Elder Ko Swee Chay

 

Promises of God

"given unto us exceeding great and precious promises"

Introduction

The Bible is filled with thousands of the promises of God. According to one person’s count, there are 3573 promises in the Bible. These divine promises are scattered throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. They contain graces, gifts and providences of all kinds of nature and suited to every circumstance of our mortal and spiritual life. They comprise a rich and endless variety, covering every need from our present life to life beyond the grave.

 

"As we come to enumerate and expound the vast array of promises with the Christian’s outlook, we are amazed at their inexhaustibleness. Theirs is a thought none can reach, or tongue declare. This is particularly true of the promises associated with the depth of wisdom and riches of the unsearchable grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. If only we could fully explore and interpret these promises and thereby help others to see the wealth they contain. Their great glory is that no one can read into them more truth and power and grace than is really there. When we feel we have exhausted thought and language in exploring the wealth of the riches of Christ’s promises, we have to add, "Greater than that; truer than that; more sure and abiding than that." Such is the nature of any divine promise that each time we claim if we discover treasure hitherto unknown." (Extract from All the PROMISES of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer, page 82).

 

We know that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, inspired and preserved Word of God. The promises of God in the Bible are based on the love, grace, and mercy and forgiving nature of God. These promises are available to His people who walk uprightly and worthily with Him. We can count on and live our Christian life on these divine promises. Therefore it is necessary and important for believers to learn and appropriately understand the promises of God in the Bible for their own blessing. Out of the thousands of promises, how can we know which promises are applicable to us today? How can we tell which promises are general and which promises are for a specific person or a group of people? How can we suitably apply them in our life? How can we ensure we don’t apply a promise out of context? Given the large number and great variety of God’s promises in the Bible, described by Peter as "exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4), it is not possible to cover all aspects of the promises in a short article. Henceforth, the purpose of this article is to give readers a brief introduction on this very wide and deep subject, with some attention on how to know and understand God’s promises and selected examples of the promises of God, that it may encourage our hearts and stir up our interest on this subject.

What is a Promise?

What actually constitutes a promise? It is defined as: 1) a declaration that one will give or do or not do a certain thing; 2) a statement that one will definitely do something or that something will definitely happen; 3) a sign that something or someone will be good or successful.

 

We all know and are familiar with promises. We make promises to others, sometimes lightheartedly and other times more seriously depending on the subject matter. We are also accustomed to witnessing promises being made and subsequently broken. It is obvious the fulfillment of a promise is dependent solely on the honesty, trustworthiness and faithfulness of the person making the promise. If someone makes a promise but breaks it subsequently, unless a promise was written down in the form of a legally binding undertaking, there is hardly any recourse or claim we could make to address it. A promise is of no more value than is the ability of the one who makes it to willingly carry it through no matter what. It is comforting when a promise is kept and hurtful when it is broken. Man is not good at keeping every promise made. Some common excuses used to justify not honouring promises made are: "I didn’t really mean it that way", "circumstances have changed which are beyond my control", "I forgot". Some just simply ignore and choose not to talk about it. However, this was not, and is not, and will never be the case with all the promises recorded in the Bible. God is the giver of the divine promises. He is faithful and has the power to see to the fulfillment of all the promises. Many promises of God have already been fulfilled and are being fulfilled today.

How to know and understand God’s Promises in the Bible

While the words ‘promise’/ ‘promises’/ ‘promised’ appeared 111 times in the Bible, there are other terms such as "said", "saying", "give" and "make" in the Bible implying the same thought. There are many other promises where neither of these words is used. Listed below are examples to illustrate these observations:

- God’s promise to the people of Israel - "And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service." (Exo 12:25)

- God’s promise to the Serpent, Eve and Adam – "And the LORD God said unto the serpent…….upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; and it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel. And unto the woman he said, I will …… And unto Adam he said, because…." (Gen 3: 14-19)

- God’s promise to Abram – "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shall be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall the family of the earth be blessed." (Gen 12:2-3. cf. Gen 22:15-18). "For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth…." (Gen 13:15-16)

- God’s promise of salvation available to all people - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Rom 10:9)

In studying the promises of God in the Bible, we need to be aware that there are different types of promises.

