Convictions
Convictions (where I’m coming from)
Each one of us views life through our own set of presuppositions. What glasses you are wearing often determines how you see things. I realize that I am also looking at the world and the word of God through a particular set of lenses. My convictions, however, come from what I consider to be objective evidence and reason. Nonetheless, it is only right for me to be up front with what those convictions are, since they obviously influence the way I see, understand and apply God’s promises. Here are a few of them….
Biblical Inerrancy
I am convinced of the inerrancy of the original manuscripts of the Bible. They are extremely reliable, having been confirmed through centuries of archaeological discovery. The Scriptures have also been unsuccessfully attacked by higher criticism and not THAT long ago (almost miraculously) they have been substantiated through the sensational Dead Sea Scroll discovery of 1947. Until the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, the oldest existing copy of the book of Isaiah was in Aleppo, Syria and dated to about 700 AD. But in the Scrolls there was an entire copy of the book of Isaiah which dated to 100 B.C. (or earlier). And it was virtually identical to the copy from Aleppo! It has been a hard pill to swallow for the liberal Bible critics.
Here are some other resources for you to explore which have helped me come to this conclusion of biblical inerrancy.
• The perpescuity of Scripture (its clarity and understandability) is also an interesting question. Here is a great article by Wayne Grudem published in Themelios on that subject. Just follow this LINK.
• “Nothing but the Truth” (by Brian H. Edwards) is a great compliation of rational reasons to take the Bible as truly inspired supernaturally by God Himself. You can read it HERE.
Trinitarianism
Another foundational conviction is that God has revealed Himself in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There are many resources which make the case, not only from Bible verses, but also from a scientific perspective that God is Trinitarian. This is a point that goes beyond the scope of this web-book, but should be mentioned as a conviction which influences the author’s opinions and conclusions. The promises chart and subject of this web-book is primarily focused on promises from the Father and the Son.
Premillennialism
In considering God’s promises for the future, it is obviously of crucial importance to have accurately understood God’s time frame.
For example, Jesus clearly promises He will physically return to earth. My understanding is that this event best fits with the thousand year reign (a millennium). Here is a very enlightening differentiation of the three predominant views, taken from the ESV Study Bible (Copyright © 2008 by Crossway Bibles):
20:1-6 Interlude: The Thousand Years of the Dragon’s Binding and the Martyrs’ Reign. These verses are among the most controversial in Revelation. Responsible scholars disagree regarding the meaning of the “thousand years” in vv. 2–7 (see Introduction: Millennial Views). The three main views are represented by: (1) Premillennialists (those who believe Christ will return “pre” [before] the millennium) think that this thousand years (Latin, millennium) is a future time of great peace and justice, which is usually thought to be a literal 1,000-year period that will begin when Christ returns to reign on earth as a physically present King, and which will include resurrected believers reigning with him. (2) Postmillennialists (those who believe that Christ will return “post” [after] the millennial period) think that before Christ returns to earth the gospel will spread and triumph so powerfully that societies will be transformed and peace and justice will reign on earth for a thousand years (or for a long period of time), after which Christ will return for the final judgment. (3) Amillennialists (those who hold an “a” [non-literal] millennial view) think this thousand years is the same period as this present church age, and that there will be no future “millennium” before Christ returns for the final judgment. Related to this is the question of whether the thousand years are to be interpreted literally (most premillennialists hold this view) or symbolically (most postmillennialists and amillennialists and some premillennialists hold this view). Those holding each view read John’s millennial vision in terms of their understanding of other biblical texts and their approach to prophetic literature as a whole. Likewise, each of these views falls within the framework of historic Christian orthodoxy.
Our perspective for this web-book is premillennialism, i.e. that Jesus is yet to come back to set up His millennial kingdom. These are questions which show how important the field of Bible interpretation (hermeneutics) is, which we will deal with shortly.
We also understand that God made promises to Israel, which He has and will continue to fulfil (see Romans 9-11). He has also made promises to the church as His body, which He formed at Pentecost, and He will also fulfil each of those promises. I do not understand the promises to Israel as being now being applied and fulfilled in the church.
The Solas
Sola scriptura (Scripture Alone): This principle asserts that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice in the Christian faith, above church traditions or ecclesiastical declarations.
Sola fide (Faith Alone): This emphasizes that salvation and justification are received by faith alone, not through any good works. Genuine faith will, of course, produce good works, but as a fruit of salvation and not as a means.
Sola gratia (Grace Alone): This tenet declares that salvation comes solely by God's grace or unmerited favor, not as something earned or deserved by the individual, highlighting the merciful and gracious character of God in the redemption of humanity.
(Some add Sola Christus (Christ Alone) and Sola Deo gloria (To God Alone the Glory) to the above.)
These are just a few of my presuppositons, so you know where I am coming from. Feel free to interact with me on any of these convictions. I intend to remain teachable. But it is helpful to know where I’m coming from.
All of this leads to the following bold statement:
Absolutely nothing could be more certain than a promise made by God!
In our day, promises are a dime a dozen. And not all promises are created equal. Think, for example of the promises of a politician or used car salesman. How much do you trust them? Significantly more trustworthy are the promises made by a bridegroom and his bride in the presence of witnesses at a wedding (or at least, they should be). And yet, more and more marriages do not last. There are also the physical laws of the universe, which we think to always be certain (taking note of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, and the superposition of Quantum Physics, as possible exceptions). But on the extreme end of the reliability spectrum, far beyond even the most established physical laws, are the promises of God, which have never, ever, failed (and never will)!
The sun will almost certainly rise tomorrow morning (even if obscured by clouds). According to science, some number of billions or trillions of years from now our sun will burn out, and the universe will ultimately reach a state of heat death (maximum entropy). But more certain still than all those things, are the promises of God! He NEVER goes back on His word. His promises are the most certain thing our minds can even imagine: absolute certainty.
Assuming that the Bible truly is God’s inspired word, here are a few verses that make this truth very clear:
Verses on the certainty of God’s promises:
God cannot lie:
Titus 1:2 “the hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.”
God is able to perform all His promises:
Romans 4:20,21 “yet, with respect to the promise of God, he (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform”.
God is faithful to His promises:
Hebrews 10:23 “…He who promised is faithful”
God (unlike man) is trustworthy:
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Every single word of His promises are (or will be) fulfilled:
Joshua 21:45 “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; everything came to pass.”
Joshua 23:14 “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; they all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.”
1. Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel in accordance with everything that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.
Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”
Not only does God give us promises, but He even promises that His promises are sure! And, among my favorites, is
2. Corinthians 1:20. “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”
As many promises of God as there are, they are all “YES!” in Him. Wow. And the result as we claim them and live by them is that He receives glory through our Amen. Amen means “so be it”, in other words, we act on the promise and let it be true in our lives. What a beautiful description of how the precious and magnificent promises of God not only fulfil our lives, but even in the process bring Him glory! It’s a win-win!