Author: David Petts

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 128

The Promises of God Talk 9

The Promise of Eternal Life

In our last talk we looked at the wonderful promise of victory over death. We concentrated our attention mainly on 1 Corinthians 15 and saw that Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours. Today our subject is the promise of eternal life, which is clearly closely related. Since victory over death is guaranteed, it must surely follow that we have eternal life. This is confirmed in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:

16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

But, of course, the return of Christ is still a future event – notice how often the word will occurs in the verses we’ve just quoted – so does this mean that we will have to wait until then before we receive eternal life? The fact that verses like 1 John 2:25 and James 1:12 use the word promise might well be seen as suggesting this.

1 John 2:25

And this is the promise that he made to us – eternal life

James 1:12

…the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

However, although these and other NT verses speak of eternal life as something we will receive, several other verses seem to indicate that we already have it.

John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 5:24

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 6:54

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

1 John 5:11-13, 20

11. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

So eternal life is present already and yet it’s still in the future. How do we explain this? This is just another aspect of the already/not yet of our salvation. The NT expresses our salvation in three tenses – past, present, and future:

I have been saved (from the penalty of sin)

I am still being saved (from the power of sin)

I will be saved (from the presence of sin, when Jesus comes again).

But how does this apply to eternal life? If I already have eternal life, in what sense have I yet to receive it? The answer lies in something we were looking at in our last talk. Since the Fall (as a result of Adam’s disobedience) all humanity has been subject to death. Our bodies are mortal. To make matters worse, because of our own disobedience (not just Adam’s) we are all spiritually dead – unless we accept God’s gracious gift of eternal life by receiving Jesus as our Saviour. When we do, our sins are forgiven, we are no longer ‘in Adam’ but ‘in Christ’. And to be in Christ is to have eternal life:

God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son (1 John 5:11).

So in what sense is our eternal life still in the future? We need to understand that although we have eternal life now, our bodies are still mortal. The passages which refer to eternal life as future are to do with the resurrection of our bodies. Spiritually we’re already born again, but we’re waiting for the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). When Jesus comes again our salvation will be complete. Our mortal bodies will put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). Jesus did all that was necessary for our salvation when he died on the cross and rose again three days later. But the final outworking of the victory he won at Calvary will not be seen until he comes again. It is then that eternal life in all its fulness will begin.

But what about after we die, but before Jesus returns? And what about now?

The Intermediate State

The situation with regard to Christians who have died before Jesus returns is sometimes referred to as ‘the intermediate state’. The New Testament in particular is very clear that death is not the end of human existence. In Matthew 22:32 the Lord Jesus made clear to the doubting Sadducees not only that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would one day rise from the dead, but that they were even ‘living’ at that very moment. To the repentant thief on the cross Jesus said, Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

Some have suggested that the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is simply a case of Jesus using current Jewish thought and not intended to be taken literally. But if that were so Jesus’ teaching would be extremely misleading, to say the least! What is clear is that both the rich man and Lazarus were alive after death, but that they were both in very different separate places.

So there is life after death for everyone. Those who have not received Jesus as their Saviour have good reason to fear death for it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Christians, on the other hand, have  no need to fear death. Consider the following scriptures:

Psalm 23:4-6

4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Hebrews 2:14-15

14. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
15. and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Revelation 14:13

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!”

Romans 8:35-39

35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36. As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth,
39. nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

6. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,
7. for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Philippians 1:21-23

21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
23. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

These scriptures show that not only do we have no reason to fear death, but they also give an indication of what our eternal life will be like before we receive our new bodies when Jesus comes again.

It will be far better than life here on earth

We will be at rest

We will be blessed

We will dwell in the house of the Lord

We will be at home with the Lord

We will be with Christ

Eternal life now

As we have seen, several verses in the NT teach that we already have eternal life. Yet it’s clearly very different from the dimension of eternal life that we will experience once Jesus comes again. We’re still waiting for the redemption of our bodies and we’re still living in a fallen world. We still get sick and we still die. Note the contrast between present suffering and future glory in the following passage.

Romans 8:18-25

18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
20. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21. that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
25. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

So our experience of eternal life now is manifested in the midst of suffering, in the confident assurance of a glorious future for which we are patiently waiting. We may be groaning inwardly as we are eagerly awaiting our adoption, but we already have the firstfruits of the Spirit. It will by the power of the Spirit that our bodies will be raised from the dead when Jesus returns and that Spirit lives within us now (Romans 8:11). Through the Spirit we are already enjoying a taste of the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:4-5). We are experiencing already many of the blessings of eternal life. We know Jesus and to know him is eternal life (John 17:3). But how much better will we know him in the future! As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12, for now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Finally, let me ask you a question. Are you sure that you have eternal life? It’s available to you right now as a free gift. Romans 6:23 says:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And you receive it by putting your trust in Jesus as your Saviour:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 129

The Promises of God Talk 10

The Promise of an Inheritance

In earlier talks we have seen that, among the promises included as part of our salvation, there are promises of righteousness and adoption as God’s children. These are closely related to the subject of this talk, the promise of a wonderful inheritance.

Titus 3:7 tells us that having been justified (made righteous) by God’s grace we have become  heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

And Romans 8:16-17 assures us that we are God’s children and that as his children we are heirs – heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ.

Paul puts it slightly differently in Galatians 3:29 where he says:

…if you are Christ’s, then you are… heirs according to promise.

So the promises of God to his children include a wonderful inheritance. But  what will it be like, why will we receive it, and when? The answers to these questions are neatly summarised in 1 Peter 1:3-5 :

3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4. to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you
5. who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

What will it be like?

The NIV translates verse 4 as follows:

and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…

Our inheritance can never perish

The word imperishable immediately reminds us of the new bodies we will receive when Jesus comes again (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). As we have already seen, life in the coming kingdom of God will require a body that’s very different from the mortal bodies we have right now. Our new bodies will be immortal and imperishable. And clearly it will not just be our bodies that will be imperishable. The kingdom of God itself is imperishable. It’s unthinkable that there could be anything that would perish in his kingdom! So what we inherit will be forever. We have treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:20).

Our inheritance can never spoil

Many years ago, when my wife’s father died, her mother asked me if I would like to have two of his suits. As I was about the same size as he had been, I gratefully accepted them. One of them was almost new and fitted me perfectly and it lasted me for several years. The other one, however, turned out to be of no use to me as I discovered a stain on the left arm. And although we tried everything to remove it, the stain stubbornly refused to go. Apart from the stain, it was a nice suit, but it was unwearable because of the stain. My inheritance was spoiled! How glad I am that there will be no stain on the robes of righteousness that will be part of our inheritance in heaven (Revelation 7:13-14).

Our inheritance will not fade away

Auntie Min was loved very much by all her nephews and nieces and on her seventieth birthday we gathered with all the wider family to celebrate with her. While we were there, my mother (Auntie Min’s sister) gave me some good news. Auntie Min had made her will and I was among the beneficiaries. Great! But of course nobody wanted Auntie to die and it would be many years before we would expect to inherit anything.

