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Promises of God

“We should hold fast to the confession of hope without wavering, for faithful is He having promised.” (Hebrews 10:23)  In the Bible, ‘hope’ is a confident expectation, not wistful thinking or unverifiable coincidence.  Rather, first we must know what was actually promised.  Second, we must investigate God’s documented flawless execution of those promises in history.  Only then may we have a legitimate foundation for that hope which is an integral part of faith.

“Therefore, those suffering according to the will of God, to the faithful Creator let them commit their spirits.” (1 Peter 4:19)  The will of God (more accurately, the desire of God) is to build a big family that will last.  The necessary characteristics of all family members are mutual trust and selfless concern.  Character development takes place in this chaotic universe, built for that purpose.  So, when life gets uncomfortable, remember the track record of the Creator and commit to finishing this training for spirits.

“If we should confess our sins, He is faithful and just that He may forgive us those sins and might cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)  Redemption, payment of everyone’s debt to justice in the right-and-wrong system, occurred when Jesus offered His own blood in the tabernacle in heaven nearly 2000 years ago.  Although already paid up, the faithful must be honest with themselves and God about their bad choices.  In response, God can be counted upon to push aside our pasts (the literal meaning of our word, forgive) and trust us again.

“Faithful is the Lord who will establish you and guard you from evil.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)  As recorded in the book of Acts, the early Christians often were physically and economically abused.  Their opponents used deceit, violent mobs, and other unethical methods.  Yet, the victims were described here as set on a firm foundation and protected.  Paul reminded them in verse 14 that their objective was to obtain the character of Jesus, not physical comfort.  To that end, God may be trusted to serve and protect.

“He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)  Not everyone vying for our attention can be trusted to follow through.  God calls all the people on the earth with His demonstrated character, virtue, and goodness.  Further, He promised that people may be transformed into that image.  Paul assured the Thessalonian Christians that God does not issue empty, overstated, or deceptive advertising.  Rather, He will accomplish what He promised so that He can achieve His goal: a big family that will last.

“No temptation has taken hold of you except such as is common to mankind; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape, to be able to endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)  The impact of this promise to Christians is contained in “but God is faithful.”  Temptations are a part of life.  Success is based on searching for that promised way out.  Even when God’s opinion of my strength appears to be higher than my own, trust God and overcome.

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9)  The previous paragraph lists Paul’s reminders to the Christians of Corinth of what God had promised them: a gracious nature, peace, enrichment in speech and knowledge, various gifts, and redemption.  The rest of the letter sorts through all the problems these Christians had had because they had dragged their culture and their pasts into the church with them.  Overcoming ourselves starts with reviewing God’s gifts and promises.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn [most important] over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)  Developing a mental image of God is difficult because our minds have been trained in a physical world, whereas God is spirit (non-physical).  One of the several purposes for coming to earth as Jesus was to provide a physical demonstration of His character, that of which His Spirit is composed.  Further, in the Gospels are illustrated ways in which godly character plays out in a broken world, as a reference point for transformation of the faithful into His image.

“But we all, having had faces unveiled, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory into glory; even as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)  The preceding illustration likens unveiling to understanding.  This glory is a parade of godly character traits.  Paul relayed the promise that the characters of the faithful would be repaired by the Spirit into the character of Jesus, that the recipients would be able to see the process while still living on earth.  The faithful need only expect the impossible.

God promises the faithful that our difficulties will produce good character, the peaceful fruit of righteousness, and endurance (Romans 5:3 – 4, Hebrews 12:11, James 1:3).  The difficulties are still difficult, but are more manageable with the promise that the end result will not be bitterness, depression, or stagnation.  Our hope is not from within ourselves, but a promised work of the Spirit in the faithful (Romans 15:13).

To those loving God, all things work together into good (Romans 8:28).  Not all things are good, but God promises that the end result will be good.  However, the amount of time before we see the good is not specified – somewhere between tomorrow and Judgment.  Patience, hope, and trust required.

God promises to comfort the faithful, either directly or through other faithful people (2 Corinthians 1:3 – 7).  We are comforted for the purpose of being able to comfort others.  Further, we have hope when other faithful people are suffering because we know that their comfort is coming.  I fear for those who have no promise of comfort; we believe and therefore speak.

Believing results in suffering (Philippians 1:29, 2 Timothy 3:12).  It’s a promise, although many church-goers are more anxious to avoid it than embrace it.  Why would God promise this?  Because difficulty develops our faith – which is the point of creation.  If faith brought easy times, we would be doing it for us.  Instead, we wade through the mess because a big family that will last forever is the objective.

God promised the faithful that they can find contentment in any situation (Hebrews 13:5, 1 Timothy 4:6, Philippians 4:10 – 19).  Neither wealth nor poverty, oppression nor liberty define a person.  Rather, our circumstances are the springboard for perceiving the needs of others, for sharing our grace, mercy, and peace, which is contentment.

