Tag Archives: promise

Acts 2:38 – God’s Promise

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waterThere’s one other important facet of Acts 2:38 that needs to be pointed out: more than a command, it’s a promise.

We focus on what it tells people that they are to do. Peter’s focus (Luke’s focus, and therefore, the Holy Spirit’s focus) was on the wonderful things that God had to offer to his people. They could receive forgiveness of sins. They could receive the Holy Spirit living within.

“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” (Acts 2:38–39)

Don’t think of it as a command. Think of it as a promise.

Exodus 34:24

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“I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the LORD your God.” (Exodus 34:24)
This passage was brought to my attention in a class by Walt Leaver at the Pepperdine Lectureship. “No one will covet your land when you go up.”What a powerful promise! And what faith it would have taken for the Israelites to live up to this.
Farmers cannot easily take off three times a year, especially when it would have taken them several days to make the trip to Shiloh (or Jerusalem or wherever). Add to that the fact that God asked them to leave their homes and fields unprotected, trusting in His protection. Wow!
I don’t think I’m ready to trust in God that much. And that’s a little sad.

The Promise

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I’ve been around the church a long time. I’ve been a Christian for over 30 years. So it’s amazing to me how many basic things I’ve come to grasp only in recent years.

Like the promise to Abraham. I knew Abraham was important. I mean, three major religions count him as one of theirs. But I tended to lump Abraham in with Isaac, Jacob, Joseph & Co. And I certainly didn’t put him on the same plain with Moses.

What I just didn’t see was that the promises made to Abraham are the basis for just about all of the promises that follow. In fact, our salvation stems from the fact that we’ve been made spiritual heirs of Abraham. Read Romans 4. Galatians 3. For Paul, the promise to Abraham wasn’t part of the “Patriarchal Era.” It’s our promise, too. We have been made heirs of Abraham, heirs to the promise.

When Paul talks about us sharing in “the promise” (Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:29, Ephesians 3:6, etc.), he means that we now receive the benefits of the promise that God made to Abraham. God chose Abraham and his descendants to be His people. The only way we could become the people of God was to somehow share in that promise. It never went away, it was just amplified. Jesus gave us access to the promise, the promise made to Abraham.

I know, I know, you’re all saying “Duh! I’ve always known that.” It just takes longer for some of us to figure things out.

Puts singing “Father Abraham” in a whole new light.