About 15 years later Auntie died and I was privileged to preach at her funeral. After the service my mother said to me, ‘David, I’m afraid you won’t be inheriting anything from Auntie Min. She lived so long after she made her will that all the money she had has been spent’. Little by little my share in the inheritance had diminished until there was nothing left. My inheritance had ‘faded away’. But there’s no such danger with our heavenly inheritance. It can never fade because it’s kept in heaven for us.

Why do we receive it?

Notice what Peter tells us in verse 3.

3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

• It’s because of God’s great mercy
• It’s because we’ve been born again – i.e. because we’re God’s children
• It’s because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

But to understand more completely why receive it we need to go back to Romans 8:17 which tells us that as God’s children we are heirs – heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ. The Greek word translated here as fellow-heirs is sunkleronomos. The word for heir is kleronomos. The prefix sun means with.  So a sunkleronomos is someone who shares an inheritance with someone else.

This means that in Romans 8:17 Paul is telling us that we actually share in Christ’s inheritance! Now to appreciate this more fully we need to understand what is sometimes called our identification with Christ.  When we heard the gospel and believed it we were included in Christ:

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed…(Ephesians 1:13 NIV).

Everything we have – and will have – springs from this. In the New Testament Paul uses ten different Greek verbs, all with the same prefix, sun, to express this wonderful truth:

We were crucified with Christ

We died with Christ

We were buried with Christ

We were made alive with Christ

We have been raised together with Christ

We are seated with Christ in heavenly places

We suffer with Christ

We will reign with Christ

We are workers together with Christ

We are heirs with Christ.

But back to the word sunkleronomos. Apart from its use in Romans 8:17, it occurs only three other times in the New Testament and these reveal three ways in which it is possible to become a fellow-heir.

By sonship

The first way you can become a fellow-heir is by sonship.

Hebrews 11:9

By faith he (Abraham) went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

Jacob was the son of Isaac who was the son of Abraham. As a result, Isaac and Jacob were fellow-heirs with Abraham. When I was about 10 years old I went into my father’s shed where my bike was kept and attempted to tighten up a screw which had become loose. I looked in my father’s toolbox for a screwdriver and started to tighten the loose screw, when my father came into the shed and said, David, stop. That’s not a screwdriver, that’s a chisel. He explained the difference to me and then went on to say that I should carefully look after his tools because they had belonged to his father before him and one day they would be mine. My father had inherited from his father the box of tools and I became a fellow-heir with my father of the same toolbox which I still possess today. We both inherited the same thing by virtue of being sons.

By marriage

The second way you can become a fellow-heir is by marriage.

1 Peter 3:7

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Husbands and wives are fellow-heirs. This means that what belongs to my wife belongs to me and what belongs to me belongs to her! When my wife inherited several thousand pounds when her father died I was glad to be her fellow-heir. She, of course, is welcome to the toolbox!

By grace

The third way you can be a fellow-heir is by grace.

Ephesians 3:6-8

6. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.
8. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ

These verses teach that Gentile Christians have become fellow-heirs with Jewish Christians simply by the grace of God. If you were to leave me something in your will – and I’m not suggesting that you should – since I am neither your son nor married to your daughter I would become a fellow-heir simply by your kindness, your grace.

So the three ways you can become a fellow-heir in the New Testament are by sonship, by marriage, and by grace. And that is precisely why we too are fellow-heirs with Christ. We are God’s children, we are part of the bride of Christ, the church, and it’s all because of his wonderful grace. We inherit what he inherits! That’s what it means to be a fellow-heir. And Hebrews 1:2 tells us that he has been appointed heir of all things!

When will we receive it?

So, finally, when will we receive this wonderful inheritance?

1 Peter 1 tells that:

• It’s kept for us in heaven (4)
• It’s part of our future salvation – ready to be revealed in the last time (5)

So I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait for it. We will only enter fully into it when Jesus returns.

But actually that’s not quite the whole story. A foretaste of our inheritance is available to us right now.

Ephesians 1:13-14

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The Greek word translated guarantee here is arrabon which can also be translated pledge. In Greece today, as in New Testament times, it’s used to mean an engagement ring. But it  also carries the sense of a foretaste. When we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit we receive not only a guarantee of our inheritance but actually a wonderful foretaste of it. As Hebrews 6:4 tells us, in the gift of the Spirit we have already tasted of the powers of the age to come.

But that must wait for next time, when our subject will be:

The Promise of the Holy Spirit.

For more on arrabon see the final chapter of my book, The Holy Spirit – an Introduction.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 127

The Promises of God Talk 8

The Promise of Victory over Death

In Talk 3 we saw that the resurrection of Jesus was a key part of the fulfilment of God’s promises (Acts 13:32-33). We also took a brief look at 1 Corinthians 15 and saw that Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours. Today we’re going to examine this in more detail. Focusing our attention largely on 1 Corinthians 15, we’ll be considering:

• Why we can be sure about Christ’s resurrection
• Why we can be sure about our resurrection
• What our new bodies will be like
• The certainty of final victory over death

Why we can be sure about Christ’s resurrection

The basic answer to this question is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8:

3. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
5. and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
7. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Note that the verb here also means ‘he was seen’. He appeared to, and was therefore seen by:

• Peter (v5) (cf. Luke 24:34)
• the Twelve (v5) (a title rather than a number)
• 500 brothers (v6) (cf. Matthew 28:7,10, 16)
• James (v7) (referred to only here in NT) – James the Lord’s brother who ‘did not believe in him’ during his earthly ministry
• all the apostles (v7) (including Thomas? Or does this refer to a wider company than the 12?)
• me also (v8) (note the importance of personal experience)

Paul goes on to argue that, if Christ did not rise from the dead, their faith was futile, their sins were not forgiven, they were of all people the most to be pitied, the apostles must be liars and there was no point in all the persecution he had just suffered.

Much has been written on the evidence for the resurrection – see, for example, the relevant chapter in You’d Better Believe It – but the argument can be summarised as follows:

• There can be no serious doubt that Christ died.
• There are numerous witnesses who state that they saw him alive after he had died.
• The reliability of these witnesses is evident in that many of them died rather than deny the truth of their testimony.

But Paul’s purpose in 1 Corinthians 15 is not only to establish the fact of Christ’s resurrection. In verses 20-26 he goes on to show that Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours.

Why we can be sure about our resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:20-28

20. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
24. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
25. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

The firstfruits referred to in vv 20 and 23 is an allusion to Leviticus 23. 

The first sheaf of the harvest was brought as an offering to God.

It was representative of the full harvest that would follow.

This happened on the day following the Sabbath after the Passover,

which was the day Christ rose from the dead! 

Christ is the firstfruits of resurrection.  We are the harvest that will follow.

So in vv21-22 Paul says:

21. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

What does this mean?

Genesis 1:26-28 God gave humanity dominion over creation.

Genesis 3 indicates that at the Fall that authority was diminished and humanity became subject to death.

Romans 5:12-17 tells us that because of Adam’s sin death spread to all humanity because all sinned, but that those who through God’s abundant grace receive his free gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ.

