savior.
What does this have to do with what Paul writes to Timothy? They were far from perfect with less than perfect faith. God includes this endless parade of goofballs, weirdos, washouts, and knuckleheads in His grand story to show just how faithful He is when we’re faithless.
Adam wobbled when he sat passively while a talking snake seduced his wife.
Noah wobbled when he passed out drunk and naked like a Jeff Foxworthy “You might be a redneck” punchline.
Abraham wobbled when he not only pretended Sarah wasn’t his wife (Guys, you DO realize that’s NEVER gonna end well, don’t you?), but thought he could help God’s plan by sleeping with his wife’s maid.
David wobbled when he seduced one of his soldier’s wife and then had him killed in cold blood on the battlefield.
Solomon wobbled when he repeatedly married women who didn’t share his faith and eventually found himself far from God.
John the Dunker wobbled when he was in the slammer and doubted that his Cousin Jesus really was Messiah.
Peter wobbled when he denied he even knew the Lord when a teenage girl confronted him (cue the rooster).
Those not-so-brave disciples wobbled and scattered like cockroaches at Jesus’ arrest and execution.
They wobbled. We wobble. But Jesus never wavers. God uses each of them to shine the spotlight on our always faithful Savior. We place our wobbly trust in the One who never wavers. Christ lived the perfect life we failed to live. He died the death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to a spectacular new life that we don’t deserve. We trust in the One who is undeniably trustworthy.
We may wobble but Jesus never wavers.
Think of it this way. It’s MUCH better to have a weak faith in a strong object than a strong faith in a weak object. Follow the logic. I can have all of the faith in the world that I can fly cross county on a paper airplane. But no matter who’s folding or slinging that flimsy glider, this isn’t going to end well. On the other hand, I might have serious doubts about a successful flight from LaGuardia to LAX on Southwest. But despite my lack of faith, that airliner is still getting to Cali. (However, I’m NOT making any guarantees on the luggage.) It’s better to have a weak and wobbly faith in a strong object. There’s no stronger object of our faith that Jesus.
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