The Promise of God

The Promise of God

“I will” and “Ye shall”

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Ezekiel 36:24-38

            Concerning the children of men and their salvation from sin and death; God has promised to do certain things for some persons. “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of world,” (Acts 15:18). Those things that God has from eternity determined to do, are surely the things that he has promised to do.

First: “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,” (Jeremiah 31:31). God promised a new covenant, for the house of Israel, that is of course “the Israel of God,” (Galatians 6:16) or the church of his elect, the spiritual seed of Abraham (Hebrews 2:16; Romans 2:28, 29; Isaiah 11:10). The reason for a new covenant is that the children of men could not meet the requirements of the old covenant, because it required perfect obedience. The old covenant is the Old Testament Law, or the Law as given to Moses at Mount Sinai, called (by some) the moral law. Because the children of men are sinners by birth, practice, and choice; they have neither the ability nor the desire to obey the law of God, therefore the law can only sentence to death eternal, for “the wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23). And so “finding fault with them” (Hebrews 8:8). God promised a new covenant.

Now the New Testament or the Everlasting Covenant of Grace is conditioned on the finished work of Jesus Christ who is the surety of the New Testament (Hebrews 7:22). Therefore when Christ Jesus finished the work committed to his trust by the Father, all the persons interested in that covenant were actually redeemed, they had been virtually so from everlasting; and since they were and are redeemed they must be (at the time appointed or predestinated) regenerated by the Holy Spirit. The law is “weak through the flesh” (Romans 8:3) but the law is only weak as an instrument of justification, but is a mighty instrument to condemnation, (II Corinthians 3:9) and it is an instrument of condemnation in order to show men their inability to be justified by their own work or merit.

Stated simply; the Old Testament covenant of works could not bring the children of God before him in perfection; which is that condition, that is required. “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Hebrews 7:19). Therefore God provided another covenant which could and did justify his children and bring them before him in perfection; “For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Jesus Christ perfected the whole and entire election of grace by his one offering; that is, he perfected in the sight of God the entire church of God, whether male or female, bond or free, of what ever nation or class, or any other distinction. This course of bringing salvation by Jesus Christ in the New Testament or covenant is not reactionary but is that course settled on by the three persons of the Godhead from everlasting.

Second: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts,” (Jeremiah 31:33) This is the same promise that is given in Ezekiel 36:26, 27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, (27) And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. See also Jeremiah 32:39. The fulfillment of this promise is the operation of the Spirit of God on the hearts of men and is called, Sanctification of the Spirit, (I Peter 1:2 and II Thessalonians 2:13) it is the new birth and “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). Our Lord Jesus said “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7) and this is that work of grace, by the Spirit of God, on the souls of men that takes away the hard and stony heart and gives a new heart, or stated in another way; it replaces the rebellious heart, which is the natural heart, (Romans 8:7) with a willing heart, which is the gift of God, (Psalm 110:3; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Philippians 2:13;1:29; John 3:8; 1:13; Romans 9:16) Therefore the call of the gospel is “whosoever will” anyone who is willing may come to Christ for life eternal, the requirement is a willing heart. A willing heart may be manifested by honest desire to be accepted of God, and a willingness to come to God in his way. This willingness of heart is the gift and operation of God upon the hearts of men and is life from the dead (Ephesians 2:1).

Third: “Ye shall keep my judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27) this keeping the judgments of God and doing them is the effect of the (before mentioned) operations of the Spirit of God. The cause is the effectual working of the Spirit of God (I Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 3:7; 4:16), the effect is a willing heart, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Savior of any of the sons of men and the all sufficient Savior of all who “must be saved” (Acts 4:12).