Paul sees Christ as the last Adam (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:45)

Christ succeeded where Adam failed (temptation)

Adam is the representative head of unredeemed humanity (those in Adam)

Christ is the head of a new redeemed humanity (those who are in Christ)

These are the only two groups of people in the world.

Either you are in Christ or you are still ‘in Adam’.

But when you receive Christ as your Lord and Saviour

you are no longer in Adam. You are in Christ.

You have become part of the new redeemed humanity.

Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of yours!

Paul develops this further in 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 which we’ll look at in a moment. But what does he say next in vv27-28?

27. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
28. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

All things have been put under Christ’s feet 27 (cf. Ephesians 1:19-22)

Christ is reigning and must continue to reign 25

He must continue to reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet 25

He will destroy every rule, authority and power 24

The last enemy to be destroyed is death 26

Then the end will come 24

Christ will deliver up the Kingdom to the Father, to whom the Son will be subject, that God might be all in all 24+28

So our physical bodies are subject to death because we have inherited them from Adam.

Death has been conquered by Christ but not yet destroyed.

But if we are in Christ, when Jesus returns we will be given a new spiritual body just like Jesus’ resurrection body.

Paul goes on to explain this in vv35-50.

What our new bodies will be like (1 Corinthians 15:35-50)

They will be Necessary

        50. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

        53. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

Note the words cannot and must. Our present bodies will be totally unsuitable for life in the coming kingdom of God.

They will be Different

35. But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

They will be Spiritual

44. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

The natural body we inherited from Adam is as different from the spiritual body which will be our inheritance in Christ as Christ is different from Adam himself.  Adam is of the earth, earthly.  Christ is the Lord from heaven (vv 45-50). The natural earthly body from Adam is mortal and perishable. It is ‘sown’ (when we are buried) in weakness and dishonour. The spiritual heavenly body we receive from Christ will be immortal and imperishable and will be raised in glory and power (vv42-43). It will be incapable of sickness and death.

They will be like Jesus’ resurrection body

46. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
47. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
48. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

You might like to read again the accounts in the Gospels of Jesus’ resurrection and consider the implications of this.

The certainty of final victory over death (50-58)

The closing verses of the chapter form one of the most powerful passages to be found in the Bible.  When the trumpet sounds at Christ’s coming, Christians still alive will be changed in a split second.  Their corruptible, mortal bodies will become incorruptible and immortal.  The dead, too, will be raised with incorruptible bodies.  So will be manifested the final victory over death.

“The long chain of decay and death inaugurated by the first Adam will finally be irrevocably broken by the last Adam” (Fee p 803).

Final victory is ours, over law and sin and death – through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Our labour is not in vain.  Christ is risen.  Because he lives we shall live also.  The knowledge of these certainties should inspire us to practical Christian discipleship.

50. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
53. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 126

The Promises of God Talk 7

The Promise of Sonship

In Talk 3 we saw that one aspect of the salvation that God has promised is the fact that all those who have put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are the children of God. As Paul says in Romans 9, it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring (v8). As believers in the Lord Jesus then we are the children of the promise. We are the children of God.

Now there are two ways in which it is possible to become someone’s child. By birth OR by adoption. Clearly, from the natural perspective, it can’t be both. You’re either born as someone’s child or your adopted as their child. But when it comes to the relationship we have with God when we accept Christ as our Saviour, the New Testament teaches that we are both born AND adopted as his children!

There’s no real contradiction here. They’re simply two different metaphors that enrich our understanding of our relationship with God. Actually in New Testament times adoption was not common in the Jewish world. A person’s standing was based on his birth. Whereas in the Roman world, adoption was a common practice. So in the New Testament these two different metaphors are used so that everyone, whatever their cultural background, might understand that as Christians we really are God’s children.

We’re born again

When we receive Jesus as our Saviour, we are not only saved from our sins and their consequences, but we actually become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and this comes about by our being born again. In John 3 Jesus made it abundantly plain that if we are to enter heaven, we must be born again.

John 3:1-7 ESV

1. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
3. Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Nicodemus was not only a deeply religious man, but he would have been well educated by the standards of his day and a man of considerable social and political position. He even acknowledged that Jesus was a teacher who had come from God. He recognised that the miracles that Jesus was performing were undoubtedly an indication that God was with him (v.2). Yet it was to this man that Jesus said, You must be born again (v.7). In fact, if anyone is to see the kingdom of God, they must be born again (v.3).

Jesus is here teaching very clearly that our education, our social or political position, even our religion, will not save us. Whatever we do, we are so far short of God’s standards and glory that our only hope is to become an entirely new person altogether! We must be born again! But how? John 1:12-13 gives us the answer.

John 1:12-13

12. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13. who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Notice first that it starts with God. We are children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (John 1:13 NIV). He chose to give us birth through the word of truth (James 1:18). It is the will of God that men and women be born again.

The new birth is not of natural descent – it cannot be inherited from our parents.

It is not of human decision – it is in no way a natural event.

It is not by a husband’s will – it cannot be humanly imparted.

God and God alone can regenerate. This fact is emphasised by the frequently recurring phrase born of God (John 1:13, 1 John 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 4, 18), and the expressions born of the Spirit (John 3:5) and rebirth by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) show us which person of the Godhead is the agent of the new birth. We are born again by the agency of the Holy Spirit.

But what is the instrument the Spirit uses? James 1:18 tells us that he gave us rebirth through the word of truth, and 1 Peter 1:23 assures us that we are born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. The preaching of the word of God under the anointing of the Holy Spirit creates by God’s grace an opportunity for the sinner to believe in Jesus and receive him as their Saviour (John 3:1-16, John 1:12-13, and 1 John 5:1). If he does so, he is instantaneously regenerated by the Holy Spirit. He is born again.

So the first great result of our being born again is that we immediately become children of God (John 1:12-13). And if we really are the children of God then we should live like it. And that means living in victory:

Everyone who is born of God is victorious over the world (1 John 5:4).

The world around us will claim our attention and our loyalty. Sin will always be present to tempt us. But we have been born again. We are members of the heavenly family. We are dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11) and consequently we do not habitually practise sin because God’s nature is in us because we are born of God:

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God

(1 John 3:9).

This verse does not mean that if we sin at all we cannot possibly be born again. It refers to habitual attitudes, not to occasional actions. John was writing his letter to combat the Gnostic heresy that taught that knowledge was superior to righteousness and that right living was not important! Christians do sin, but, thank God, 1 John 1:9 tells us that

if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.

However, God has made provision for us to live in victory. He has implanted within us his own divine nature. We have been born again. We are his children. Our old sinful nature was crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6) and we need no longer listen to its desires. We are new creatures in Christ. Old things have passed away. All things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is why we not only have victory over the world and over sin; we also have victory over the devil:

We know that anyone born of God does not deliberately and knowingly practise committing sin, but the One who was begotten of God carefully watches over and protects him – Christ’s divine presence within him preserves against the evil – and the wicked one does not lay hold, get a grip on him or touch him (1 John 5:18, Amplified Bible).

