God's Promises, Part 4

by Colin Michael

God had a complete plan for all of time before He spoke His first words of creation. The plan that He put into effect is the single most effective plan that could have ever been because of who He is. At times and to certain people of His choosing, God has revealed a portion of that plan. In a few very special instances, God has revealed His plan by way of a promise. These promises are called covenants and God has chosen to be bound by every promise He has made. Some of the covenants have been laid out in the form of a contract with conditions that men must fulfill before the promise would be in effect. Most have been without condition, promises given completely by His grace, dependent on nothing else. In this series of articles we will consider God's covenants along with their recipients, conditions, fulfillments, and lasting effects.

Conclusion

In Eden, God offered Adam the whole world plus daily fellowship with Himself. Some how Adam felt that that was not enough. To Adam's fallen race God promised a future redemption and a current relationship and blessing based on repentance and sin offerings. For all but a few, this was nowhere near enough. After the flood, God offered a renewed world to the families of men, but that was not to their liking at all. Finally, one family was chosen and given the great honor of bringing the Saviour to the world. But even that was not enough to keep them from serving self a little while.

We have considered four covenants with five men, but only one God. Our Lord does not go back on His word and the unconditional covenants continue among men today. The curses on Adam and the earth are in evidence every moment of every day. The rainbow appears in every corner of the earth. God is still calling out individuals to receive his blessings as they become sojourners is a world that is not theirs, and the promise of a kingdom and a final defeat of Satan are still to come. We must remember that God has made these promises and is a covenant keeping God. In the mean time, as He told Abraham, we must remember that He is also El-Shaddai, the all-sufficient. Or as Matthew Henry said, "He is a God that is enough." [Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, p. 33, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1961)]. I pray that he is enough for me, and for you.

Did you miss Part IV of this series?