THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S PROMISES
By: Engr. Rudy G. Taquiso
The Bible contains three
thousand
promises that are intended for our present, daily use. The question is how many have you
claimed? The answer to that question
will largely determine your effectiveness, your satisfaction and your happiness
in the Christian life.
The
old testament begins with the Pentateuch, Genesis through Deuteronomy, five
books that show the pattern of God’s working in our lives. Then come the historical books Joshua through
Esther. These books vividly demonstrate
the perils that confronts us as Christians seeking to follow God’s plans for
our lives. Next come the poetical books,
Job through the Song of Solomon – five books that express the joys & sorrows
of being human and show us how to have a genuine relationship & fellowship
with God.
Having
seen how the other parts of the Old Testament fit together, we now come to the
last sixteen books of the old testament, The books of prophets. In the prophetical books we discover the
mighty promises of God. Just as two
people who come together at the altar of marriage make certain promises that
bind them to each other so God has bound Himself to us by the promises of this
last section of the Old Testament. God
shares Himself with as by reason of the great promises written in the Bible
just as a husband & wife are enabled to share themselves with each other be
cause of the security of the promises that they have made. The better we understand God’s promises the
better we understand His nature and character.
The
certainty of God’s promises have earned the right to be trusted. They are sure and dependable. These promises are the foundation of our
faith. Without them, we have no
objective reason to trust the Bible.
Because God has kept all His promises down through history, we can
believe everything else that He tells us in His Word. The book of Isaiah records numerous promises,
but the foremost promise of this book is found in Chapter 1 verse 18. It says: “Come now, and let us reason
together” says the Lord, “through your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow, through they are red like crimson, they shall be as white as
wool”. Come to think of it! It is
unsustainably the most significant promises God ever bestowed on all
sinners. This promise is repeated &
expanded in Chapter 53 which presents Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the Messiah
hanging on the cross “pierced for our transgressions” & “crushed for our
iniquities”. Here is the promise of
God’s atoning grace: “by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Other prophetical books like Jeremiah until
Malachi likewise shows as how God kept His promises without fail.
Now
what do you do with a promise? Well, you
either believe it or reject it. There
are no alternatives. You might say, “I
won’t believe God’s promise. I won’t
reject it. I’ll just ignore it”. That option is not open to you. If you ignore His promise, then you reject
them because a promise is a demand for commitment. To ignore something or someone you simply
turn your back and walk away, but there is rejection, isn’t it? So promises must
either be believed or rejected. God never leaves us lost.
When the heart repents and turns back then Isaiah’s promise is operative
once again – the promise of a new beginning.
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