There is absolutely no need to live in defeat! We are born again. We are born of GOD! Let us live as his children. We should live in victory!

We’re adopted

As we have seen, adoption is another metaphor used in the Bible to explain how Christians are brought into the family of God. To adopt someone is to make that person a legal son or daughter. But in the Roman world adoption meant something rather different from adoption as we know it today. It was older boys or men who were adopted. If a man had no sons or felt that his sons were incapable or unworthy of managing his wealth, he would adopt someone who would make a worthy son.

The adopted son would have all his debts cancelled and would receive a new name. He would be entitled to all the rights and benefits of a son. In fact, although a father could disown his natural-born son, an adoption was irreversible. Similarly, when we receive Christ as our Saviour, our debts are cancelled, we are given a new name, and we are given all the rights that heirs of God possess!

Galatians 4:4-7

4. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5. to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
7. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

There’s a wonderful mixing of metaphors here. In verse 5 Paul talks about redemption and adoption. No one metaphor is sufficient to explain the wonder of the salvation that Jesus has accomplished for us. In redemption the picture is of a slave being set free because the price has been paid for his redemption. Paul says that before Jesus came we were slaves to the law, but now we have been set free and have been adopted as God’s sons and daughters.  And that makes us heirs!

He says something similar in Romans 8.

Romans 8:15-17

15. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
16. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17. and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..

We’ll be talking about what it means to be an heir later in this series, so for now let’s summarise what we’ve seen today. The New Testament uses two different metaphors to show us how as Christians we have become children of God. We have been born into God’s family and we have been adopted into God’s family. Whichever metaphor we think about, the truths about our relationship with God as our Father remain the same. It is God who has taken the initiative in making it possible for us to be his children. All we have to do is believe and receive him. And when we do, our debts are cancelled, we are given a new name, and we are given all the rights that heirs of God possess! Because of these amazing privileges, as children of God we should live accordingly. And his nature within us enables us to do so – to live in victory over sin, over the world, and over the devil.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 125

The Promises of God Talk 6

The Promise of Righteousness

In Talk 3 we saw six aspects of our salvation that in the NT are related to the word promise.

• We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
• We are God’s children
• We will rise from the dead
• We have eternal life
• We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us
• We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In this talk we’re going to look at the first of these in a little more detail – the promise of righteousness.

In Galatians 3:21-22 we read:

21. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
22. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

These verses directly connect the promises of God with the righteousness we receive by faith in Jesus. Paul teaches very clearly that the law of the Old Testament could not give life because no one was able to keep it. So the righteousness we need to enter heaven could not come through the law. But in God’s mercy he counts us as righteous through faith in Jesus. This is also known as justification.

A. The meaning and scope of justification

This English word comes from two Latin words:

Justus which means righteous

Facio which means I make.

So to be justified simply means to be made righteous. But to give a more theological definition:

‘The term refers to that act by which, on the basis of the infinitely righteous and satisfactory work of Christ on the cross, God declares condemned sinners to be free from all the guilt of sin and from its eternal consequences and declares them to be fully righteous in his sight’ (Daniel B. Pecota).

This does not mean that we’re not really righteous but God sees us as if we are. In Christ we really are righteous!

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).

The moment we believe the gospel we are included in Christ. Ephesians 1:13 tells us:

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed…(NIV)

And because we are in Christ, Paul tells us that God credits his righteousness to our account. He counts us as righteous. The Greek verb is logizomai. Paul uses it repeatedly in Romans 4:1-12.

1. 1.What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?
2. For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
4. Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
5. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
6. just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
8. blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9. Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.
10. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.
11. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,
12. and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

In this passage Paul is clearly teaching that we cannot be righteous in God‘s sight by our good works but only by faith. He uses Abraham and David as examples from the Old Testament to illustrate his point. In verse 3 he quotes Genesis 15:6 which says that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

And this was not just true for Abraham. In verse 5 Paul applies this teaching to anyone who believes:

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

In verses 6-8 he backs this up by referring to what David said in Psalm 32:2.

6. just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
8. blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

And this promised blessing is not confined to the Jewish people. It’s for everyone who believes. Paul makes this clear in verses 9-12 where he points out that God counted Abraham as righteous before he obeyed God’s command about circumcision. From this we learn two things:

1. He was not counted righteous because of his obedience re circumcision because he was counted righteous before he was circumcised.
2. God’s purpose was to make Abraham the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well (v11).

He develops this point throughout the remainder of the chapter, concluding with:

20. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
21. fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
22. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”
23. But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,
24. but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
25. who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

B. Benefits of justification

Peace with God

Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Preservation from God’s wrath

Romans 5:9

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Present and future freedom from condemnation

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:33-34

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

Assurance of final glorification

Romans 8:30

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

A wonderful inheritance

Titus 3:5-7

5. he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
6. whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour,
7. so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

C. How does justification take place?

1. It’s not because of any good works on our part

Galatians 2:21

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 3:10-11

10. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
11. Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Galatians 5:2-4

2. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
3. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
4. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

2. It’s because of the grace of God in sending Christ to die for us

Romans 3:23-25

23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24. and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
25. whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith…

3. We receive it by faith

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Acts 13:39,

…and by him (Jesus) everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Romans 3:28

…one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 4:3, 5

3. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

5. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness

Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2:16

…we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 3:8

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

So justification – being counted righteous – is a gift from God and is received by faith. It’s not because of faith but through faith (dia pisteos not dia pistin). You can’t earn it by faith. You receive it as a free gift from God.

If you’re listening to this podcast and you’re not yet sure that you’re in right standing with God, if you’ve never received his forgiveness for your sins, I urge you now, reach out and receive it. Admit that you’re a sinner. Believe that Jesus died for you. Accept the salvation that is so freely offered to you in Christ.

4. The message of reconciliation is committed to us

And finally, a word to Christians. The message of reconciliation is committed to us.

2 Corinthians 5:19

…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 124

The Promises of God Talk 5

Principles for interpreting God’s promises

In Part One of this series of talks, which we entitled Identifying God’s promises, we saw that:

• God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ
• God’s promises are fulfilled in the gospel
• God’s promises are fulfilled in our salvation

We also identified six aspects of our salvation that the New Testament describes as promises:

• We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
• We are God’s children
• We will rise from the dead
• We have eternal life
• We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us
• We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We also saw that not every verse in the Bible is a promise and that it’s important to distinguish between promises, statements and commands. We discussed what we can learn from promises God made to others even if they’re not made directly to us. We concluded by considering how we can identify promises that are not actually described as promises in the New Testament (i.e. verses that do not contain the word ‘promise’).

Now in Part Two, which I have entitled Understanding God’s promises, we will be looking in greater detail at the promises we identified in Part One so that we can understand them better, along with other aspects of our salvation that we might well regard as promises (e.g. healing). But first, in this talk, I would like us to consider why it’s important to understand them correctly before explaining how to do so.

