| The Christian Life | March 1943 |
Precious Promises
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”—II Corinthians 7:1
“THESE PROMISES” referred to by the apostle in our text are the ones mentioned by him in the preceding chapters of his epistle, and those recorded elsewhere in the Bible, which set before us the glorious prospect of joint-heirship with Jesus as co-workers with the Heavenly Father in the work of reconciling the lost world of mankind. These promises are not alone those which pertain to the future exaltation of the church, but include as well the many and varied comforting affirmations by which we are assured of all the means of divine grace necessary to attain unto the high position in God’s plan to which we are invited. This purpose of God embodied in His promises to His saints is similarly described in 2nd Peter 1:4, which reads, “Unto us are given exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we might become partakers of the divine nature.” These promises cover a very wide range of experience in the lives of all who will ultimately attain the heavenly reward. By them we are assured that all of our needs will be supplied. We need, for example, forgiveness, new life, wisdom, strength, comfort, protection and discipline, all of which are implied in the Old Testament promise quoted by Paul in 2nd Corinthians 6:17,18, which reads, “I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
The high exaltation and glory outlined in the divine promises which belong to those who suffer and die with Christ are beyond human comprehension, and to suppose that members of the fallen and dying race could attain to such a heavenly position would be unbelievable, except for the promises of God which assure us that it will be accomplished through the abundance of His grace and power. Paul alludes to this in 2nd Corinthians 3:4,5, where he says, “And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”
The fact that our sufficiency is of God should be constantly impressed upon our hearts. We should ever keep in mind the pit of sin and degradation from which, by God’s grace, we have been digged. (Isa. 51:1) Failing ever to remember this may lead to a lack of proper humility before the Lord which, in turn, would prevent the operation of His grace that otherwise would finally exalt us to His own right hand. On this point one of the precious promises declares, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”—I Peter 5:6
Forgiveness of Sins
How encouraging are the promises of God which give us the assurance that despite all of our inherent weaknesses and imperfections, we still may enjoy His favor and have His purposes fulfilled in us. One of the precious promises to this effect is that of Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” This promise of cleansing from sin, like so many others that God has given, is dependent upon our cooperation in doing the best we can to cleanse ourselves from unrighteousness. Made first to the people of God during the Jewish age, it applies In principle to His dealings with all who are invited into His service, and in order for us to have it fulfilled in our own experience, it is incumbent upon us to attain as nearly as possible the standard set forth in the preceding verses which read, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isa. 1:16,17) It is only as our endeavors along this line are whole-hearted that we may rejoice in the blessedness of God’s fulfilled promise to make our “scarlet”-like sins as snow, and our “crimson”-like imperfections as wool.
Another Old Testament promise of God’s forgiving grace toward His people, who originally were imbedded in the pit of sin and death, is that of Psalm 103:10-14, which reads, “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”
The import of these precious promises of the divine forgiveness of sins, so beautifully set forth in the Old Testament, is reiterated by Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament, and given added authority by the fact that this manifestation of God’s grace is sealed by the blood of Christ. When John the Baptist identified Jesus as “the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), he laid the foundation for our confidence in the fact later stated by the Apostle John, namely, that “He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:2) It is because of this that the apostle could also assuringly say that, “If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.”—I John 2:1
Basing our faith upon these precious promises of divine mercy through Christ, we can exultantly exclaim in the words of the Apostle Paul, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us.” (Rom. 8:33,34) While rejoicing in this assurance that we have an Advocate with the Father, One who makes intercession for us, let us remember that no intercession will be made except as we confess our sins and ask that divine mercy be extended to us. There is always this necessity that we cooperate in the blessed provisions of divine grace, hence the apostle says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”—I John 1:9; Prov. 28:13; Psa. 32:5; Matt. 5:23,24
The abundance of precious promises assuring us of the depth of divine grace in the forgiveness of our sins should prevent our becoming discouraged under the weight of our own imperfections. Our imperfections, however, should keep us humble before the Lord, and in so doing they serve a useful purpose, yet if we lose sight of the provisions of divine grace through Christ by which we may enjoy the privileges of sonship in spite of our sins, we ark certain to slump into a slough of despondency in which progress toward the heavenly goal would cease. But, with such a galaxy of precious promises by which our faith in divine goodness d mercy is made strong, we are able gladly to take the suggestion of the apostle to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”—Hebrews 4:16; 10:22
Divine Guidance
God has also promised to guide and direct those whom He has called to sonship on the divine plane. His precious promises along this line are vitally important to our progress in the narrow way, because without them we would be menaced by an almost continual uncertainty as to whether or not we had chosen the right path. The wise man said, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Prov. 14:12) Unless, contrary to Paul’s admonition, (Rom. 12:3) we are prone to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, we should ever be conscious of the truthfulness of Solomon’s words which indicate that we cannot properly depend upon fallen human judgment in making our decisions. In view of this, how precious indeed are the promises of divine guidance!
