May 11, 1685 was the final day of life for 18-year-old Margaret Wilson. Living in the small village of Wigtown in southwest Scotland, she and an older friend with the same first name, Margaret MacLauchlan, age 63, had been condemned to death. But, why? Both women held beliefs that emphasized God’s supremacy and the authority of the
Bible. These tenets stood in contrast to those of the Anglican Church of England, Scotland and Ireland. Along with a hierarchy of bishops, King Charles II had decreed that they were sole church authorities. Because the women had refused to swear an oath of
allegiance to the king as head of the church, a death sentence was pronounced upon them. How were they to die? By drowning!

Gasping for her final breath

On that fateful morning the two women were chained to wooden stakes at low tide in the Solway Firth, a bay off the Irish Sea. As the tide rose, the older Margaret was engulfed by the rising waters and in fighting for her last breath, she drowned. Young Margaret Wilson had however, been chained to a stake nearer the shore in the notion that she would be terrified into compliance with the king’s order. As the tidewaters rose higher an officer of the king shouted to her—demanding she swear allegiance to the king. But she refused! Even a local town official implored her to pray for the king. She answered by saying, “God save him if He will, for it is his salvation I desire.”

Hearing this, her distraught mother and others on shore cried out, “She’s said it!” But then the king’s officer again shouted to Margaret to swear loyalty to the king. Summoning all of her strength she replied, “I will not, I am one of Christ’s children!” Soon afterwards the waves began to overwhelm her and then, gasping and choking for her final breath, she drowned. That evening, after the tide subsided, family members retrieved the women’s bodies and buried them in a nearby cemetery. While this true story about these two remarkable women is about faith and courage in the face of terrible adversity, it is also about deep loyalty to Jesus Christ, to the best of the knowledge they had been given.

Loyalty is a powerful and deeply meaningful quality of character which has, throughout history, stirred people to take intrepid actions. But, what can be said about this attribute in our age? Is loyalty highly valued or has it become increasingly uncommon? In a book, “Why Loyalty Matters,” its authors quoted a former advisor to an American president. He said, “Loyalty is now out of fashion—an anachronism in today’s rapidly changing environment. Loyalty is frequently spoken of as a character flaw. We have a media culture that derides loyalty, sees it as phony, looks for an ulterior motive, or at best is patronizing about it” (Timothy Kensington and Lerzan Aksoy, 2010, p. 8, emphasis added throughout).

What is loyalty?

In a Bible prophecy that is applicable to our current age, the prophet Hosea stated, “Israel, listen as the Lord accuses everyone in the land! No one is faithful or loyal or truly cares about God” (Hosea 4:1, Contemporary English Version). Moreover, Proverbs 20:6 says, “Many claim: ‘I’m a loyal person!’ but who can find someone who truly is” (International Standard Version)? As an example, rare it seems, are government officials who show genuine loyalty to the voters who placed them in office. Every so often we hear about a politician or administrator who “sold out” for money and power—taking advantage of what was supposed to be a position of service to their fellow citizens.

In another illustration, loyalty has become scarce in the covenant of marriage. After couples dutifully promised to stay committed “until death do us part,” what happens? Fully 50 percent of marriages break up which sadly shatters the lives of both spouses and their innocent children. Or, in many cases, a breach of loyalty is the cause of the divorce, just as God had to divorce Israel when she broke her covenant (Jeremiah 3:8).

What has happened to loyalty in recent years? In past generations children were taught early in life about the importance of being a loyal and dependable person. But in our day it is seldom that these virtues and other essential values are taught in school or even at home. As a result, families and nations suffer and deteriorate. Indeed, in viewing the corruption prevalent in societies today, it appears that few people really understand what loyalty really is and why it is so important.

So, just what is loyalty? The word “loyal” is derived from an old French word, “loial” which essentially means “legal.” But the actual word “loyal” takes its meaning to a much deeper level than simple legality. For instance, if someone is only “loyal” because the law requires it—it’s not real loyalty. Genuine loyalty must come from the depths of one’s heart and mind. The Collins dictionary says that “loyalty is the quality of staying firm in a friendship or in support of someone or something.” It also means being unwavering in the face of trouble and difficulty and remaining reliable and dedicated. Speaking about the Bible’s use of the terms “loyal” and “loyalty,” these words are not found in the King James Version. They are however, included in many modern translations since they correspond to faithfulness, trustworthiness, commitment and steadfastness in one’s relationships with God and people.

Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord

Why is it so crucial that we, as God’s people, fully embrace and exercise the key quality of loyalty in the depths of our hearts? Because without it we are not truly living righteously as God expects nor are we serving others devotedly or are we loving Him as our great Creator (Ephesians 6:14; Luke 10:27). Accordingly, how are you and I actually doing in embodying the attribute of loyalty in our lives? Upon our baptism we promised God that we would follow His ways by always walking “in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). In other words, we pledged to remain fully loyal to Him by keeping His commandments through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 14:15).

In this regard, the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren—and us today—by stating, “it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2, New International Version). And he also said, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work” (1 Corinthians 15:58, Christian Standard Bible). And we read in 1 Kings 8:61, “Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments.”

These are significant reminders to us as Christ’s beloved ones. Why? Because as He prophesied in Matthew 24:10, dangerous times will come prior to His second coming, when, in referring to members of His Church, “many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another”—meaning they will become disloyal to their fellow brethren and therefore to God Himself.

God is loyal to us and we must be loyal to Him

To avoid such a disaster, we must stay extremely close to God through regular prayer while studying and applying the words of the Bible, including the many instances of loyalty by steadfast individuals noted in its pages. As Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

In addition we can recall the real-life example of 18-year-old Margaret Wilson and her friend. To their last breaths they demonstrated profound loyalty to Jesus Christ as they knew Him. Their faithfulness under extreme pressure can be a dynamic reminder to us if or when the day comes when we must encounter our own difficult trials of faith.

Finally, in a society where loyalty has become increasingly uncommon, God wants us to exhibit genuine love and fidelity to others while being firmly and profoundly committed to Him. As 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him.” Therefore, let us be more determined than ever to implement the vital quality of loyalty, from our hearts.