If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Parallel translations
- WEB If we are faithless, he remains faithful. For he can’t deny himself.”
- BSB if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
- NKJV If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
- NASB If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
- NLT If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Even if we are faithless, Christ remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. God's faithfulness is grounded in his unchanging character.
Overview
This closing line of the hymn assures that Christ's faithfulness does not depend on ours; he stays true to his own nature and promises. For the struggling believer this is comfort, yet it does not excuse unbelief, since he 'cannot deny himself' and remains just as well as merciful. God's steadfastness is the bedrock of Christian hope.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Num 23:19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
- Rom 3:3For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
- 1 Th 5:24Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
- 2 Th 3:3But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
- Titus 1:2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
- 1 Cor 1:9God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
- Heb 6:18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
- Matt 24:35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
- Rom 9:6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
- Isa 25:1O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ Jesus 'abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel' — the risen Lord whose word and kingdom endure to the end.
How 2 Timothy 2:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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