“Thou wilt show me the path of life,” are the prophetic words of the Psalmist, (Psa. 16:11) descriptive of the Master’s confidence in the fact of His Heavenly Father’s guidance. This, and other precious promises of the Father by which He assured Jesus of His guidance and care, also belong to His footstep followers, and They are the more sweet to us because of the fact that they meant so much to Him Who is the living example of what constitutes God’s will for those who are invited to share His Kingdom glory.
Another precious promise of divine guidance is that of Psalm 73:24, which reads, “Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” The narrow way in which the footstep followers of Jesus are called to walk is the path to glory, but if through failure to follow the counsels of the Lord we leave the narrow way to explore bypaths into which we may be mistakenly led by human wisdom, the great prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus will not be attained. Let us, then, claim the promises of divine guidance, not in. profession only, but by humbly giving heed to the Lord’s instructions at every step of the way. Thus may it ever be true that God’s promises to guide us by His counsel will, through our humility and application, be translated into practical reality in our Christian experience.—I Cor. 10:5
As we journey along in the narrow way and come to crossroads calling for decision as to which way we should turn, may we listen to the voice of God’s Word from behind us saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” (Isa. 30:21) And it is important that we learn to listen attentively for the Lord’s instructions with ears attuned exclusively for the hearing of His words. (Luke 9:44) This necessitates the closing of our ears to the pleadings of the flesh, the alluring schemes of the world, and the subtle, deceptive suggestions of the adversary. If our hearts are thus firmly established to resist every influence that would turn us out of the narrow way, and our faces are set like a flint for the doing of the Lord’s will, we shall be of that class described by the prophet as those who “tremble at His Word.”—Isa. 66:5
If we are in this humbly alert attitude before the Lord, earnestly seeking His guidance, and willing at all costs to follow His instructions, the slightest suggestion from Him will be sufficient to guide us in the path of life. How blessed to dwell thus in such close communion with Him that we can have fulfilled to us His precious promise of Psalm 32:8, which reads, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.”
As in all the other provisions of divine grace, so with that of divine wisdom and guidance in the Christian way, it is necessary, not only to maintain a heart condition through which God can fulfill His promises to us, but also essential that we earnestly long for these blessings which He has promised. Not only so, but God has made the receiving of wisdom from Him dependent upon our prayers. That is why the Apostle James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” In view of all the precious promises of God which affirm His willingness to endow us with wisdom from on high, how fully justified was the apostle in his further admonition, which states, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.”—James 1:5,6
Be Strong in the Lord
If our foundation of faith is properly imbedded in the Rock Christ Jesus, whose atoning blood covers our imperfections, we will be ever conscious of our weaknesses and the certainty of failure if we depend upon our own strength to gain the victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. If we depend upon self, failure will mark our every effort, and sooner or later we will become weary in our unsuccessful efforts at well-doing, and will drop out by the wayside. How necessary, then, it is, that by faith we claim God’s promises of strength and help in every time of need. How blessedly meaningful and precious is the promise to those who thus depend upon the Lord as recorded in Isaiah 40:31, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
What joy there also is in the realization that the extremity of our weakness is by contrast the measure of God’s strength. We know in a general way that all of God’s saints are weak and imperfect, but at times, and because we should be better acquainted with our own weaknesses than with those of others, there is the possibility of being so conscious of our impotency that faith may find it hard to lay hold upon the precious promises of divine help. It is at such times that we should remember the promise that was given to Paul in connection with a weakness which he felt was an insurmountable obstacle in the way of his faithful service of God. In answer to the apostle’s prayer that this obstacle be removed, the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” May the assurance of divine strength give us the same viewpoint of, our weaknesses as Paul expressed in view of this answer to his prayer. He said, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”—II Cor. 12:9
