EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES

"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:2-4, RSV).

Devotion 2 of 10

NATURE OF THE PROMISES--EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS

Because they spring from His nature, "the promises of God" have divine qualities. They are the expression of His Person, not merely words in a book. They are more than information to be perused by casual scholars. Anything that comes from God is to be handled with sobriety and purity. Our reaction to these things will have influence on where we spend eternity. God's promises are "exceeding great." The word used here means "greatest or very great--exceeding great." The idea is that of transcendency. Any attempt to compare the promises of God to things of this earth will confirm this to be the case. They are "exceeding" by way of comparison. The Lord is "greater than all gods" (Ex. 18:11), and therefore His promises are greater than all other commitments. "God is greater than man" (Job 33:12), and therefore His promises are greater than those of men. Because the promises are "exceeding great," they can never be discovered or appropriated in the flesh. Academic approaches cannot find them. Fleshly inquiry, like that of the Athenians and Stoics (Acts 17:21) will never obtain them. They are far beyond the realm of worldly wisdom. Only faith can "obtain them" (Heb. 11:33). The greatness of the promises is so startling that many have sought to reduce them, or explain them away. Pseudo theologians have often told us what the promises did NOT mean, or that they were confined to another age. Their assessment was constrained by their unbelief. The promises of God, by their very nature, will challenge both our thinking and our faith. It does not surprise me that the promises are called "great." They come from a "great God" Deut. 10:17; Ezra 5:8; Neh. 8:6; Psa. 95:3; Prov. 26:10; Dan. 2:45; Tit. 2:13; Rev. 19:17). How often the trait of greatness is mentioned in relation to the things of God. In Christ, we have a "great salvation" (Heb. 2:3). The reward of the faithful will be a "great reward" (Matt. 5;12). God has accomplished "great things" for His people (Psa. 126:3). Our Savior is a "great King" (Psa. 95:3). Jesus will come again with "power and great glory" (Luke 21:27). The grace that saves us is "great grace" Acts 4:33). The power with which the Lord will subdue His enemies is called His "great power" (Rev. 11:17). Our High Priest is a "great High Priest" (Heb. 4:14). He is the "great Shepherd of the sheep" (Heb. 13:20). Our God has loved us with a "great love" (Eph. 2:4). Why would a God like that give us small and unchallenging promises. His commitments surpass the ability of men to imagine. O, the curse of a minuscule God! What a tragedy it is when pygmy men attempt to reduce divine commitments, explain them away, neutralize their power, and diminish their significance! The promises of God are also "precious." They have an intrinsic worth of themselves. They are not valuable because they are scarce--like diamonds, or gold. They are actually in abundance The word used here indicates "magnificence, expensiveness, costliness." They are excellent, beautiful, and bring eternal advantage. They are worth the forfeiture of everything the world has to offer. To obtain them, believers are willing to die with Christ (Rom. 6:8). When men fail to see this, they abide in unbelief, not availing themselves of God's "exceeding great and precious promises." Preachers and teachers are silent about them because they are not convinced of their greatness. There are no exceptions to this rule. PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You for Your exceeding great and precious promises. Give me grace to see their greatness and their preciousness. I will committee myself to the eager seeking and obtaining of them.

-- TOMORROW: YES AND AMEN! --