How to Claim God's Promises
GodWords Newsletter #45
Please share this with anyone you think will find it useful. Thanks!
[ Great Googly Moogly! The Newsletter is a day late! I’m sorry for the delay. I honestly thought yesterday was Wednesday, not Friday. It’s been a very busy new year. Over 135 email requests, 8 newsletters and 5 new GodWords articles… plus I updated multiple websites, learned two programming languages, and built an app. It’s no wonder I forgot what day it was! Anyway, here you go. Do me a favor and let me know what you think in a comment. ]
How do we claim God’s promises?
We can’t spend any amount of time around believers, especially online, without hearing someone say something about claiming God’s promises. Let’s examine what that looks like.
Let's say you and I sometimes meet for breakfast. You paid last time, so I promised I would pay this time. We eat, hang out, and then I remind you that I promised to pay for breakfast. Now imagine that the guy at the table next to us overhears me and says, "Hey, thanks... that's very generous. I appreciate you buying me breakfast." You and I look over at him, then look at each other, then back at him.
I didn't promise to buy HIM breakfast, did I? I only promised to buy YOU breakfast, and not every time... just this time. After you and I share a laugh, then realize he's not laughing with us, imagine what happens next. I explain that I'm simply not that generous, that it was my turn to buy, that I never promised anyone but you. Then, as if he had won a prize, he grins and says:
YOU PROMISED!
Silly, right? Of course it is. Everybody knows how promises work... right up to the moment they're in the Bible. Then people get confused. There are all kinds of bad arguments for why all of God's promises are for everyone, and how to "claim" them... but they're bad arguments. When you or I make a promise, we automatically understand how it works. When we read a promise God made, our brains sometimes get a little fuzzy. If we treat God's promises exactly like regular promises, we clear up all of the confusion. Here are the questions to ask:
What did God promise?
To whom did God promise it?
Under what conditions?
My promise to buy you breakfast (a real promise, should you visit the Boise area) is only for you, under the condition that you're in my area and tell me you're here. I haven't promised to buy anyone else breakfast. I haven't promised to buy breakfast in Chicago or Prague or Rio de Janeiro. I won't reimburse you for yesterday's breakfast. I haven't promised to buy anyone lunch. If you don't come to the Boise area and let me know that you're here, this promise doesn't apply. If you arrive and bring the entire University of Alabama basketball team, they're buying their own pancakes... because my promise is specifically for you, under specific conditions.
Let's take one of God's promises as an example. If we read Malachi 3, a well-known passage about tithing, we can see this in action.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.
What did God promise? Most people read PART of this and believe that giving 10% of their money to their local church (or some televangelist) will cause God to pour out so much money (or peace, or joy, or comfort) that they'll be overwhelmed by it. Most ignore the rest of the passage because they don't have crops or vines or fields or fruit... and they're not concerned with their reputation among the nations. They conveniently skip over those questions about God's promise: what did He say, who was He talking to, and what were the conditions. When they faithfully give 10% of their money and realize their bank account hasn't bulged from the weight of God's blessing, they may want to complain, like the guy at the next table:
YOU PROMISED!
This promise was only for the ancient Israelites, in the Promised Land, if they would obey God's command to bring food to the storehouse. Christians aren't Israelites. Our promised land is Heaven. We haven't been commanded to tithe, like they had... but we want the blessing that God promised them. Don't get me wrong: I recommend generous giving. There's nothing wrong with giving 10% of your money to your local church, but you and I can't tell God that His promise to them is also His promise to us, and expect Him to comply.
Each and every word in the Bible must be read in context. If the context doesn't include you and I, then the promise couldn't possibly be for us... and I wouldn't recommend going to God and insisting that He give you the blessings He promised to other people.
We should trust that God will keep all of His promises, because that’s what He’s like. Some of His promises are for us, and some are not. We should be able to tell the difference by reading each passage carefully, in context, and then we should relax. God will do what is right, whether we “claim” His promises or not.
I love you all.
❤️
🔖 Helpful Resources
Book Review: Is Atheism Dead? - I’m always looking for quality street-level apologetics stuff… and this sounds really good. It may be a resource you can use to reach your loved ones. [Affiliate Link]
You Can Learn to Read Books Again - I read a LOT as a kid, but my after-college life has not been filled with books. I read tens of thousands of words online every day… but it’s like snacking instead of eating a full meal. Whether you need to get back to better reading or were never a big reader, this may help.
Declamations Against the Demiurge - Parts of the New Testament were written to counter Gnostic ideas. Michael Bird knows a thing or two about Gnosticism, and this short article includes an AI-generated poem about ‘Yaldabaoth,’ the bad-guy deity they believed was the creator of the world.
Rumblings of Revival Among Gen Z? - Need a little encouragement? While it looks a lot like our world is crumbling around us, and like Jesus is losing the battle for our hearts and minds, the chaos also causes us to look for answers.
Do We Really Eat Jesus?
In John 6, Jesus tells the crowd to eat His flesh and drink His blood. That’s weird, and would be objectively disgusting for you or me to suggest… but how we should view communion, or the Eucharist? Did Jesus mean this literally or figuratively?
In no way do I intend to be offensive here. I was asked to examine this passage, and to consider its implications. I ask you to only do the same, without regard to human tradition.
🎶 Looking Through Rose-Colored Stained Glass Windows
I’m old. I’m also a sucker for old Petra. This era was, in my opinion, the glory days of CCM. While others have covered this song, none do it better.
Another sleepy Sunday, safe within the walls
Outside a dying world in desperation calls
But no one hears the cries, or knows what they're about
The doors are locked within, or is it from without?
- Petra
🚀 Quotable
“There would be no sense in saying you trusted Jesus if you would not take his advice.”
- C.S. Lewis
❤️ Support
Substack has only two support options: a monthly or an annual subscription. While I appreciate the generosity of those who have subscribed, I know that many don’t want to get locked into that commitment. For those who might want to contribute at a smaller scale, I’ve added an account at Buy Me A Coffee. I don’t like coffee, but you can definitely buy me a Dr Pepper Zero. Thanks!
In your defense, there’s an extra day this year.
The first three months my pastor trots out that particular Malachi passage, but doesn’t tie it to only money.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a promise I see illegitimately claimed to.