Precious Promises

Sorting through some of my grandmother's belongings after her death, I ran across a small, blue, plastic box--about the size of a Post-It note--with "Precious Promises" printed on the top, in golden letters. Inside, I found a stack of cards with Bible promises in the King James Version. I now keep the blue box on the writing desk in my room at home. It reminds me of my grandmother's faith, and it reminds me of our text, 2 Peter 1:4, where the "Precious Promises" box got its name.

There was a time in Peter's life when he believed that his relationship with Jesus hung on his promises. Do you remember some of the big commitments that Peter made to Jesus? "They will all fall away, but I never will." "I am ready to go to prison and to die for you." Peter's big promises all turned out to be weak and empty; they left him weeping bitter tears of regret. Most of us have made the same discovery about our own promises to do better, try harder, make new commitments, etc. Our promises aren't worth all that much. But the Lord's promises to us? That's a different story.

Jesus looked at Peter after one of his bold declarations and asked, "Will you lay down your life for me (John 13:38)?"Jesus knew that it would be the other way around: he would lay his life down for Peter. And that would be enough: "You will all fall away," Jesus told him frankly, but then immediately reassured them, "but after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee (Matt 26:32)." Our promises to Jesus can't save us, but I can stake my eternity on Jesus' promises to me. Peter is thinking about that in 1:4.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, God has promised that we will "become partakers of the divine nature." He has promised that we will "escape the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." In other words, we can be confident in the completion of our ultimate transformation not because we are so committed to it, but because God is. This is bedrock New Testament teaching: "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring it to completion unto the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6)." "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified (Romans 8:28-29)." "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:1-3)."

How great and very precious are these promises as we set out to grow! Sanctification is a steep climb. My progress is painfully slow. Old, sinful patterns in my life are deeply ingrained. Just when I think that I am gaining some ground in one area of my life, I realize how deficient I am in another. At times I want nothing more than to please God, and at others my heart is drawn far more to the sinful desires of the world. I will find ample reason in myself to abandon Christian growth along the way. That is why Peter wants us to keep God's great and precious promises burning bright in our hearts. I--even I--will partake of his divine nature, by his power. This provides the motivation that we need to "make every effort," to "be all the more diligent," to "supplement our faith" with godly qualities, to be "always increasing," in grace and knowledge to the end (1:5-11). Holding onto those precious promises, I know my efforts are not in vain!

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Article by Eric Smith
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church