Today's Word of Encouragement (8/17/2020)

The 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).

These two categories of divine promises explain what is going on underneath our Christian experience, why it is that we have times of wonderful answers to our prayers and times of dry spell. Also, they provide us with the reason for humbling ourselves in times of spiritual and material abundance and encouraging ourselves in times of spiritual and material scarcity. For our hope is grounded in God’s absolute sovereign grace, by which He decreed our salvation, as well as in God’s infinite wisdom, by which He works all things to achieve what is best for His glory and our good.

We can see why it is beneficial to distinguish between different categories of God’s promises:

“Some promises, such as Isaiah 40:31 [“…but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint”], offer encouragement; some, such as 1 Corinthians 10:13 [“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it”], give comfort; some bring rewards (Ps. 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly”); and some, privileges (John 1:12 “but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…”). Knowing what kind of promise we are dealing with not only guides us in appropriating it but also guards us against the evil of presumption [which will lead to disappointments]” (pp. 7-8).

How rich we are because we have these many, different types of promises for all our needs and all seasons of life! Let us get to know these promises, receive them by faith, and cherish these promises so that we might enjoy the more and more in our lives, in this life and in the life to come!

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