The Scriptures And The Promises # 1
The Divine promises make known the good pleasure of God's will to His people to bestow upon them the riches of His grace. They are the outward testimonies of His heart, who from all eternity loves them and fore-appointed all things for them and concerning them. In the person and work of His Son, God has made an all-sufficient provision for their complete salvation, both for time and for eternity. To the intent that they might have a true, clear and spiritual knowledge of the same, it has pleased the Lord to set it before them in the exceeding great and precious promises which are scattered up and down in the Scriptures as so many stars in the glorious firmament of grace. By these precious promises, they may be assured of the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning them, and take sanctuary in Him accordingly, and through this medium have real communion with Him in His grace and mercy at all times, no matter what their case or circumstances may be.
The Divine promises are so many declarations to bestow some good, or remove some ill. As such they are a most blessed making known and manifesting of God's love to His people. There are three steps in connection with God's love:
first, His inward purpose to exercise it; the last, the real execution of that purpose; but in between there is the gracious making known of that purpose to the beneficiaries not only show His love fully to them in due time, but in the interim He will have us informed of His benevolent designs, that we may sweetly rest in His love, and stretch ourselves comfortably upon His sure promises. Thee we are able to say, "How precious also are your thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them" (Psalm 139:17).
In 2 Peter 1:4 the Divine promises are spoken of as "exceedingly great and precious." As Spurgeon pointed out, "greatness and preciousness seldom go together, but in this instance they are united in an exceeding degree." When Jehovah is pleased to open His mouth and reveal His heart, He does so in a manner worthy of Himself, in words of superlative power and richness. To quote again the beloved London pastor:
"They come from a great God,
they come to great sinners,
they work for us great results,
and deal with great matters."
While the natural intellect is capable of perceiving much of their greatness - only the renewed heart can taste their ineffable preciousness, and say with David, "How sweet are your words unto my taste! yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103).
1. We profit from the Word when we perceive to whom the promises belong. They are available only to those who are in Christ. "For all the promises of God in Him (the Lord Jesus) are yes, and in Him. Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). There can be no communion between the thrice holy God and sinful creatures, except through a Mediator who has satisfied Him on their behalf. Therefore must that Mediator receive from God all good for His people, and they must have it at second hand through Him. A sinner might just as well petition a tree, as call upon God for mercy while he despises and rejects Christ.
Both the promises and the things promised, are made over to the Lord Jesus and conveyed unto the saints from Him. "This is the chief and grandest promise that he has promised us, even eternal life" (1 John 2:25); and as the same epistle tells us, "This life is in His Son" (1 John 5:11).
This being so, what good can they who are not yet in Christ have by the promises? None at all. A man out of Christ is out of favor of God, yes, he is under His wrath; the Divine threatenings and not the promises, are his portion. Solemn, solemn consideration is it that those who are "without Christ" and "and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). Only "the children of God" are "the children of the promise" (Romans 9:8). Make sure, my reader, that you are one of them.
~A. W. Pink~
(continued with # 2)
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