Why it’s important to understand God’s promises correctly

Now at first sight the answer to this question seems to be obvious. If God says anything it must clearly be important that we understand what he is saying. But sadly we know from experience that many Christians do misunderstand some of God’s promises and this can lead to:

• False hope
• Unwise behaviour
• Misguided practice.

False hope

Clearly if we misunderstand what God is saying and expect God to do something for us because we believe that he has promised it, this likely to lead to frustration and disappointment.  A common example of this is when people misunderstand God’s promises with regard to answers to prayer.

For example, it’s all too easy to read verses like John 15:7 where Jesus says, Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you, without paying attention to the condition attached to it: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you…

In our last talk we saw the importance of examining the context in which a verse (or part of a verse) is set, and later in this talk we’ll be considering why we need to compare scripture with scripture. With regard to the verse we’ve just used as an illustration, it’s failure to do both these things that leads to a misunderstanding of what Jesus meant and an unrealistic expectation of how God will answer our prayers.

Unwise behaviour

Another result of misunderstanding God’s promises is unwise behaviour.  For example, if we don’t understand God’s promises of healing correctly, we might decide to refuse medical treatment. This is particularly likely if we’ve been persuaded that Jesus died for our sicknesses in exactly the same way that he died for our sins. The only logical outcome of this doctrine is that the use of medical means is at best unnecessary and at worst a lack of faith. I will be devoting a whole talk to healing later in the series. For the present, I am just using it as a clear example of unwise behaviour resulting from a misunderstanding of God’s promises. Meanwhile please see my PhD thesis or my book Just a Taste of Heaven for a rejection of this doctrine.

Misguided practice

Closely connected with unwise behaviour is misguided practice. Continuing with the theme of healing by way of illustration, one example of misguided practice would be the insistence by some that when ministering to the sick we should always command healing rather than pray for it.

Now there are undoubtedly occasions when it’s right to command healing, as Peter did in Acts 3, but we should only do so when clearly led by the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus did nothing except what God first showed him (John 5:19) and commanding a healing without the leading of the Spirit will not glorify God and dishonour the name of Jesus.

And telling people that they are healed when clearly they are not can lead to disastrous consequences, as in the case of Wesley Parker whose parents sadly let their son die by withholding the medication he needed in the misguided belief that he was healed.

So misunderstanding God’s promises can lead to false hope, unwise behaviour, and misguided practice, all of which can have serious consequences.  But there is, of course, absolutely no need to misunderstand them if we will only follow a few basic guidelines.

How to understand God’s promises correctly

In this section I’m going to suggest five keys to understanding God’s promises correctly:

• Examining the context
• Interpreting OT promises in the light of the NT
• Distinguishing between the literal and the figurative
• Comparing scripture with scripture
• Asking for the help of the Holy Spirit

Examining the context

This is so important that I’m going to repeat what I said in our last talk. Examining the context means looking at the surrounding verses to see if they shed light on what the verse means. It may sometimes be necessary to look at the book as a whole, then the surrounding chapters before considering the verses in the immediate context. This isn’t always necessary, but if we do take the trouble to do this, we’re more likely to arrive at a correct understanding of what the verse is saying.

Then, having looked at the wider context, as we come to consider the immediate context, it may be helpful to ask questions like:

Who said it? To whom? When and where was it said? And why?

Other helpful questions to ask would be:

Does this passage apply to everyone?

Does this passage apply to all Christians?

Interpreting OT promises in the light of the NT

As we mentioned in earlier talks, Hebrews 1:1-2 shows us that, although God formerly spoke through the OT prophets, his final revelation to us is in his Son. Indeed all the promises he made through the prophets find their fulfilment in Christ. And it’s in the New Testament that we find clearly explained the meaning of OT promises about him.

For example, in Isaiah 53:4 we read:

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering… (NIV).

This has often been used to support the doctrine I was talking about earlier – that on the cross Jesus carried our sicknesses as well as our sins. It’s an attractive idea that at first sight might easily appear to be correct. But was Isaiah really saying that Jesus would bear our suffering on the cross? The question is settled when we look at the New Testament where the verse is quoted only once. Matthew 8:16-17 says:

16. When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill.
17. This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.’ (NIV).

Here the NT makes it clear that this part of Isaiah 53 was fulfilled by Jesus healing the sick early in his ministry years before he was crucified. Nowhere does it say that Jesus carried our sicknesses on the cross. But that leads us to the next important key to understanding God’s promises correctly – distinguishing between the literal and the figurative.

Distinguishing between the literal and the figurative

Still continuing with the theme of healing as an illustration of how to understand God’s promises correctly, we need to discern whether a word is being used literally or metaphorically. A classic example of this is where Peter says:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).

The last part of this verse is often used to support the view that Jesus carried our sicknesses on the cross. But the context makes it clear that Peter is using the word ‘heal’ metaphorically.  The first part of the verse is talking about Jesus bearing our SINS on the cross and the next verse goes on to say:

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Note the little word ‘for’. It connects v25 to v24. By his wounds you have been healed FOR you were like straying sheep but now you have returned to the Shepherd… This clearly connects the word ‘healed’ to the conversion of his readers. They were ‘healed’ from the wounds of sin when they returned to the Shepherd.

Comparing scripture with scripture

We have already said quite a lot about the importance of reading Bible verses in their context. We talked about the immediate context and then the wider context of the book. But there is an even wider context to consider – the Bible as a whole.

If we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God then it follows that there will be a consistent message throughout. It’s important, therefore, to compare the scripture we are looking at with other scriptures in order to see whether the way we may want to interpret the verse is in line with the overall teaching of the Bible. If it does not, then it follows that we are possibly misunderstanding exactly what the promise means.

For example, in Ephesians 5:18 Paul tells us to be filled with the Spirit. His readers clearly understood what he meant by this, so in the immediate context Paul didn’t need to explain what he meant. But in the book of Acts we are given very clear descriptions of people being filled with the Spirit, and so by comparing scripture with scripture we gain a clearer insight into what it means. In fact the narrative passages of the NT (the Gospels and Acts) will often help us understand the terminology that’s used in the epistles.

So comparing scripture with scripture is an important way of making sure we’re correctly understanding what the Bible is saying. Now obviously, the better understanding you have of the overall teaching of the Bible, the easier it will be for you to do this. So the more you read the Bible the greater your understanding will become, but, if you feel that you might need some help in this area, may I recommend my book, You’d Better Believe It, which I wrote to help people get to know the Bible better. It’s available from my website www.davidpetts.org.  There are 20 easy to read chapters with questions at the end of each chapter which will help you check that you’ve understood what I’ve written.

Asking for the help of the Holy Spirit

And last, but by no means least, if we want to understand the Bible correctly, it’s a good idea to ask the Author what it means. In John 16:13 Jesus promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth. For some of them that would include the help of the Spirit as later ther wrote the books of the New Testament. And if they needed the Spirit’s help to write it, how much more do we need his help as we read it?

