A man word is as good as his

A Man is Only as Good as His Word Prov. 20: 6 Heb. 13:8 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

In this lesson we are going to look at the verse in Hebrews that deals with Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. This verse is misapplied by many today to try and prove that they can do the signs and miracles that Jesus and the Apostles did when they were in sent out by him. But that is not the context of the verse.  The context deals with following someone’s faith and then it gives the example of Jesus Christ. As part of the introduction we are also looking at the verse in Proverbs that says a faith man who can find. Jesus Christ is the answer to that proverb and we can follow him without worry of being misled.

How Jesus was not the same yesterday, today and forever:

1)  He was born as a baby but he did not stay a baby forever.

2)  His message changed depending upon who he was talking to and when he was talking (Matthew 10:5-6 and Matthew 28:19-20)

3)  When he came the first time he was offered as a lamb for the sin of the world, when he comes the second time he will be the lion of the tribe of Judah who destroys the anti-christ and his armies at the battle of Armageddon.

So from these it is plain to see that the verse cannot be taken out of the context and applied literally to Jesus Christ always being the same.

How Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever:

He is totally faithful and his word is true. With this thought let us consider the connection between Jesus Christ and the word of God.

1)  Jesus in Creation (John 1:1-3 with Hebrews 11:1-3)

2)  The word of God in the Old Testament (2 Peter 1:21)

3)  The word became flesh (John 1:14)

4)  Jesus is still the word of God when he returns at the Second Advent (Revelation 19:13)

What does this mean for Us?

1)  With Jesus Christ as our example our word, testimony, and actions should all agree (Revelation 1:2 with Revelation 19:10)

2)  Since we are saved by the word (1 Peter 1:23) and it is the word that will work in us if we believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13) then for our word, testimony, and actions to agree then we must have faith in God’s word and follow it (Romans 10:17).

I grew up on old TV westerns such as «The Lone Ranger», «Gunsmoke», «The Rifleman» and others with Gary Cooper, James Stewart, John Wayne, etc. Maybe they helped shaped my sense of morality even to this day.

In any case, I’m particularly interested in finding the original source for the phrase «A man is only as good as his word» and perhaps even more importantly the names of some of the old movies or TV series that incorporated these words or this theme in them. I’ve been searching the web with several different search engines and all I come up with are Biblical references to similar quotations or quotes from «current events» news articles that incorporate the quotation. I think (but am just guessing) that the full sentence may have been: «At the end of the day. When all is said and done. A man is only as good as his word.» My gratitude goes out to anyone who can help. Thank you.

«An Honest Man’s Word Is As Good As His Bond»

Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, playwright, and poet, the creator of Don Quixote, the most famous figure in Spanish literature, is quoted as saying, “An honest man’s word is as good as his bond” (source). When one gives his word, it should mean that he will do what he has agreed to do, regardless, even if it means personal convenience or inconvenience; at personal gain or loss. There was a time when large sums of money or property changed hands based on a handshake (yes, this writer remembers that time). And, if a man was known not to stand by his word, folks would not deal with him because he was not trustworthy enough to stand behind what he said.

In today’s world, many people have little or no regard for doing what they say they will do. When they agree to something, they are thinking in their minds, “will this be advantageous to me?” And, if that becomes a loss to the person they are dealing with, then that person must understand and accept that.

Let us ask ourselves, “What is wrong with this picture?” What is wrong with this picture is exactly what Jesus addresses in Matthew 5:33-37, “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of oldtime, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths …. but let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”

Jesus is taking issue with the prevailing, hypocritical practice of false swearing. It has nothing to do with regulating civil court procedures (Compare Matthew 23:16-22, where He illustrates this point). The Jews would commonly take an oath to substantiate the truthfulness of their statements, but differentiate between what was binding for telling the truth or not, based on that by which they swore.

The problem, as Jesus addressed it, really had to do with truthfulness in character – a man’s word should be sufficient, because he is an honest man. A dishonest man’s word, even when uttered on a stack of Bibles, is not to be trusted. If a man of Christian character forgets to do what he has given his word to do, remind him and he will perform it, even at considerable cost and inconvenience. But a man who does not stand behind his word is deficient in Christian character.

Beloved, let’s all strive to be men and women of Christian character, standing by our word when we give it.

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets