Your Words are True

“Your words are true” (2 Samuel 7:28)

Have you ever considered that God is a God of truth?  All God knows is the truth.  He cannot lie.  The Bible says, “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).  God only speaks truth.  God only knows truth.  I admit it is hard to wrap my mind around this truth because of who I am as a sinner but it is true nonetheless.  The question for us:  Do we believe this is who God is?  Can we echo the words of David, “Your words are true”?

When God promises something he is not blowing smoke.  He is not giving us some pep talk to motivate us to listen to him.  God is clear that what he promises is for the sake of his own glory.  He wants to be praised and magnified through his promises.  Many think this kind of thinking can make God seem arrogant, like he is some egotistic being vainly seeking the praises of others.  This would be true if he were not the highest source of delight and joy.  He would be egotistical if he were not God.  Since he is God and eternal joy and satisfaction can be found in him alone than the praising and magnifying of his name would be the highest delight for his creatures.  God is seeking his glory but also our highest joy.  This is the reason we should be clinging to his promises.  His promises are true because they bring him glory and we get the joy.

Maybe we should look at a couple of God’s promises.  Let’s look at the bookends of Romans 8.  The first bookend says that there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ.  If you are like me, you have felt condemned many times because of sin.   The guilt weighs heavy upon us.  We fall into the trap of thinking we need to earn God’s favor again and again.  But God is telling us that if we are in Christ than we have no more condemnation.  Christ was condemned in our place at the cross.  We have no reason for condemnation because the Father sees us clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ.  You and I cannot improve on perfection.  Rather than fall into the trap of guilt and legalism, we should cling to God’s promise by faith.  When we fall into legalism we sin and God is not glorified and we are discontent.  When we trust God’s words by faith, he is glorified and we have joy.

The second bookend of Romans 8 is that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  This is an easy promise not to believe.  How many times have we moped around wondering how God could love a wretch like me?  We sing that “God saved a wretch like me” but live as if he did not send his Son to die in our place.  We doubt God’s love for us in Christ.  Let’s face it, our moping around is nothing more than a prideful pity party.  We want it to be about us and how bad we are.  Rather we should trust God’s promise to us that in Christ nothing can separate us from his love.  When we cling to this promise by faith he receives the glory and we receive joy unspeakable.

 

God’s words are true.  We must hold on to them by faith.  When we doubt his promises, we doubt his character.  As his adopted children we can firmly cling to his promises.  The amazing part is that the gospel is at the core of every promise.  The Bible says, “For all the promises of God find their yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20).  In who?  Jesus Christ.  For those who are in Christ we have a guarantee found in Christ.  God promised before the world was formed to redeem a people for his own possession.  Since this is true why would we, as his possession, doubt his promises?  In the light of gospel, unbelief just doesn’t make sense.  We need God to help our unbelief.  May we say with David, “Your words are true.”

Grace upon grace,

JRL