God promised the faithful peace of mind (Philippians 4:6 – 9, 2 Thessalonians 3:16).  Eighteen of the letters of the New Testament begin with the stated objective of developing peace through the work of the Spirit.  But we have a part to play.  We need to make our confident requests known – which probably are a bit negative – in the midst of thanksgiving for whatever might be going right.  If you can’t sleep, pray.  In case this catches on, sell your pharmaceutical stocks.

God promised the faithful rescue from this present evil age (Acts 2:40, Galatians 1:4, 1 Peter 3:21).  Looking at each context, the three different authors meant rescue now, not just rescue later.  Not only are we freed from fear of death, but also the downward spiral of creation, our old disconnect between heart and hands, and being controlled by what other people think.  We are delivered into glorious liberty.

God promised to pour His version of love into the hearts of the faithful through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).  God’s version of love is to do what is best for the other person without thought to the effect on me.  Have you wondered why so many parents fail to show up, why self has become the center of education, sports, and entertainment?  Selfless love is a gift from God.  Only the faithful get it.

God promised that the faithful can overcome themselves through the Spirit (Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:16, 1 John 5:4).  We do not overcome to qualify to come to God (try harder; fail bigger).  We come to God trusting that the Spirit He gives the faithful provides the power to overcome.  So, new Christians may be a little messy.

God promised that the Spirit that is given to and dwells in the faithful will produce “fruit” ( Galatians 5:23 – 24) whose genera and species are positive character traits.  We are not continuously forgiven failures, but are being transformed into the image of Jesus’ character.  This miraculous regeneration is designed to cause outsiders to glorify God, not you, because it is obvious to them that you could not have done it without divine intervention.

God promised that the faithful would come to unity, knowledge, consistency, and Christlikeness (Ephesians 4:13 – 16).  Many see the condition of the church today and say that these characteristics will come only after the Last Day.  But Jesus used the same descriptors in His prayer in the Garden about those who would learn from the words of the apostles.  This miraculous unity and consistency would be an evidence that He was who He said He was.  God promised this for Christians on earth.  Shame on us if we don’t take Him up on His promise.

God promised the faithful knowledge of His will, discernment, wisdom, and spiritual understanding (Philippians 1:9 – 11, Colossians 1:9 – 11, 2:2) through the Spirit that abides in the faithful (1 John 2:27).  We are not adrift in a sea of confusion.  Neither are we dependent on special people for explanations.  Every mystery mentioned in the New Testament has been revealed in the same context.  We just need to be open to the Spirit correcting our mistaken assumptions.

God promised the faithful an increasing love for others (1 Thessalonians 3:12).  As Jesus commented, loving those who love us back is no big deal.  Doing what is best for the self-absorbed often verges on the miraculous.  The encouragement in this promise is not just in that we will love miraculously, but that, as I look back at the times when I have not risen to Jesus’ level, this promised gift is increasing, and even the less-than-optimum stages make me useful and fruitful in the Kingdom as long as love increases (2 Peter 1:2 – 8).

John concluded that consistent love, demonstrated in keeping His Word and loving one another, causes boldness, not fear, at the prospect of the day of judgment (1 John 2:5, 4:7 – 18).  But the Last Day cannot be predicted and seems distant, almost abstract.  I think John’s observation spills over as a promise for earthly life.  With no fear of judgment, we have no fear of death.  With no fear of death, we have no fear of life.  Instead we live boldly, confident that God will do what is best for His child, even if that life is temporarily uncomfortable.

God promises the faithful a life of joy on earth (Romans 5:2, Colossians 1:11, and six other places).  Too often, outsiders perceive the church as taking all the fun out of life.  We need to portray a daily joy of life that makes the American Dream anemic.  Our joy feeds on the successes of faith, either mine or yours.  Joy on a broken planet makes us look weird, but attractively so.

God promises the faithful renewed minds (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 4:16 and others).  We are not just forgiven to fail again and again.  The Spirit who dwells in the faithful is not the only means toward overcoming ourselves, which would leave us in constant mental conflict.  In addition, our minds are renewed so we become able to think things through and make consistently faithful choices: from heart to head to hands without a fumble.

God promises strength of character through the Spirit that was given to the faithful (Ephesians 3:16).  Having the strength to follow through on what we know to be right has a history of short supply.  We doubt ourselves and start aiming lower.  But God promises that we can, with His help, accomplish that which ranges from the highly improbable to the patently impossible.  Life can be exciting again.

God promises the faithful such a range and abundance of positive character traits that Paul summarizes it as being “filled with the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).  We stride purposefully through life, head up, shoulders back, with a smile born of confidence that God delivers.  Having no worries about my own well-being or fears of being overtaken, I can see the needs of others, be motivated to fix those needs, and be gracious to those who are where I might have been were it not for the Spirit that dwells in me.