So, to summarise, our five keys to understanding the Bible correctly are:

• Examine the context
• Interpret OT promises in the light of the NT
• Distinguish between the literal and the figurative
• Compare scripture with scripture
• Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 123

The Promises of God Talk 4

Identifying further promises

In our first three talks we have concentrated mainly on Bible verses that contain the word promise. We saw that all God’s promises centre on Christ and the salvation that he offers us. They are primarily fulfilled already by the coming of Christ, but they will find their ultimate completion at his second coming. Some of God’s promises we see fulfilled already, but others we must patiently wait for knowing that their fulfilment is guaranteed in Christ.

In this talk we’ll be looking at verses in the New Testament where the word promise is not directly mentioned. We’ll be considering:

• How to identify them
• How to decide if they are for us
• What we can learn from those that are not for us

How to identify them

It’s important to know how to identify which Bible passages contain promises and which do not because, as we saw in our first talk, not every verse in the Bible contains a promise. Some are commands, some are questions, some are expressions of praise, and some are simply statements of fact. So how do we identify God’s promises? Quite simply, by remembering the definition.

Based on how the New Testament uses the Greek word epaggelia (promise), we said in our first talk that:

when God makes a promise it is his assurance of something good he is going to do for someone.

This may be taken to include not only things God will do for us but also things he has done that will be of benefit to us in the future. For example, Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3) is a statement about the past but which will, if only we will believe it, radically affect our future! Strictly speaking it’s not a promise, but we may justifiably see it as one because, as we know from elsewhere in scripture, implicit within it is the promise of eternal life for all who will believe. So our understanding of what Bible passages include one of God’s promises needs to be broadened to take this onto account.

This means that, generally speaking, if we find a passage that fits in with this definition, even if it does not contain the word promise, we may trust it as a promise from God. However, there are some exceptions to this, where the scripture makes clear that the promise is made by someone other than God. For example, when Satan promised to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would fall down and worship him (Matthew 4:8-9), or when Peter promised Jesus that he would not deny him but later went on to deny him three times (Matthew 26:34-35, 74-75).

I’m not suggesting that anyone would seriously mistake these as promises from God, but they illustrate very clearly that some promises in the Bible were of human or even satanic origin. However, apart from cases like these where it is obvious that the promise was not of divine origin, we are right to assume that the promises of scripture are the promises of God himself, because all scripture is given by the inspiration of God. As Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

16. All Scripture is breathed out (inspired) by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17. that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

So, to identify God’s promises all we need to do is check that the verse or passage we are looking at:

• fits the definition of the word promise
• does not make it clear that the promise it contains is not being made by someone other than God.

Then, having established that it is a promise from God, our next question must be, How do I know the promise is for me?

How to decide if they are for us

I have already suggested in these talks that it’s a mistake to assume that all the promises in the Bible are for us. However, in my experience many Christians believe that they are. This view is largely based on 2 Corinthians 1:20 which says that all the promises of God find their Yes in him (Christ). This is taken to mean that all God’s promises are available to us as Christians.

However, based on what we’ve been saying in earlier talks, it’s much more likely that Paul is saying that Christ is the fulfilment of all the promises God made to Abraham and others back in the Old Testament. This means that the promises are already fulfilled. So if you have Christ there’s a sense in which you don’t really need the promises because they’re already fulfilled in him. Once you’ve received a gift that someone has promised you, you no longer need the promise, because you have the gift!

Nevertheless, as we have seen already, although God’s promises to Abraham are already fulfilled in Christ, the final outworking of God’s promises will not be complete until Jesus comes again. Once he has come, promises will no longer be needed. They will all be finally fulfilled. Meanwhile God has given us precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature… (2 Peter 1:4). These promises are not the promises God made to the patriarchs which have already been fulfilled in Christ, but the promises that relate to our salvation, which we were considering in our last talk.

So, if I’m reading a passage of scripture that contains a promise, how do I decide that the promise applies to me? The answer is quite simple. Examine the context. Examining the context is the golden rule when it comes to interpreting any passage of scripture. Someone once said that a text taken out of context is a pretext. It’s all too easy when we desperately want God to say something to us to take a verse out of context and ‘claim’ it as ours. And while this may give us some temporary comfort or encouragement, in the long run it will only lead to frustration.

So how do we examine the context? Basically this means looking at the surrounding verses to see if they shed light on what the verse means. However, it may sometimes be necessary to look at the book as a whole, then the surrounding chapters before considering the verses in the immediate context. This isn’t always necessary, but if we do take the trouble to do this, we’re more likely to arrive at a correct understanding of what the verse is saying.

Then, having looked at the wider context, as we come to consider the immediate context, it may be helpful to ask questions like:

Who said it? To whom? When and where was it said? And why?

Other helpful questions to ask would be:

Does this passage apply to everyone?

Does this passage apply to all Christians?

Clearly, if we’re trying to answer the question, Does this promise apply to me?, then these questions would be particularly helpful. If the passage applies to everyone (like John 3:16), then clearly it applies to you, even if you’re not yet a Christian. And if it applies to all Christians (but not to those who are not), then, provided you are a Christian, the promise applies to you.  Consider the following example. In 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 we read that Christ will

sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

This was written to the Corinthians almost 2000 years ago. How do we know it’s for us today. Verse 2 gives us the answer. The letter is addressed to:

…the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.

So we know that the promise contained in verse 9 is for us because it’s a promise made to all Christians. But what about promises that are not for us?

What we can learn from promises that are not for us

In talk 1 we gave an illustration of a promise that’s not for us. We saw that in Genesis 12:1-2 God tells Abraham that he will make him the father of a great nation. This promise was made to a specific person at a specific time and clearly cannot be claimed by a Christian today. But does that mean that there is nothing that we can learn from Abraham’s story? By no means. We learn that God does keep his promises and we can expect him to do so for us today.

Perhaps the best way to understand it is this. It is in the Bible that we learn the true nature and character of God. So whether it’s through the promises he makes, or the commands he gives, or the accounts of the things he did, we are constantly learning about him, his love, his power, his holiness, his justice, his faithfulness and so on. We see these things particularly in the life of Jesus. Hebrews 1:1-2 tells us that

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Today, says the writer, God speaks to us by his Son, not so much by the promises made about him by the prophets. The Bible is a progressive revelation to all mankind of the nature of God. But now the revelation is complete – in Jesus. So the Bible reveals to us what God is like through his dealings with mankind throughout its history. But in Jesus we see the one who is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3), and the more we get to know him, the more we get to trust him. Faith is not an abstract quality. It’s trusting a person. Christian maturity involves not so much looking for promises to claim as trusting the person who made them.

This concludes Part One of our series of talks on the promises of God. In Part Two we will be looking in more detail at:

• Biblical principles for interpreting God’s promises
• How to understand the specific promises that relate to our salvation.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 122

The Promises of God Talk 3

God’s promises are fulfilled in the salvation offered to us in Christ

In our last talk we saw that all God’s promises find their Yes in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is the fulfilment of all God’s promises. Some we have seen fulfilled already. Others we must patiently wait for, knowing that Christ is the guarantee that God will do what he has promised us because he IS the fulfilment of the promises.

