A Gospel Promise: Standing on the Promises of God

When we promise something we are declaring that whatever it was that we promised will happen. A promise is a sure thing. God made a gospel promise and we can rest assured He will keep that promise.

As I was reading Romans 1:1-3, this Old Hymn “Standing on the Promises of God,” kept echoing through my mind.

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Have You Made a Promise You Could Not Keep?

I have made it my practice to never say, “I promise.” Because for many people, there are various reasons that promises can be broken. Sometimes it may be intentional, but at other times it is not. Either way, the promise is broken; which can result in hurt feelings, disappointment, and perhaps even distrust.

• Have you ever made a promise to someone?
• Has anyone ever made a promise to you?
• Did they break that promise?
• Did you break yours?

God’s Prophecy of His Son

The apostle Paul writes these words in Romans 1:1-3,

“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh…”

In this passage Paul writes that God has made a promise, a gospel promise. God has given a declaration. He assures us that He will do a particular thing, or that a particular thing will happen. According to this passage God had, in times past, declared that He would send His Son Jesus Christ to save His people from their sins.

We can go all the way back to Genesis 3:15 and read God’s first prophecy of a promise concerning His Son. If we continue to read through the Old Testament we see that time after time, word after word, God announced the coming Messiah.

Can we trust in and rely on God to keep His promises?

Absolutely! YES, we can!

I assure you that God will keep His promises. I can say this because I stand on what the Word teaches concerning the character of God. He never fails us, and He never lies.He made a gospel promise!

“God is not man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; He has said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19

“Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.” Titus 1:1-2

1 Thessalonians 5:24 teaches, ” Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

We Need a clear Apprehension of Who God Is

I am reading a book written by A.W. Pink, titled “The Attributes of God.” He was born in 1866, and went home to be with the Lord in 1952.

I say this to my home Bible Study class all the time, “I read a lot of dead men’s writings.” LOL…I say this because of their love of Jesus Christ, their desire to only know and preach the truths that are found in the Scriptures. They were not perfect men. There are none perfect except Jesus Christ, but they had a godly perspective that is almost unmatchable today.

A.W. Pink, Thomas Boston, John Gill, and Charles Spurgeon are just a few of my favorite writers. Their love for the gospel is infectious! Ok, I do not think that there are no godly men and women today. There are. A few of my favorites are, Paul Washer, Voddie Bauchum, Steve Lawson…etc.

OOPS! Back to the subject at hand:) I am reading, “The Attributes of God,” and I wanted to quote a part of what is written in the preface of this book. I believe it will help us understand why it is important for us to understand the character of God. We can only understand and know God from His word.

The people who Know Their God Shall Be Strong

“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24. A spiritual and saving knowledge of God is the greatest need of every human creature.”The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped.”

“Something more than a theoretical knowledge of God is needed by us. God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him, submit to His authority, and regulate all the details of our lives by His holy precepts and commandments. Then shall we know, if we follow on [in the path of obedience] to know the LORD.” (Hosea 6:3). If any man will do His will, he shall know. (John 7:7). The people that do know their God shall be strong. (Daniel 11:32). A.W. Pink, 1930

 Click on A.W. Pink above for a  FREE PDF copy of his book, “The Attributes of God.”

Know and Rely on the Promises of God

To know and rely on the promises of God we must:

1. By faith trust in His revealed word!
2. Learn from His trusted word Who He is!
3. By faith stand on His promises!

A Gospel Promise From God

As we continue to work through the book of Romans, Paul is going to lay out the truths of the gospel that had been promised in the Old Testament. These promises of redemption, salvation, sanctification, glorification, justification, and perseverance have been realized in Christ Jesus.

“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes: therefore through Him is our amen to the glory of God through us.” 1 Corinthians 1:20

Do you trust in the promises of God?

I pray that as you continue to work through Romans that God will increase your trust in Him!

If you are here and would like to know about this Bible Study in Romans Click Here: The Good News of Grace, Truth, and Redemption