13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:13-25
20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 1:20
One of the implications of The Rising is that what may be dead today, may not be dead tomorrow. That is to say, God does whatever He wants whenever He wants to do it, and sometimes that means a dead dream, a dead heart, a dead relationship, a dead community can all come to life again. But, sadly, resurrection doesn’t always happen, and when it doesn’t, naturally we’re disappointed. Disappointment comes when what I thought was going to happen doesn’t happen. For example, when someone makes a promise but then they don’t keep it. How disappointing is that?
What the resurrection teaches us is that God doesn’t work that way. When Jesus died on the cross it was a huge disappointment to his family, friends, and followers. Jesus had promised a Kingdom, He had promised freedom, He had promised salvation, He had promised healing and now all that was dead. But then resurrection happened and all of God’s promises came to life with Him. The Rising reminds us that even when we can’t see it, and even when we can’t feel it, God is with us and He’s working.
Jesus promised that He would rise and He delivered on His promise! (See John 2:18-22) This means that if God promises it in his Word, then we can trust it in our lives! Isn’t that the best news? This means that freedom is available. Salvation is free for anyone who believes. Healing is on the table. Peace is possible. Hope is here. Jesus is not just a promise maker… He’s a promise keeper. And the beauty of this is that not one of His promises is dependent on you, but, all of His promises are for you!
What’s a promise of God that you struggle to believe? Why? How does the fact that God can’t lie and God can’t fail, change how you view His promises in Scripture?