In this talk we shall see six facts about our salvation that are directly connected with the word promise:

• We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
• We are God’s children
• We will rise from the dead
• We have eternal life
• We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us
• We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ

In Galatians 3:21-22 we read:

21. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
22. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

These verses directly connect the promises of God with the righteousness we receive by faith in Jesus. Paul teaches very clearly that the law of the Old Testament could not give life because no one was able to keep it. So the righteousness we need to enter heaven could not come through the law. But in God’s mercy he counts us as righteous through faith in Jesus. This is known as justification. As Paul says in Romans 5:1, we have been justified by faith and as a result we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are God’s children

In Romans 9 Paul warns his fellow-Jews that being physically descended from Abraham does not necessarily mean that you are one of God’s chosen people.

6. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,
7. and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring

It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring (v8). As believers in the Lord Jesus then we are the children of the promise. We are the children of God.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

Notice that the promise has already been fulfilled. We ARE God’s children now. But there’s another promise in this verse that has yet to be fulfilled – we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is!

We will rise from the dead

The next wonderful aspect of our salvation that is connected with the word promise is the fact that when Jesus comes again we will rise from the dead. We have already seen that the resurrection of Jesus was a key part of the fulfilment of God’s promises.

And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus (Acts 13:32).

But, as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15, Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours:

20. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

In the Old Testament the first sheaf of the harvest was offered to God (Leviticus 23). This was known as the firstfruits and it was offered on the day after the sabbath following the Passover. Now Jesus was crucified during the Passover – Paul describes him as Christ our Passover who was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7) – and the day after the sabbath is Easter Sunday! Jesus rose from the dead on the day that the firstfruits were offered to God.

But the first sheaf of the harvest was not the only sheaf. There were many more to follow. Just as the first sheaf was the sign of the harvest that was to follow, Paul sees Christ’s resurrection as just the beginning of a much greater  resurrection. All in Christ will be made alive. Because he lives, we shall live too. Whether we are dead or alive when Jesus returns, our bodies will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52). This is all part of what it means to have eternal life.

We have eternal life

In 1 John 2:25 we are told that eternal life is the promise that he made to us.

and James 1:12 says:

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Now the fact that these verses use the word promise might well suggest that eternal life is something we will receive in the future. We have already said that the resurrection of our bodies when Jesus comes again is part of what it means to have eternal life. Indeed, the majority of references to eternal life in the New Testament speak of it as something we will receive. But other verses seem to indicate that we already have it.

1 John 5:11-13, 20

11. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

20. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John 17:3

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

These last two verses show that to know Jesus is to have eternal life. So we already have eternal life because we know Jesus. But how much better will we know him in the future! As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12,

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So eternal life is both present already and yet in the future. Eternity transcends time! This is yet another aspect of the already/not yet of our salvation.

We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us

Another aspect of the salvation which is promised to us as Christians is the fact that there is a glorious inheritance waiting for us. We will not take time to develop this in this talk, but later in the series we will dedicate a whole talk to this important subject. For the time being, please note the following verses.

Galatians 3:29

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Hebrews 9:15

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

James 2:5

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is frequently referred to as a promise (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5; 2:33, 39, Galatians 3:14 etc.) We will return to this theme in more detail in later talks, but here we’ll consider just two passages.

2 Corinthians 1:20-22

20. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
21. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
22. and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Ephesians 1:13-14

13. In him you also, when (or after) you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14. who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

In both these passages the Holy Spirit is seen as both a seal and a guarantee of the inheritance which God has promised to us. As we shall see  later, the Greek words which are used in these passages indicate that through our experience of the Holy Spirit we already have a foretaste of our eternal inheritance. Through the Spirit we have already tasted of the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:4-5).

Conclusion

God’s promises are primarily fulfilled already by the coming of Christ, but they will find their ultimate completion at his second coming. Some of God’s promises we see fulfilled already but others we must patiently wait for knowing that their fulfilment is guaranteed in Christ.

Meanwhile God has made available to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit a wonderful foretaste of the powers of the age to come. We are in the tension between what is already and what is not yet, but in that interim we have the Holy Spirit.

Finally, in this talk we have looked only at verses which contain the word promise, and have seen six wonderful aspects of our salvation. But clearly there are promises in the Bible which do not mention the word promise itself.

In our next talk we will seek to show how we can identify God’s promises even where the word promise is not mentioned.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 121

The Promises of God Talk 2

Christ fulfils all the promises

In our last talk we saw that, although God has made many wonderful promises in the Bible, not every verse is a promise and not all the promises are for us, because some of them were made to specific people for a specific purpose. We used God’s promise to Abraham as an example. What God promised to him he is not necessarily promising to us. So we need to be very careful about ‘claiming’ verses taken out of context.

We looked at 2 Peter 1:1-8 and saw that Peter describes God’s promises as precious and very great and that it is those who have come to faith in Jesus as their God and Saviour that have access to them. The purpose of God’s promises is that we might know him, become increasingly more like him, and ultimately share in his glory.

We suggested that the promises Peter was referring to were not so much a selection of Bible verses as specific themes such as God’s promise of the Holy Spirit and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, both of which Peter describes as promises elsewhere. It is through the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we can become more like Jesus, and the knowledge that he has promised to come again is a wonderful incentive to do so.

But the gift of the Holy Spirit and the glorious prospect of Christ’s second coming are not the only promises.  There are many others, but as we examine other New Testament passages we discover that God’s promises all centre on:

• the Lord Jesus Christ (the subject for this talk)
• the salvation offered to us in Christ (the subject for our next talk)

The Lord Jesus Christ

The word promise first occurs with regard to Christ back in the Old Testament with the great promises that God made to Abraham. The key passages are Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6; 17:1-8 and 22:15-18:

Genesis 12:1-3

1. Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 15:1-6

1. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
2. But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3. And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
4. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
5. And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
6. And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 17:1-8

1. When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,
2. that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”
3. Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,
4. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.
5. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.
7. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
8. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Genesis 22:15-18

15. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven
16. and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17. I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
18. and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

In these passages God promises to bless Abraham and to make him a blessing. Abraham will become the father of a multitude of nations and his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. God’s purpose in this is that all families and nations on earth will be blessed through Abraham’s offspring.

As we look at these promises in the light of the New Testament, we find that the ‘offspring’ through whom the the nations will be blessed is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. This is made clear in Galatians 3:16 where Paul says:

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

The point Paul is making here is that in the verse he is quoting the word offspring is in the singular. God’s promise to Abraham is fulfilled in and through one particular descendant, Christ. Romans 15:8 tells us that Christ came to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs and 2 Corinthians 1:20 says that all the promises of God find their Yes in him.

This means that all God’s promises find their fulfilment in Christ. By the fact that he has come to earth God has owned his promises; for they are all fulfilled in him. It is in Christ that we who were strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world… have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12-13).

Before Jesus came we were without hope and without God. But, because Jesus died for us and we have accepted him as our saviour, we have entered  into relationship with him. In receiving Jesus we received the promise of salvation. Jesus is the fulfilment of the promise of salvation.