There is an old adage which states that “God helps those who help themselves.” This is true in all of His dealings with us, and His promises of grace to help are contingent upon our doing all that we can to walk in the way He has appointed for us. In II Chronicles 16:9 we read, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” Our true heart condition is demonstrated by the manner in which we strive, in spite of our weaknesses, to do God’s will. It will not do for us to listlessly allow the flesh to go its own way, thus continuing in sin that grace may abound. Rather, the perfection of our hearts’ desires will be manifested by self-sacrificing efforts to measure up as fully as possible to the high standard of righteousness set before us in the Word, and to zealously serve the Lord in every way that He has indicated to be His will. If this be true, we may be sure of being one of those on behalf of whom the Lord will “show Himself strong.”—Psalm 25:9
The principle of cooperation with God in the working out of our salvation is beautifully set forth by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:12,13, where we read, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” There is an abundance of precious promises assuring us of the workings of divine grace on our behalf, but if these promises are to have a fulfillment in our individual experiences, we must do our part to make them operative. (Heb. 3:14; 3:6) Yes, beloved, God will work in us and for us, on condition that we also work. True, our efforts are sure to be feeble and imperfect, but nevertheless we must make that effort and when we do, God’s strength reaches down from on high and, compensating for our weaknesses, gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Foes From Without
Not only has God promised to strengthen us inwardly in our effort to know and do His will, but He has also assured us of His protection against all of the evil influences with which we are surrounded, influences which, without God’s help, would overwhelm the saints, thus preventing them from attaining the glory that is promised. How precious indeed in this connection, is the promise of Psalm 91:1,2: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.” In the fourth verse of the same Psalm the prophet continues, “He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” It has been suggested that the “feathers” of this passage might well be suggestive of the many precious promises of God under which it is our privilege to seek protection. It is because of these precious promises that the sentiments of verse 5 are echoed in our hearts: “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.”
When we consider the formidable enemies of the New Creation under the leadership of Satan, the prince of this world, how dark and foreboding would be our experiences were it not for the fact that God has promised that no evil shall befall us. But because of these promises our hearts can rejoice even though the enemy is encamped around about us day and night. (Psa. 23:5) We know that greater is He who is for us than all they that be against us, and in this knowledge we can go about our business of doing the Lord’s will with peace and joy filling our hearts and lives. There may, indeed, will be trouble to endure, but even in this God will be with us and will hide us and protect us, for we read, “In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret, of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.”—Psalm 27:5,6
Comfort in Affliction
Romans 15:4 declares that “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” This shows another purpose of the precious promises of God to be that of comforting His people in order that they might be enabled to bear patiently the trials and difficulties incidental to their filling up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ. Comfort is very essential to those who suffer, if they are to bear their suffering patiently. The path to glory is one of suffering, the Scriptures explaining that it is through much tribulation that we enter the Kingdom. Even Jesus needed a compensating portion of God’s grace to enable Him to “endure the cross and despise the shame” which divine wisdom saw necessary to prepare Him for His place at the right hand of the Majesty on High. This portion is described by the apostle as “the joy that was set before Him,” which joy, of course, was His through the precious promises of the Scriptures.
The precious promises of God bring comfort to us from many standpoints. If we fear the trials that threateningly loom up as dread monsters in our pathway, we are comforted by the promise that God will not permit us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear, and that when the trial is too severe, He will provide a way of escape.—I Cor.10:13
While we may feel measurably certain of being able, by God’s grace, to endure the trials of today, our hearts may become faint as we consider what we might be called upon to bear tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. As an offset to such a possible and measurable lack of faith, God has comforted us with the promise that, “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” (Deut. 33:25) The poet expresses the same thought, saying,
“In every condition, in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth,
At home and abroad, on the land or the sea,
As thy days may demand shall thy strength ever be.”
