THE PROMISE OF GOD : OUR REALITY IN CHRIST

THE PROMISE OF GOD : OUR REALITY IN CHRIST

Have you ever been angry at God for what you think or you were taught God promised you and you didn’t get it?  Have you ever felt you were cheated or deceived by God? Have pastors or fellow believers ever told you to do something and God will do for you then you did it but didn’t get the desire ? One thing I want you to know is this  God is faithful and He cannot lie or relent on His promise.

Numbers 23

19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

 God is not a man that can lie.  It is either God didn’t really promise you, because if He did, He will truly fulfill it. Also do not forget the truth that God cannot change. We serve a God that we can predict His actions in Christ. What God does to A , He does to B. He has no respect of persons . For more on the true nature of God in Christ kindly read our post GOD REVEALED Part 1, part 2 , part 3 and part 4. Anything we cannot see in Christ, we cannot see in God. Christ is the express image of the person of God. He is the certainty of God revealed to man. This is because Christ is the only time God was made manifest to man. We cannot know God without knowing Jesus . Jesus told Philip in John 14:9 if you have seen me , you have seen the father . In other words, I am the visibility of the father. This same God that we can predict His actions made a promise to humans. Let’s see what the promise truly is. Let’s examine God’s faithfulness in keeping His promise. What does it means to promise? It simply means for one to announce that one is going to do something. It means to profess or to commit oneself to performing an act.

 The essence of this post is to examine what truly is the promise of God and how to avoid being offended at God for what God is not responsible for. This post will emphasize working with God’s power , His Presence, His people and His promise fulfilled . The Bible is our only book the we can get doctrine (explanation/ teaching ) as believers . If we truly want to know the promise of God, we will have to examine the scriptures knowing fully well that God cannot lie. The entire Bible speaks of Christ. It is a book set apart to teach salvation through faith in Christ. 2Timothy 3:15-16. Genesis to Malachi speak of Christ as mysteries (secrets of dark sayings) , Mathew to Luke speaks of Christ as a man who walked the earth. The book of Acts speaks of the acts of men with Christ in them. Romans to Revelation explains the mysteries of Christ documented in Genesis to Malachi. So in the Epistles (Romans to Revelation) , we see the revelation/explanation of the secrets in Genesis to Malachi. ) Kindly read 1 Peter 2:9-12, Ephesians 3 :1-5, Colossians 1: 26-28 and Romans 16:25-26).   When we read the mystery (Genesis to Malachi), it seems like God made several promises that He God must fulfilled. As we read the revelation, we see what the promise uttered in different secrets in Genesis to Malachi truly is. 

Therefore let’s examine some scriptures;

Titus 1

 2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

We can see from the above scriptures that God made a promise before the world began. It was the promise of eternal life. Notice the description of God, that He cannot lie.. this means that , He truly fulfils His promise . So here we see that the promise is not anything physical.  We also see that the promise is not new . It was made before the world began. This means that what God promised man was before He created man. Therefore , the promise is before creation . This promise is to have life. It is the rejection of this life that caused the fall of man in the beginning. This life was what Moses in his teaching ministry calls , the tree of life. Man instead of believing to receive the promise of life chooses to live by the knowledge of good and evil. Major thing to take note of is that , the promise here is life and it was made before the world began . 

Romans 1

 1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

 2  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

 3  Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

Notice the use of the word promise here . It was the gospel of God concerning Jesus that was promised before hand as declared by the prophets . So the promise here is the gospel of Jesus. It was same gospel documented as a promise in Genesis to Malachi ( The scriptures of the prophets ). Prophets like Isaiah could announce the vicarious death of Jesus in Isaiah 53 and other portions as a promise. Here we see that nothing physical was the promise. It was the good news of God about Jesus that was promised in the prophets . Let’s see a reference from Luke on the promise .

Luke 1

 67  And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

68  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

 69  And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

 70  As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

 71  That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

 72  To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

These are the words from the song/prophecy of Zachariah after the birth of john the Baptist. Notice it speaks of salvation from sin which is a major essence of the birth of Jesus. This is called the promise of God as spoken by the Prophets before hand . Notice also it is not anything physical.

What exactly is this promise of God?

Man of God are you now saying God didn’t promise us health , wealth or protection in Christ?

