esterday, we reflected on the guarantee of God’s promises because they are earned by Christ and given to Him and we share in them as His people. This doesn’t mean, however, that we will experience and enjoy them at all times in the same way (at least, in this life). William Spurstowe, another Puritan pastor, said, “The blessing of the promise descends sometimes like rain in visible showers, producing the sensible effects of joy and peace in the soul; sometimes it falls like dew in a silent and imperceptible way… the virtue which it puts forth is real, but yet withal hidden and secret” (p. 28).
Read MoreToday, we would like to reflect on to what kind of people God’s promises belong. We already learned that God’s promises belong first and foremost to Christ as the only begotten Son of God: “You are my Son…. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Ps. 2:7-8). What does this have to do with us? “These promises belong to Christ not merely as the Son of God, but also as the appointed Mediator and Head of the church." So, here comes the good news: “As much as the promises of God properly and rightly belong to Christ, they also properly and rightly belong to the church, which is His body (Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27).
Read MoreYesterday, we started to talk about Andrew Gray’s six respects in which Christ is the fountainhead of the divine promises. We took a look at the first three: Christ is the fountainhead because 1) He purchased the promises by His own blood; 2) He is the One to whom the promises of the covenant were first made, and through Him they are given to us; 3) in Him we have a right to all the promises. Today, we will consider the rest. “Fourth, Christ is the fountainhead because He makes us rest on the promises and believe in them” as “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).
Read MoreYesterday, we meditated on the foundation of the divine promises. Today, we will meditate on the spring of the divine promises: “If the foundation of the promises of God is His covenant promise to be our God, then the fountainhead from which they flow to us is Christ” (p. 19). This is so because God cannot promise anything good to sinners without Christ’s atoning work, by which sinners are made acceptable and pleasing to God. The authors present the six respects, in which Christ is the spring of the divine promises, which Andrew Gray spoke of. We will consider three of them today. “First, He is the fountainhead because He purchased the promises by His own blood. ‘There is not a promise in all the everlasting covenant but it is the price of the blood of the Son of God.’” How we should treasure each promise of God and be diligent to experience and enjoy it since Christ was willing to pay the costly price for that very purpose! Are many of God's promises "still in the box, unwrapped" because we're not paying attention?
Read MoreHaving meditated on the nature and various kinds of the divine promises, let us meditate on their foundation. One of the authors, James A. La Belle, used to work in construction and knows the importance of the foundation. He used to say as a builder, “Whatever problem the foundation had… would ‘follow me to the roof’” (p. 12). Joel R. Beeke’s father was a builder, too, and he marveled, in his thirty years as a builder, that only one person asked about the foundation:
Read MoreFor this morning, I want to share with you what the authors share about the excellence and worth of the divine promises based on the eight things Andrew Gray, who was a Scottish pastor in the middle of 17th century, said about it. I found them to be so beautifully and concisely expressed that I just want to quote them for you: “They are precious, first, because of the great price that was laid down for them, which was the blood of Christ. Second, they are precious because of the great things that are promised in them. Third, they are precious because of the great advantage afforded to a Christian who enjoys them. They are ‘the pencils that draw the… lineaments of the image of Christ upon the soul.’ Fourth, they are precious because of their close relationship with Jesus Christ, for what are the promises but streams and rivulets that flow from Him? As Gray asks, ‘Can this fountain that is sweet in itself, send forth any bitter waters?’
Read MoreThe final two categories of divine promises are absolute and conditional. “An absolute promise declares what the Lord determines to accomplish without any reference to what we do. Such a promise was indicated in Isaiah’s prophecy about the virgin birth of Christ (7:14)” (p. 6). “Conditional promises, by contrast, are ‘no further promised than God in wisdom sees to be best for his own glory and his children’s good.’ In this conditional way, subject to His glory and our good, the Lord promises all temporal blessings (which Lazarus [the beggar in Jesus’ parable] lacked), freedom from all crosses and troubles (which Job suffered), freedom from temptation (which even Christ faced), less principal graces and the common gifts of the Spirit (which are variously distributed, 1 Cor. 12:8), and sanctifying grace (which varies among saints). All of these blessings are promised, but they are conditional on what God knows to be best for His glory and our good in particular situations” (pp. 6-7).
Read MoreThe next pair of categories of divine promises are direct promises and promises “implied or deduced by consequences” (p. 6). “Direct promises are made to individuals, such as Paul on his tempestuous voyage to Rome (Acts 27:22-25), when an angel said to him, ‘Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar; and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee’ (v. 24)” (p. 6). This kind of promise applies only to a particular individual or a group of individuals, to whom the promise is given, and only on that particular occasion. If they got into the same situation on another occasion, it may not lead to the same result (unless God promised that, too). So, in Phil. 1, Paul is certain that God would deliver him from prison. But in 2 Tim. 4, Paul is sure that he would meet his end in the prison.
Read MoreThe next two categories of divine promises we will consider are principal and less principal. “Principal promises are spiritual and therefore are of the greatest concern. They include the promise of righteousness (Rom. 4:5) and the remission of sins (1 John 1:9). Less principal promises are temporal and include promises such as deliverance from affliction, safety in danger, health, and wealth” (pp. 5-6). This distinction shows that there is a hierarchy, or order, of sorts in God’s promises. We can see the logic behind it. “Spiritual” blessings are eternal and imperishable whereas “temporal” blessings are temporary and perishable. So, Peter blesses God that He caused us to be born again “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:4). Obviously, he is speaking of the superiority of the inheritance we have in Jesus Christ to the inheritance that the Jews received in the land of Canaan, which was perishable, corruptible, and fading. That is why Paul, after speaking of what he used to boast of as a Jew and Pharisee (Phil. 3:5-6), declared, “[I have] counted them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God…” (Phil. 3:8-9).
Read MoreThe next categories of divine promises are general and particular. I’m sure you can guess what they mean. “General promises are indefinite declarations of good that God offers to all” (p. 5). The authors give John 3:16 as an example of these. Here, the promise of everlasting life is given to any, who would believe in Jesus Christ. Of course, no one can believe unless s/he is born of God first (John 1:13), who is of God’s elect people. However, the knowledge of who is elect belongs to God’s secret will; no one but God has this knowledge. So, we are not to presume to know who is elect and who is not, especially because, all throughout history, there have been many surprises: while many hardened criminals and people with addiction have received the gospel and been set free, many helpless and needy people have refused to put their trust in Jesus Christ, as many powerful and rich people as well as many morally upstanding (self-righteous) people have rejected the gospel. So, we should share the gospel indiscriminately with all, even with those we think will never believe. And, instead of wondering whether we are chosen or not, we should hear what the gospel promises and respond accordingly. To think that we are not chosen is to presume to know God’s secret will!
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