This all-comprehensiveness of the divine provision is beautifully set forth by David in the 23rd Psalm, the first verse of which emphasizes the fact that because the Lord is our Shepherd we “shall not want.” And what comfort there is in the assurance of necessary spiritual food, given us by the words, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” How refreshing the thought that, “He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
The whole world is dying, and as Christians we are thus surrounded, as it were, by death. Furthermore, the Christian in his life of sacrifice is being planted together in the likeness of Jesus’ death. (Rom. 6:5) This means that without faith in the precious promises of God to direct, protect and finally to deliver us from death, the Christian would be, as the, apostle has suggested, “of all men most miserable.” (I Cor. 15:19) But how different the outlook when comforted by the promises of the One whom Paul designates, “The God of all comfort.” (II Cor. 1:3) Now we can say, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
The Chastenings of the Lord
While human wisdom does not usually consider discipline as being in any way comforting, yet upon the basis of faith in God’s dealings with us we are able to agree with and rejoice in the thought suggested by the Psalmist when he said, “Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” These symbolically suggest the idea of discipline, and the reason God’s disciplinary dealings with us should indeed be a comfort is because, as the apostle says, “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth will you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?”—Hebrews 12:6,7
When we realize that chastenings from the Lord are an evidence of His love for us, how comforting indeed it is to know that in His love He does not spare the rod on us as His children, but by means of its use corrects and trains us for future glory in the Kingdom. True, the flesh may cry out against such disciplinary treatment, for, as the apostle says, “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless,” as the apostle so beautifully sets forth, “Afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb. 12:11) The “peaceable fruits of righteousness” are evidently the same fruits described in II Peter 1:5-9 which, if they are produced in our lives under the influence of the precious promises of God will, according to the apostle, assure us an “entrance … abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Thus we can see that even God’s promises to discipline us are included with all of the other blessed assurances which He has given, in the fulfillment of which we shall ultimately be made partakers of the divine nature. And we can depend upon our Heavenly Father’s integrity in fulfilling these as well as all of His precious promises. While the Scriptures assure us that like as an earthly father pities his children, so the Heavenly Father pities us, yet this pity is not such that it causes Him to “spare the rod and spoil the child.” He loves us too much for that, and to the extent that His spirit enables us by faith to grasp the immensity of the reward for which we are invited to strive, we will lift up our hearts in gratitude and thank Him for every trial of faith, and for every corrective stripe that His love and wisdom sees best, to prepare us for the place in His Kingdom provided by His high designs.
Promises of Glory
And to what height of glory we have been inspired to strive by God’s precious promises! Jesus Himself promised, “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10) Our finite minds cannot grasp all that is implied by the “crown” of life. The Apostle Peter describes it as the “divine nature,” but even this expression only very partially defines the glory of God in which the Christian rejoices to hope. (Romans 5:2) What is this glory of God? We cannot grasp it. The Apostle John says, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (I John 3:2) And there we leave it.
Then there is the glory of the high office to which we are called. The much-used expression “joint-heirship with Christ” comprehends it, but unless we consider the full scope of precious promises spread out in glorious array before us in the Word of God pertaining to what is implied by joint-heirship with Christ, this expression falls measurably meaningless upon our ears. Briefly, these promises assure the faithful that they shall reign with Him a thousand years; (Rev. 20:6) that they will be co-judges with Him during the thousand-year Judgment Day, (I Cor. 6:2) that they will serve with Him as priests to administer the divine blessings promised to a sin-cursed and dying world, (Rev. 5:10) ; that they are to share with Him in the work of reconciling a lost world to God, (II Cor. 5:19) that as His Bride they are to participate with their Bridegroom in the regeneration of the Adamic race, (Matt. 19:28) and that they are to serve with Christ as able ministers of the New Covenant in restoring Israel and all nations to covenant relationship with God. (II Cor. 3:6) The hope of this all-inclusive glory is based upon our zeal now in laying down our lives sacrificially with Christ, being planted together in the likeness of His death.
In II Corinthians 6:1 Paul speaks of our being “workers together” in the divine program of reconciliation, and counsels us that we should “receive not the grace of God in vain.” What grace, indeed, is displayed in offering members of the fallen and dying race the privilege of being co-workers, or partners, with God. We think of the marvelous opportunity enjoyed by the Logos in being the active agent of the Creator in the original work of creation, but from some standpoints the opportunity that He has offered us of being co-workers with Christ in the recreation of the lost race is even More wonderful. How foolish it would be, through unfaithfulness along any line, to fall short of such a glorious provision of divine grace.
And how shall we be assured of attaining that for which we have been “apprehended of God”? The apostle answers in our text, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord.” This is the beloved apostle’s way of admonishing that every precious promise of God; every expression of His will for us; every purifying and correcting instruction of His Word; every faith-strengthening message of comfort He has given; and every disciplinary experience which He permits, to come into our lives, be humbly accepted, zealously and resolutely used to separate us more and more from the things of the world and the flesh, and to bring us each day a little closer to that standard of holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.