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Mt 25:21
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and FAITHFUL servant
KJV
What is faithfulness? It was brought to my attention by Rev. Kenneth V. Reeves SEVERAL times in my life that when I stood before Jesus on the day of judgment, He would NOT say.. Lisa.. thou good and "prosperous servant". but the scripture says he will say, "well done thou good and FAITHFUL servant"... What the world classisifes as faithfulness is not what the scripture classifies. Here are a few things I have studied that burned in my heart again today as I worked. Hope it blesses and encourages you where ever you are called to work for the Lord and whatever your service may be. Blessings!
Mt 25:21-45
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant : thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Study Helps
FAITHFUL, FAITHFULLY, FAITHLESS
1. pistos NT:4103, a verbal adjective, akin to peitho (see FAITH), is used in two senses, (a) passive, "faithful, to be trusted, reliable," said of God, e. g., 1 Co 1:9; 10:13; 2 Co 1:18 (KJV, "true"); 2 Ti 2:13; Heb 10:23; 11:11; 1 Pe 4:19; 1 Jn 1:9; of Christ, e. g., 2 Th 3:3; Heb 2:17; 3:2; Rv 1:5; 3:14; 19:11; of the words of God, e. g., Ac 13:34, "sure"; 1 Ti 1:15; 3:1 (KJV, "true"); 4:9; 2:11; 1:9; 3:8; 21:5; 22:6; of servants of the Lord, Mt 24:45; 25:21,23; Ac 16:15; 1 Co 4:2,17; 7:25; Eph 6:21; Col 1:7; 4:7,9; 1 Ti 1:12; 3:11; 2 Ti 2:2; Heb 3:5; 1 Pe 5:12; 3 Jn 5; Rv 2:13; 17:14; of believers, Eph 1:1; Col 1:2; (b) active, signifying "believing, trusting, relying," e. g., Ac 16:1 (feminine); 2 Co 6:15; Gal 3:9 seems best taken in this respect, as the context lays stress upon Abraham's "faith" in God, rather than upon his "faithfulness." In Jn 20:27 the context requires the active sense, as the Lord is reproaching Thomas for his want of "faith." See No. 2.
With regard to believers, they are spoken of sometimes in the active sense, sometimes in the passive, i. e., sometimes as believers, sometimes as "faithful." See Lightfoot on Galatians, p. 155.
Note: In 3 Jn 5 the RV has "thou doest a faithful work," for KJV, "thou doest faithfully." The lit. rendering is "thou doest (poieo) a faithful thing, whatsoever thou workest (ergazo)." That would not do as a translation. To do a "faithful" work is to do what is worthy of a "faithful" man. The KJV gives a meaning but is not exact as a translation. Westcott suggests "thou makest sure (piston) whatsoever thou workest" (i. e., it will not lose its reward). The change between poieo, "to do," and ergazo, "to work," must be maintained. Cf. Mt 26:10 (ergazo and ergon).
2. apistos NT:571 is used with meanings somewhat parallel to No. 1; (a) "untrustworthy" (a, negative, and No. 1), not worthy of confidence or belief, is said of things "incredible," Ac 26:8 (b) "unbelieving, distrustful," used as a noun, "unbeliever," Lk 12:46; 1 Ti 5:8 (RV, for KJV, "infidel"); in Tit 1:15 and Rv 21:8, "unbelieving"; "faithless" in Mt 17:17; Mk 9:19; Lk 9:41; Jn 20:27. The word is most frequent in 1 and 2 Corinthians. See BELIEVE, INCREDIBLE, INFIDEL, UNBELIEVER, UNFAITHFUL. (In the Sept., Pr 17:6; 28:25; Isa 17:10.).
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)