“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…” 2 Peter 1:4
What is the purpose of God giving to mankind His promises? As His commandments are the means of bringing men into conformity with His will and purpose, working in the heart to will and to do of His good pleasure, so the promises of God are His provision for appropriating the various forms and manifestations of His mercy and grace. Christ calls all men to follow Him in obedient faith. He also calls all men who would follow Him to appropriate His life by the Spirit, to see and to know His glory. By His commandments we know what we are to do, where we are to go, and how we are to live. By His promises, we are called upon to appropriate Christ’s life for every need, in all circumstances. His commandments give direction and purpose, bringing believers into conformity with Christ. His promises provide the means of receiving specifically what He desires and wills to give freely to the one who truly comes believing that He IS the eternal God, and that He IS the Rewarder of those who truly seek Him. What then is the value, or worth of these promises? And can they be grasped to form a pattern of believing, and receiving?
Let us first seek to grasp something of the worth, value, and usefulness of the promises. For this we need to understand that they are not the promises of man, but of God. We know that His words are the very expression of His nature. We know also that His words are as eternal as He is, and that His promises, like His commandments are absolute. He is just as committed to meeting the needs of the believer who would follow Christ, as respond to his faith in believing His promises. Both require faith to know Him, especially when He is sought.
Secondly, the promises of God are not for just one day. Though they may be applied, or specifically believed at different moments of time, in various circumstances, they are still just as real, true, and useful at all times. These blessed means of knowing Christ, specifically knowing His divine nature, as Peter puts it, are the means by which God, in answer to faith, responds. He “rewards” the believer for believing, when he believes according to the truth of God’s word. When one’s faith is only in Christ, according to the word of God, the Spirit of God reveals the things of Christ to and through him.
So, what are some of these promises? In Isaiah 28, in contrasting what the will of God was for Israel with the very opposite, He promised her: “In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of the people.” (v.5) In one sense this is the fulfillment of Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90, when he prayed: “…And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us…” (v.17) Is it not the will of God that the “aroma” of Christ’s life be revealed in us, that His likeness should shine forth from our lives as we abide in Him? Is it not the will of God that Christ be seen in the believer, known and felt by those who come in to contact with him or her? Here is a promise, that God will put His beauty upon the believer who trusts Him for it.
Another promise found in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian believers having its application with regard to the God of peace, sanctifying, or setting the believer apart, his whole spirit and soul and body being preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s powerful, permanent promise was: “Faithful is He who calls you who also WILL do it.” This promise is a key that opens the door to an ever-increasing, and deepening fellowship with Christ, greatly transforming the believer’ life.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to increasingly believe. In Jesus’ name, Amen.