This is further confirmed in Acts 13:32 where Paul says:

And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus.

This verse confirms that God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ and by his resurrection in particular. But it also identifies the gospel as their fulfilment too. (Interestingly, in Greek the words for gospel – euaggelion and promise – epaggelia are very similar). There is no contradiction here. Jesus himself is the good news. The message of Christ is the message of the gospel which Paul summarises in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:

1. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2. and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.
3. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

So the promises are fulfilled in the gospel, which is the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. Yet the final outworking of God’s promises will not be complete until Jesus comes again. This is sometimes referred to as the eschatological tension of the ‘already/not yet’ of our salvation.

For example, Hebrews tells us that the new covenant which is brought about by the death of Christ (9:15) is established on ‘better promises’ (8:6). The new covenant is already in force, but it gives to those who are called the promised eternal inheritance (9:15) which the patient believer will receive at the second coming (10:35-37). So it’s already but not yet.

The same writer tells us that Abraham lived in the land promised to him yet he lived as a stranger there awaiting the final fulfilment of the city of God which he saw contained in the promise given to him (Hebrews11:8ff). The fathers died in faith, not having received the promises but seeing them from afar they sought a heavenly country (Hebrews 11:13-16). It’s the same with us. We have already entered into the territory where God’s promises are fulfilled, yet

According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).

The fulfilment of God’s promises started with the first coming of Christ, but the final consummation of those promises will not be seen until his second coming. And, as we shall see in future talks, this fact is an important key to our understanding of all God’s promises and how we may appropriate them.

So Christ is the fulfilment of all God’s promises. Some we have seen fulfilled already. Others we must patiently wait for knowing that Christ is the cast iron guarantee that God will do what he has promised us because he IS the fulfilment of the promises!

And for this reason New Testament writers also see our salvation as the fulfilment of God’s promises. This will be the subject of our next talk where we will consider six facts about our salvation that are directly connected with the word promise:

• We are made righteous by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
• We are God’s children
• We will rise from the dead
• We have eternal life
• We have a glorious inheritance awaiting us
• We have a foretaste of our inheritance in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 120

The Promises of God Talk 1

The Bible is not a promise box

In this series we’ll be looking at what the New Testament teaches about God’s wonderful promises and learning how to identify, understand, and receive them. But first let me tell you about my grandmother’s promise box.

Ellen Petts died at the age of 86 when I was just 16. She had lived with us for the last six years of her life and I had had plenty of opportunity to witness the evidence of her strong Christian faith – the time she spent in prayer and reading her Bible, her determination to get to church every Sunday, her perseverance despite the loss of her husband at a relatively young age and the physical difficulties that came with advancing years.

Another evidence of her faith was her promise box. This contained pieces of paper, each rolled into a scroll with a verse of the Bible written on it. The idea was that you could pull out a scroll at random each day to see what the Lord wanted to say to you that day.

I’m not sure how seriously my grandmother took this, or whether she made it a regular practice, but the problems with promise boxes should be obvious. The verses are never read in their context and the things that God might want to say to us are limited to the number of scrolls in the box. And, although God undoubtedly does make promises to his people, that’s surely not all that he has to say to us? Doesn’t he sometimes give us commands?

I’m glad to say that I’ve seen little evidence of promise boxes in Christian circles today, but I am concerned that some people treat the Bible itself rather like a promise box. They take verses at random and claim them without regard to the context in the belief that God is now honour bound to do for them whatever they understand the verse to be saying!

I will be dealing with this in more detail later in the series, but here’s an example of what I mean. In Genesis 12:1-2 God tells Abraham that he will make him the father of great nation.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing…

I will make of you a great nation is certainly one of God’s promises found in the Bible, but it was made to a specific person at a specific time and clearly cannot be claimed by a Christian today, although we can certainly learn from Abraham’s story that God does keep his promises and we can expect him to do so for us today.

But can’t some Bible verses be understood as promises for today? Of course they can. Indeed, there is a sound biblical basis for this. For example, in Ephesians 6:1-3  Paul quotes Exodus 20:12 and says:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honour your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

But this does not mean that every verse in the Bible is a promise. Some are commands, some are questions, some are expressions of praise, and some are simply statements of fact. Nor does it mean that all the verses that are promises are promises for you and me, as we just saw in the case of Abraham.

So it’s going to be important that we examine very carefully what the New Testament actually teaches about God’s promises and we’ll begin by looking at 2 Peter 1:1-4, where Peter describes God’s promises as precious and very great. As we continue in the series we’ll be learning how to identify, understand, and receive these wonderful promises of God.

2 Peter 1:1-4 (ESV)

1. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:
2. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4. by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

The word Peter uses is epaggelma which is a variant of epaggelia (pronounced epangelma or epangelia) which has been defined as:

• a divine assurance of good
• a self committal by assurance of conferring some good.

So when God makes a promise it is his assurance of something good he is going to do for us.

Now let’s look in more detail at the passage we have just read. In it we learn who God’s promises are for and what his purpose is in making them.

Who God’s promises are for

Peter says that God’s promises are granted to ‘us’ (v4). His readers have obtained a faith of equal standing with his (v1). They have escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (v4). This is not through any merit of their own, but by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ (v1). Notice carefully how Jesus is described here. He is our God and Saviour. Through his sinless life and sacrificial atoning death all those who, and only those who, have come to faith in Jesus as their God and Saviour have access to these precious and very great promises.

God’s purpose in making these promises

But God’s purpose for our lives is much more than escaping from the consequences of sin. He has called us to his own glory and excellence (v3). He wants us to become partakers of his nature (v4). He has already granted us everything we need to live godly lives (v3). He has accomplished this by making it possible for us to know him (vv2-3). And we know him because of his very great and precious promises (v4).

So, God wants us to know him, he wants us to be like him, he wants us to share in his glory. And to make this possible he has granted to us his precious and very great promises.

What specific promises is Peter referring to here?

Now in the immediate context Peter does not tell us what these promises are. But, as we shall see in our next talk, New Testament writers tend to use the word promise to refer to major aspects of our Christian faith like the promise of the Holy Spirit and the promise of Christ’s return. Preaching on the day of Pentecost Peter refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit as the promise which may be received by all who repent and are baptised (Acts 2:38), and in 2 Peter 3:9 and 13 he talks of the promise of Christ’s second coming.

It seems likely that it is these promises that Peter has in mind when he says that God has given us promises in order that we might be like him and ultimately share in his glory. The verses which follow clearly support this view. It only through the gift of God’s Spirit and the fruit that he produces in our lives (cf. Galatians 5:22-23) that we can hope to increase in the qualities Peter talks about in verses 5-8.

5. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
6. and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
7. and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And it is the promise of the Lord’s return that gives us the incentive!

11. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

So the purpose of God’s promises is that we might know him, become increasingly more like him, and ultimately share in his glory. No wonder Peter calls them precious and very great!

But for his promises to become effective in our lives we will need to:

• Identify them
• Understand them
• Receive them

The talks in this series will help you to do just that.