The Word of Promise 4
by Ivan Ho 9 Apr 2023
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Romans 5:1-10 KJV
Jesus the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise
Everything that God said to Abraham, all the words of promise He gave him was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Let’s recall the word of promise God initially spoke to Abraham:
“Get out of your country, from your family And from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
God said to Abraham: “In you (or in your seed) all the families of the earth will be blessed“. In other words, all the families, no matter which cities or nations, no matter what religious backgrounds, no matter which ethnicity or skin colours, whether they are rich or poor, wholesome or broken families, as long as they are families on earth, all will be blessed! God did not say “some” but “all” the families of the world will be blessed.
You are I are blessed according to the word of promise given to Abraham.
How can this be? Why would Abraham who lived almost 4000 years ago in a distant land unrelated to us become our blessings? It is because the word of promise was ultimately fulfilled, not in Abraham, but in Jesus Christ the Son of God who came from the lineage of Issac, the promised son of Abraham.
In order to save mankind from sin and death, God the Son had to come down as a human being to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus Christ did not appear out of nowhere but came from heaven to earth in human flesh 2000 years ago from a Jewish family in the lineage of Issac.
Life after death
Sin came to mankind since the first man Adam because of his disobedience to God’s commands. God created Adam and Eve as eternal beings and breathed into them the spirit of life. However, as the result of sin, death came to man so that our life on earth is finite. We will all face death one day, but death is not the finality, for in Christ, there is life after death. Eternal life is a gift from God and the only way for us to receive everlasting life is through our personal faith in Jesus Christ.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 NKJV
He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
I John 5:10-11 NKJV
Jesus the perfect sacrifice
Death came to man being God’s punishment for our sins, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23a). God is full of justice and as a righteous judge, He cannot see sins unpunished. We have all been given the death sentence due to our sins of rebellion against God, but death is not the end of the story.
God is a righteous judge but He is also a God of love who does not want to see man perish in our sins. Right from the beginning, God in His love and mercy has a plan of redemption for mankind by sending His Son Jesus who, by His death on the cross, became a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus offered His own life as a sacrifice in order to pay the ransom to redeem us from our sins. Instead of us having to pay the price of death, Jesus died for us instead and took the punishment of sins upon Himself, even though He has never committed any sin.
The blood of Jesus shed on the cross has cleansed us from all our sins once and for all. We were once separated from God due to our sins but the blood of Jesus has made it now possible for us to be reconciled with God.
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28 NKJV
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Romans 5:8-10 NKJV
There is no salvation outside of Jesus, there is no man on earth who can save us, as all man are sinners before God. Any sinful person has no authority to forgive the sins of fellow man for he has committed the same sins and in need of forgiveness. One can confess his sins to a priest all he wants but no priest has the power to forgive us, let alone save us from death and eternal punishment in hell. Only Jesus who knew no sin has the power not only to forgive our sins but also to offer us the gift of eternal life.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Resurrection of Jesus
Paul says in I Corinthians 15:17: “If Christ is not risen from the dead, our faith is futile, we are still in our sins“.
If Christ is not risen, we have no hope, and after we die, we will perish in our sins.
And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
I Corinthians 15:17-19 NKJV
Thank God, three days after His death on the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ was risen!
In case you doubt if Jesus did indeed die on the cross, the bible records that a soldier pierced a spear on his side, and blood and water flowed out (John 19:33-34) which was the scientific proof of a person’s death.
Jesus was dead and buried in a tomb, and on the third day resurrected according to the scriptures and his own predictions, proofing that Jesus Christ is indeed God the Son!
The resurrection of Christ opens the door of salvation and eternal life for mankind, for Jesus has triumphed over sin and death. All those who put their faith in Jesus Christ will not be condemned but will receive eternal life. After our physical death on earth, our spirits will enter into the presence of God in heaven. Not only that, our bodies will also be resurrected upon the second coming of Christ!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3:16-17 NKJVBut now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.