 I never said so. Let’s just do the study together and see for ourselves. Let’s kindly be patient and not conclude the matter before the end. Let’s look at the use of the word promise in the book of Acts and other epistles too to really see what this promise is. Don’t forget, if God promise , He will truly fulfill it and if God fulfill it to one , He will fulfill it to all. This is because God has no respect of persons. He is not a bias God .

Acts 2

 32  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

Peter on the day of the Pentecost calls the experience fulfilment of the promise of God. He called the Holy Ghost the promise. This Holy Ghost in men was Only possible because of the ascension of Jesus . This is what he means by being by the right hand exalted . The right hand is not a physical location. We are said to be seated with Him yet we are physically on earth. Jesus at the right hand speaks of authority and His name ( detailed explanation on this will come later). What we should note here is that the Holy Ghost is called the promise. It was because of this Holy Ghost in men that they do what the people saw and heard. They spoke in tongues because of the spirit within. This same spirit within was poured out of them by their activities which is tongues and interpretations (prophecy). The promise of God here is seen as WHAT HAS BEEN FULFILLED in the Giving of God’s spirit.

 Acts 13

30  But God raised him from the dead:

 31  And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.

 32  And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,

 33  God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

We see clearly here that God made a promise to the fathers in verse 32. We also see that the promise has been fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus . So the promise here is seen as fulfilled too. The fulfilment is in the resurrection of Jesus. The promise is not anything physical but what Jesus has done. His resurrection and His presence in our heart through the Spirit.

Ephesians 1

13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

Carefully read the text above. You will notice the Spirit is called the Holy Spirit of promise. In other words, it is the promise of God that we received when we get saved . He is the seal of our salvation. In Galatians 3, the holy Ghost is also called the promised spirit.

Galatians 3

 13  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

 14  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith

Christ has redeemed us from the curses of the law that we might received the blessing of Abraham. This blessing of Abraham is the Spirit of God that was promised. The BLESSING OF ABRAHAM IN THE BIBLE WE RECEIVE Is not anything physical. We are not from Israel to inherit His wealth. In fact, I am not sure Abraham’s wealth is still available on earth for us to inherit. Notice it is called BLESSING , NOT BLESSINGS. It is a singular blessing Which is the Holy Spirit. Abraham couldn’t receive this spirit because of sin and death reigning in Him though he believed. So what he had was a promissory note. He looked for a city whose builder and maker is God. We are that city built by God through His spirit. Ephesians 2:22. Even in Romans 4 when Abraham was called blessed too, it was not anything physical. It was the forgiveness of sins and Righteousness through faith. This promise NO AMOUNT OF WEALTH can buy it.

2 Corinthians 1

19  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.

 20  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

 21  Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

 22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

 23  Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.

 24  Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

Paul’s speaks of the certainty in the gospel. The gospel of Christ is not yes and no. This he calls the promises of God in verse 20. It is written as promises because it is in different utterances like that of Paul, Silvanus or Timothy as mentioned in verse 19. Notice are yes IN HIM. The promise is in Christ. It is not in anything physical. The same promise is further explained from verse 22 as the anointing and the seal of our salvation which is the Holy Spirit. Beside, the word promise (from the Greek word epaggelia ) is a singular word which means an announcement , a please or divine assurance of good. 

From all the references so far, we see that the promise is linked to the gospel of Jesus centered on His death, burial, resurrection and presence in our heart through the Holy Spirit. So this is what God truly promised man before creation. It is to have His life which is His spirit. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT GOD HAS FULFILLED THIS PROMISE By giving you His SPIRIT. We see truly that God cannot lie. God is faithful. We can keep going on and on . We will see that in Christ, the promise is nothing physical. This will help us appreciate more what God did in Christ. You can read all the references of the word promise when it was used for God promising. You will notice, none was linked to ANYTHING PHYSICAL. 

So man of God, what of money and wealth ? Didn’t God promise us to be rich in Christ. Never forget, if God promises us to be rich in Christ, EVERYONE IN CHRIST WILL BE VERY RICH. This is because God is not bias. God will not require you to do anything to fulfill it. The greatest need of man which is salvation, God did it freely without requiring assistance. Is it ordinary wealth and riches God cannot do? It will even insult our intelligence to think that the way to be rich is to be in Christ. This is because many of  the richest men on earth are dead men not in Christ. So what message will you preach to them?

