Rediscovering Faithfulness

Book excerpt: What does faithfulness mean for modern Christians who find themselves immersed in a social and moral context two millennia removed from that of Jesus? As a notion endorsed by Christians universally, irrespective of church tradition, geographic location, economic and political milieu, or spiritual experience, faithfulness is essential to mature Christian living. Yet many in the modern church have lost—or perhaps forgotten—the true nature of faithfulness, and thus have wandered from that which God envisages for believers. Rediscovering what faithfulness entails, however, is altogether possible. Theological ethicist Kenneth W. M. Wozniak takes the reader on a journey of encounter, looking to the earliest Christians and their understanding of fidelity to the way of Jesus as a model for believers today, and as the means by which the essence of faithfulness—rooted not in adherence to a performance standard but rather in personal cultivation of the divine character—the Jesus way not only can be discovered, but also embraced and enjoyed by the one who aspires to align with the very being of God.