What does the Bible say about loyalty?

from the old testament

• The Bible speaks highly of loyalty between friends. Proverbs 17:17 says: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
• A Moabite woman, Ruth, was fiercely loyal to her Israelite step-mother, Naomi. Ruth stayed with Naomi even after they were both widowed and supported her even though she could have returned to her home and her own family. In fact, Naomi encouraged her to do so. Even when Naomi told her she had nothing left to give her, Ruth pleaded with her, "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). God later blessed Ruth greatly by providing for her a godly husband, a son, and even putting her in the lineage of Jesus Christ.
• Jonathan, the son of King Saul, is an excellent example of loyalty. From their first meeting, "the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1). Even though his father sought to kill David and although he knew David was anointed to take his place as heir to the throne of Israel, Jonathan loved David and protected him for as long as he lived. When his father ordered the execution of David, Jonathan helped his friend escape. Rather than taking this opportunity to secure his kingship, Jonathan made a covenant with David against David's enemies (1 Samuel 20:16-17).

from the new testament

• While loyalty to people is good, loyalty to our God brings the most fulfilling life to ourselves and those around us. We must prioritize our loyalty, loving God and then others.If we do this, then the other areas of our lives will be in right order (Matthew 22:36-40).
• Jesus asks for our ultimate loyalty, above our spouse, above our children and parents, above our friends, above our country, and above any other cause, including our own lives (Luke 14:26-27).
• While loyalty in friendship is beautiful and inspiring, the most important loyalty in anyone's life is to Christ, the one who loved us so much that He died so that we could have abundant life (John 10:10; 14:6).

implications for today

Loyalty is giving consistent allegiance or support to a person or institution. While the Bible doesn't talk about loyalty very much by name, the concept of loyalty is demonstrated throughout the Bible. We long to have friends and family who are on our side no matter what we do because we were created to be in relationship with a God who does just that. Our desire for undying loyalty stems from our need to be in a relationship with the God who loves and is loyal to us. God is the basis for our understanding of loyalty. Without His initial, unfailing commitment to love us, we wouldn't understand how to be loyal to others. God pledges His love to all people, even those living in rebellion to Him (Romans 5:8). We see this primarily in the fact that He made the way of salvation available and extends the offer to all (2 Peter 3:9; Acts 4:12; Galatians 3:24-229). Anyone who puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ will be saved (John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:8-9). God is "the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations" (Deuteronomy 7:9). God is loyal to us even when we are not loyal to Him, and His loyalty is inherent in His character (2 Timothy 2:13). Nothing that a believer does, nor anything that is done to us, can cause God to stop loving us (Romans 8:35-39). He always loves us, He is always with us, and He is always for us, which causes us to ask, "if God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).