The truth is God desires that we prosper even in our finances. Don’t forget Jesus didn’t die to make us rich neither did He die to make us poor. So make up your mind to be rich enough to fulfil your purpose and help others. How does God prosper?  To enjoy financial prosperity, you have to learn to work with natural factors of production like land and  labour. Isaac sowed in the land. It was farming he did in Genesis 26. How did God prosper Abraham, He was into farming. So primarily it is for you to work with the power and wisdom of God to push what you do that gives you money. Financial prosperity also involves commanding favours from men through God’s power. Your inability to do all of these may likely make you poor. You cannot now be angry at God because He never promise to make you rich solely by Himself. What of taking a verse in the Bible that speaks of wealth and declaring it? You are not doing anything bad. The scriptures are God’s breathed.. you are simply speaking them with God’s power to see it in your life. It is not God owing YOU the wealth. All I am saying is that God is fully in support and is happy when you are wealthy.  But it is not in the hand of God to make you wealthy. So don’t be angry with God if you are not. Simply pray to Him to help you. Wealth is on THIS EARTH . No money in heaven. God doesn’t print currency. 

What of health and Protection? God is not solely in charge of it too. If God is in charge, no Believer will ever be sick or lack protection. God gave us His power by His Spirit in Us. Then He told us to lay hands on sick bodies for them to recover. God also gave us men that have same power who can lay hands on us. So a believer can die in sickness if he doesn’t heal himself or trust another believer to heal him. Jesus will always tell sick folks, do you believe I am able to do this? Not God is able to do it? We know God is the one doing it. But, healing and Miracles occurs when you recognize that powerful God in a believer (you or another believer). Also God expects us to live in wisdom so we abide in health. The power of God in us is not against eating right diet. This will help your mortal body. Be deliberate about taking care of your body. In doing this, trust the power of God to keep you and consistently speak life over your body parts. Don’t forget, power is VOICE ACTIVATED. Even when it comes to Protection, it is not an absolute inheritance in Christ. If not, no man in Christ will ever lack protection. It is not automatic. Protection works by what you believe and SAY. Psalm 91 says , you will SAY of the LORD, HE IS MY REFUGE. Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.  . YOU SPEAK and put your confidence in God. We have many men in Christ out there who believe they can die anyhow and they consistently say it. For such, many times , even God cannot stop them from dieing. They have set a law in their words except they repent of such words or someone else takes authority over the words by speaking on their behalf. 

Proverb 13

 2  A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.

 3  He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. 

So protection is primarily in what you believe and say . It is not an automatic IN- Christ reality. It is not THE PROMISE in Christ. The truth is God delights in you being protected. Hence , God gave His angels charge over you. Therefore dare to CONSISTENTLY SPEAK words of protection over you and your loved ones .

What of child bearing and marriage? Are they not in Christ realities? It is sad to know that even prostitutes are giving births to unwanted babies. Child bearing is a natural effect of intercourse between male and female. It is not God responsible. If the natural process is not in order , then the believer can simply use the power of God to correct it. Sarah is a case study, she received strength to conceive by God’s power . It shows that something was obviously wrong with her womb because Abraham had sex with  the maid and had a child. It is not God that makes women barren. It is all in the activities of humans. God desire that you get married and give birth to kids. Don’t forget it is not THE PROMISE IN CHRIST. Unbelievers are getting married daily without God. You want to be married? Marry in the Lord . That is, marry a believer. Choose who to marry, then allow God guide your choice because there are many things you cannot know physically. 

In summary, we have seen that the promise of God is what NO MAN CAN GET OUTSIDE CHRIST. 

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began

God cannot lie . God promised life in His spirit before creation. He finally fulfilled the promise in Christ by giving us His Spirit. This is what the world CANNOT GET with all other things they have. In Christ we have life like no other . This should be our major satisfaction. The very life of God is in Us.

This LIFE of God in us IS OUR power. So we lay hold on it to fix every other thing. We are not disadvantaged in any way. Ephesians 3:  20

This life is OUR WISDOM. We can never run of instructions. We pray and dialogue with this life. Glory to God. 

We have Jesus . We have life.

We have the promise of the ages .  We have the ageless promise of God finally fulfilled in us. This is our contentment. Hallelujah.

By OBIAZIKWOR EMEKE MODESTY

          www.emekemodesty.com

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www.emekemodesty.com

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