Monday, March 28, 2011

God, who never lies, promised

(Titus 1:1-2 ESV)
[1:1] Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, [2] in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began...

Two things to catch here:
1) God never lies
2) God (who never lies) promised

Let's just think about this for a few moments. God never lies! It is against his nature to do so. And this God, who never lies, also promised! Oh how much surer and truer eternal life is since this is so.

The very character of God is one of absolute truth. His holiness and perfection has no room for any lie. The smallest of lies is worth an eternity in hell facing the wrath of God. He never lies - in fact Hebrews 6:18 tells us that 'it is impossible for God to lie.' This is His character - part of who He is as God. And if he never lies, then we can take him at his word without ever questioning him.

Some of us are blessed to have friends who rarely lie (because we are all liars). They're proven themselves worthy to be believed; their yes' are yes and their no's are no (for the most part). When they say they will be there at a certain time or say they will get something done, you know they will. But we have a God who never lies. When He speaks, only truth comes forth.

And our God does not stop there. But to reassure us, our God, who never lies, PROMISED. When the trustworthy friend who rarely lies also promises something, you know for certain that he or she will come through. But when the perfect God, who never lies, promises something... then there is no denying whatsoever that the things He says are true! (Because there was no denying it even in the first place).

This is comforting and incredible is it not? Every promise God makes in the Bible is true. It is His word. He never lies and yet He gives us an oath/promise to reassure us and make our feeble human hearts even more certain of his word.

What a great God and what great promises we have received and look forward to receiving in full.

5 comments:

.:christine:. said...

amen. amen. and amen. much needed.

Kevin Lee said...

What a wonderful perspective on our God. :)

Anonymous said...

Then what about Jesus' promise that all things we ask in His name according to God's purpose will be granted? Jesus said that we would do greater miracles than He - to heal the sick and raise the dead.
Well I prayed and pleaded and believed - stupidly - for a miracle, for my baby to be restored to my body, because God's word "doesn't come back void" and God spoke my baby into being, right? And He purposed for my baby to exist, and I was asking/begging/pleading in Jesus' name. I didn't miscarry - that I coudl have understood & grived over, but accepted. But I had an abortion. ONe that I didn't want, and don't even know or comprehend how I ended up getting one. So it WASN'T God's will to take my baby. But I pleaded for God to do something, to help me, then later to restore my baby's life. But the promises were all lies and misleading and stupid for me to believe. So why would He say it? Why would the Bible say it? It's cruel.

ChosenCho said...

i wish i knew how to contact you other than this comment box on this blog. But let me respond as best as I can:

I can only imagine the pain and hurt you must have gone through and must currently still be going through because of your circumstances. It isn't a good one and it is sad, painful, and hurtful in every way - I wish you could see the pain that I feel from hearing your story. I prayed for you right now - for your family and for healing. I don't even know if any words or things I can say will help you much in this current emotional state - I can only grieve with you and pray with and for you.

But if it is an answer that you want to hear - I am no expert and I am no a seminary student and am no pastor. But I do know that God's promises are true even in the most painful horrific circumstances because the Bible says so. It was true even as God's only innocent, pure, son - Christ Jesus - died on the cross a most excruciating death for our sins.

I know that His promises are sure and that He never lies. And that all things are according to His good purpose even if we can't see it to be so. All things we pray we ask in Jesus name will be done according to His will - and we must be willing to accept His will over ours. It is as Jesus prays - Not my will but your will be done. His will must become our will because we know He is sovereign and that He is good. We must be content w/all that comes our way - and this just sounds so hard as we speak of your baby, and i have no merit to tell you any of this - but the scriptures say it and I promise you God is still good.

Greater miracles that we do is to share the gospel and be used to bring people to Christ. There is no greater miracle than that! To bring the spiritually dead to life - that is healing the sick and raising the dead. And it is a greatest miracle that ever happened to me.

And your praying, pleading, & believing was not stupid. It is the love of a mother and trust in a sovereign God who you know is all-powerful and can heal and restore.

Once again I can only say that I know it's difficult and it must be the most trying time you've ever gone through. I know I have never had my baby die - I know I don't have as much life experience - I know I cannot come close to feeling the pains that you feel - but I am praying for you and hoping God will bring comfort and peace to you.

There's a baby I used to visit at a pediatric ICU very often as a college student. I prayed for her and pleaded and believed she would get well and she did not. She died. Her parents were so grieved by it and so was I. But I found it astonishing as her parents found comfort and strength in God who they knew to be sovereign and good.

God gave up his son on our behalf for our good though it seemed the most horrific of evils to send a perfect holy God to die for the sins of horrendous evil people. I pray you find comfort in a God who can relate to having lost a child that had no reason to die. I am praying and I am so so sorry to hear.

ChosenCho said...

[3] What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? [4] By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar

(Romans 3:3-4 ESV)