If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Parallel translations
- WEB If we are faithless, he remains faithful. For he can’t deny himself.”
- KJV If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot 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.
- 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, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?
- Rom 3:3For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?
- 1 Th 5:24He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.
- 2 Th 3:3But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one.
- Titus 1:2in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began;
- 1 Cor 1:9God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
- Heb 6:18that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.
- Matt 24:35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
- Rom 9:6But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel.
- Isa 25:1Yahweh, you are my God. I will exalt you! I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago, in complete faithfulness and truth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.