God promises the faithful that they are increasingly partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).  Our graciousness and peacefulness increase with our knowledge of God.  Patience, self-control, godliness, kindness, and God’s version of love are ours if we but try.  Growth is part of the package.  We are useful and fruitful in the Kingdom from the start, not just when we reach some arbitrary level.  God will use our faith, great or small, to achieve His purpose if we will pick up the tools He has given us and use them.

God promises that each faithful person is like the Temple to Him (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19).  God will avenge any that may be destroyed.  Internalizing the image should motivate us to clean the place up.  My body is not really mine, but the platform from which God is displayed, heard, and found.  We carry around some important real estate.

Collectively, the faithful are the Temple, the dwelling place of God (Ephesians 2:19 – 22, Hebrews 3:6, 1 Peter 2:5 – 10).  The fabulous Temple in Jerusalem was the illustration for the grandeur and importance of the church and each faithful person is a stone in its construction.  We are not just waiting for the clock to run out.  We are the place with which God is identified, from which He speaks, and in which He may be found.  It’s not about membership in a club, but about being quality building materials.

God has proclaimed the faithful to be a kingdom of priests who reign on earth (Revelation 1:6, 5:10, 20: 4 – 6, Romans 5:17, 1 Peter 2:5, 9 – 10).  We are not the downtrodden but the champions of light and life, the royal family of the Kingdom of God in possession of true liberty and guardians of that which never passes away.  Political hacks, elected or self-appointed, can do no better than generate background noise.  The din of inequity fades in the face of grace and peace.

God promises that reverting to unbelief is not necessarily terminal (Romans 11:23).  Certainly, believing again has pitfalls.  Having rejected the evidence, walked away from the kindness and virtue and gifts of God, different return paths may be hard to find.  Yet, re-examining  the depth of God’s mercy and grace and love can re-ignite the former passion.  The only down side to returning is feeling really stupid.

God promises that every faithful person can be useful and prepared (2 Timothy 2:21).  Have you ever felt less than useful in the Kingdom?  Unprepared to share the gospel?  The key to success is in the same verse: cleanse yourself and be reserved for godly purposes.  Oops.  The preparation can seem too difficult, even impossible, when life has had a few bumps.  But God further promises that we can overcome ourselves through the Spirit who dwells in us (Romans 8:13).  Every faithful person has been given the power to succeed.  All we need to do is use it.

Many carry guilt with them into the church, which deprives them of the promised joy on earth.  Jesus paid off the right-and-wrong system once and for all so that, in the faith system, we could serve God with a clean conscience (Hebrews 9:14), bold and confident.  Living in the past or trying to make up for the past reduces Jesus to a talented preacher who met an unfortunate end.  Your past got you to where you are.  God has the talent to start there and make it work.

God promised that the Spirit would help with the weak prayers of the faithful (Romans 8:26 – 27).  Have you ever felt inadequate in prayer?  Not that we should be lazy and try to take advantage of the indwelling Spirit.  Rather, I have confidence that what I meant, what was in my heart, actually got through (which may be a good thing or a bad thing, if you get my drift).  Still, getting a look at the edited copy would be nice.

God promised that the faithful could be like-minded, united, and able to resolve differences (Romans 15:5, Philippians 3:15).  Jesus even cited the unity of believers as a continuing proof that “You sent Me” (John 17:21).  Jude concluded that divisive church people do not have the Spirit (Jude 19).  Paul recommended excluding divisive people (Titus 3:10).  Obviously, people never get along for very long.  Trusting God to work this out is called faith.

The foundation of the good news is not in word but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20).  God promises that the faithful can accomplish on earth that which is humanly impossible: character transformation, overcoming ourselves, voluntary unity, understanding life, wisdom, peace, and more.  Since the beginning of the church, slick speakers have seduced many.  Remember, if it sounds complicated, it is probably wrong.  The proof is in the power to change lives.

God has promised to each faithful person a gift (Romans 12:4 – 8, 1 Corinthians 7:7, 12:7, 12:18, Ephesians 4:7, 1 Peter 4:11).  Gifts are not to be confused with talents, things you could do before becoming a Christian.  Gifts enable us to do that which we absolutely could not do on our own, which is why outsiders glorify God, not us, when those gifts come out.  Have you never exceeded yourself?  Learn what God promised; ask to be filled with the Spirit.  Stuff happens.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Whether I see this as good news or bad news says a lot about my perception of God.  Am I disturbed by the loss of my favorite excuses?  Am I guilt-ridden for my failures?  Or am I praying for greater faith to see the off-ramps before passing them?

God promised the faithful that they would have an abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8 – 10).  The context (chapters 8 and 9) is about collecting cash for famine relief.  How can we mess up such an obvious and simple promise?  Let me count the ways.  Basically, we discount God’s unconventional history.  Americans demand budgets.  We program good works to death.  Spontaneous generosity is unexpected.  Perhaps our faith is not up to the challenge.