 

General versus Specific Promises:

1. General Promises – these are promises given to every believer in every age, i.e. no limitations on recipient and time period. An example of a general promise is Phi 4:7, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This promise is made to all believers. Another example is 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This promise is based on the forgiving nature of God and is made available to all believers around the world, past, today and future.
2. Specific Promises – these are promises given to a specific person or a group of people. An example of a specific promise is 1 Kings 9:5, "Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel." By studying the content and the context, it is clear that this promise was directed to King Solomon. Another example is Jer 29:11. The promise of "peace, no evil and an unexpected end" was given to the elders, the priests, the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon (Jer 29:1). While generally a specific promise is not made to all believers, we can still use it to guide and encourage us. From Jer 29, we can still learn about the character of and truth about God. He does not forget His people and He cares for them when they are in difficult circumstances.

Absolute (non-conditional) versus Conditional Promises:

1. Absolute Promises –the fulfillment of this type of promises is not connected to any conditions or requirements. For example, Hebrew 13:5, "….. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Phi 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
2. Conditional promises –the fulfillment of this type of promises is dependent upon carrying out certain requirements or meeting certain specified conditions. For example, Matt 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." God promised to supply all the things we need daily: food, drink and clothing, but we must first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Many promises in the Bible have conditions attached to it. Some of these conditional promises start with "If". For example, 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The prerequisite for the forgiveness of our sins as promised by God is that we must first confess our sins. This is God’s prescribed way which we must obey.

Another observation: In the Old Testament, God’s promises are directed to patriarchs, kings, prophets, Israel, lowly saints and to the world at large. In the New Testament, God’s promises are largely directed at believers.

 

Points to note in studying God’s promises in the Bible:

- Consider their original intended recipients, or the historical and cultural contexts.
- Study the verses before and after, as well as other related verses in the Bible talking about the same topic.
- Understand whether it is an absolute (non-conditional) or a conditional promise, whether it is a general or a specific promise; know the conditions and requirements for a promise to be fulfilled.
- Understand whether a particular promise has been, is being, or is yet to be fulfilled.
- Do not distort or misinterpret a promise to suit personal desire or for lustful gain.
- Do not add our own understanding of when, where and how a particular promise will be fulfilled.

 

Selected examples of the Promises of God

Listed below are selected examples of God’s promises in the Bible for our encouragement and blessing.

 

Promise of Jesus Christ as Saviour of the world & salvation grace – Isa 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…" Rom 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

Promise that nothing can separate us from God – Rom 8:38-39, "….that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord." John 10:28-29, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand."

Promise of second coming, resurrection & glorified body – Luke 12:40, "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." John 5:28-29, " ….for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 14:2-3, "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." Phi 3:20-21, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body…"

Promise of eternal life - Titus 1:2, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" 1 John 2:25, "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life." John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

Promise of forgiveness of sins - 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Micah 7:19, "…. he will have compassion upon us: he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."

Promise of wisdom – James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and unbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
Promise of the sufficiency of God’s grace – 2 Cor 12:9, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is make perfect in weakness…."

Promise of peace – John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Phi 4:7, "And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus."

Promise of overcoming temptation & a way out – 1 Cor 10:13 "….. God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

Promise of rest – Matt 11:27-28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

 Promise of protection & care  – Ps 121:8, "The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." 1 Pet 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

Promise to supply our needs – Ps 84:11, "… no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Matt 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Phi 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Promise that all things work together for good - Rom 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Promise of faithfulness in keeping His promises -1 Kgs 8:56, "Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant." Ps 89:34, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Rom 4:21, "And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." 2 Cor 1:20, "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."

 

Knowing that God has "given unto us exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Pet 1:4) and that He will never fail one promise, what then should be our response? Answer: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Cor 7:1)

Conclusion

By His great love and abundant grace, God has given us "exceeding great and precious promises". Knowing and understanding these divine promises and their implications in our lives will bring much encouragement and blessing to our hearts, as well as comfort and confidence. Therefore it is necessary and important for believers to learn and understand the promises of God in the Bible.

 

The God of the Bible whom we believe in and worship is a faithful and true God. He is faithful and true in everything that He says and does. We can be assured of the excellence and trustworthiness of the promises of God in the Bible. We can count and depend on the promises of God. We can have this blessed assurance that He will keep and fulfill all the promises in the Bible according to His sovereign will and timing. The promises of God are sure and steadfast. Let us be reminded of these truths of great encouragement and hope whenever we sing the words of the well-known hymn "Standing on the Promises": "Standing on the promises I cannot fall, Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call, Resting in my Saviour as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God." AMEN.