[December 2d, 1860.]
The promises of God bear an important part in the work of redemption, both as to justification and as to sanctification. They are the objects of faith and hope.
I. They are objects of faith.
The promise to fallen Adam; to Abraham, to David; to the people of God in all ages. The promise of the Messiah, of justification and salvation through him, was and is now held up as the proper object of faith.
This faith includes self-renunciation, assent, and trust. And as such, it has ever been the condition of justification.
II. They are the objects of hope, because the blessings to which they relate, not only of the present but also of the future, are the blessings which we specially need, and include all we need, in order to our deliverance from the guilt of sin, from hell, and to secure the full perfection, happiness, and exaltation of our nature, here and hereafter, for time and for eternity.
As the objects of hope and faith, they,
III. Sanetify. By them we are made partakers of the divine nature, as Peter says in his 2d Epistle 1:4, unless the word be taken for the things promised, as when it is said, we inherit the promise, or we receive the promise, or wait for the promise. In either sense the declaration is true. By the divine promises we are made partakers of the divine nature, i.e., of holiness, because, 1. Were it not for those promises, we should have neither faith nor hope, and divine life would be impossible. 2. Because it is by the power of the promises as revealed by the power of the Spirit, that the soul is purified, the heart weaned from things of earth and set on things above.
Or, if the word promises there means the blessings promised, then the meaning is that by the redemption of Christ, his work outside of ourselves to satisfy divine justice, and the work of his Spirit in the heart, and by the whole administration of his kingdom of grace, we are exalted to the participation of the divine nature, , not in the sense of essence, but of character, or disposition; so that we concur with God in judgment and feeling.
IV. They are the source of consolation and strength, 1. in times of affliction. 2. In times of conflict. 3. In times of temptation. They fill the soul with confidence and joy, and excite the purpose to persevere even unto the end, assured that we shall become more than conquerors.
These promises relate not merely to individuals, but to the church and to the government of the world.
V. The attributes of the divine promises are,
-
That they are exceeding great and precious. The blessings promised are exceeding great, and are such as give them value to us.
-
They are sure, a. Because spoken by God, and therefore his veracity is pledged, and his power and infinite wisdom are secured for their fulfilment. b. Because they are all yea and amen in Christ; that is, he has rendered them by his work absolutely certain, having performed the condition on which they were suspended, and having received power to carry them into effect.
-
They are immutable. This is involved in their being sure. But it includes the special idea not only that God’s purposes will never change, but that no contingency can interfere with their fulfilment. They do not depend upon any thing in us, in our fidelity, or the fidelity of the Church, considered as something outside the promise; for the promise is that God will keep us from falling, that he will keep us all faithful, and cause us to persevere.
VI. How we are to derive the benefit of the promise.
-
There are many causes of distrust and doubt, as, a. a sense of unworthiness; b. long delay; c. apparent failure. These are the common experience of the people of God. These are the means which Satan uses to deprive them of the benefit of the promises of God. But, a. they are not founded on our worthiness. b. The promises of God have been fulfilled after long waiting for them. c. The failures are only apparent. We misinterpret them, and because our interpretation fails, we think the promise fails.
-
What we have to do is—
a. To understand the promises and to this end to study them.
b. To secure an interest in them by faith in Christ, or by accepting them. c. To live upon them.
← 12. “Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Tim. 2:4 · Contents · 14. The Wrath of God against Sinners →