Romans 4:20,21; Hebrews 10:23
[Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
He is faithful that promised.
JOHN OWEN (1616-1683): The formal object of faith in the Divine promises, is not the things promised in the first place, but God Himself in His essential excellencies of truth, of faithfulness, and power.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): We value the promise by the character of Him that makes it.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES (1899-1981): There is nothing more important than that we should remind ourselves of God’s glorious character.
HUGH LATIMER (1483-1555): God is great, eternal, almighty, everlasting.
A. W. PINK (1886-1952): God is omniscient. He knows everything; everything possible, everything actual; all events and all creatures, of the past, the present, and the future. He is perfectly acquainted with every detail―nothing escapes His notice, nothing can be hidden from Him, nothing is forgotten by Him.
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): God is not like men, who make large promises, but either through inability, or carelessness, or unfaithfulness, do not perform them, but will certainly be as good as His Word.
D. L. MOODY (1837-1899): God never made a promise that was too good to be true.
THOMAS BROOKS (1608-1680): Concerning precious promises, let me give you these hints: They shall certainly be performed, they being all made in and through Christ, for all the promises of God are in Him yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us, 2 Corinthians 1:20. They are made first to Christ, and then to all that have union and communion with Him…They are the price of Christ’s blood.
FAITHFUL TEATE (1600-1660): If thou lean upon the promises of God themselves, and not upon Jesus Christ in them, all will come to nothing…Whence is it that so many souls bring a promise to the throne of grace, and carry so little away from it? They lean upon the promises without leaning on Christ in the promise.
JOHN MASON (1600-1672): The promises of the gospel are sealed to us by the oath of the Father, the blood of the Son, and the witness of the Spirit.
THOMAS BROOKS: They all issue from free grace, from special love, from divine goodness, Hosea 14:4…They are most sure and certain evidences of divine favour, and a declaration of the heart and goodwill of God to His poor people (Hebrews 6:12; Numbers 23:19)…They are pledges and pawns of great things that God will do for His people in time.
WILLIAM JAY (1769-1853): A promise is more than a simple declaration: it is an express engagement by which a man lays himself under an obligation, and does not leave himself at liberty to act indifferently.
MATTHEW HENRY: We may therefore depend upon God’s promises; for good and upright is the Lord, and therefore He will be as good as His word. He is so kind that He cannot deceive us, so true that He cannot break His promise. Faithful is He who hath promised, who also will do it. He was good in making the promise, and therefore will be upright in performing it.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): All the purposes of man have been defeated, but not the purposes of God. The promises of man may be broken, many of them are made to be broken, but the purposes of God shall stand, and His promises shall be fulfilled. He is a promise maker, but He never was promise breaker: He is a promise-keeping God, and His people prove it is so.
THOMAS BROOKS: Men many times say and unsay; they often eat their words as soon as they have spoken them; but God will never eat the words that are gone out of His mouth: My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass: I have purposed it, I will also do it, Isaiah 46:10,11…[God’s promises] are all as unchangeable as He is that made them [and] they are all bottomed and founded upon the truth, faithfulness, and all-sufficiency of God (Malachi 3:6, Jeremiah 31:3).
A. W. PINK: Where Divine veracity is engaged, omnipotence will make it good.
HUGH MARTIN (1822-1885): Is anything too hard for Him?
MARY WINSLOW (1774-1854): All power is Mine, says Christ, in heaven and on earth, Matthew 28:18.
A. W. PINK: It is by believing meditations upon the character of God that faith is fed and strengthened to expect the blessing, despite all apparent difficulties and supposed impossibilities. It is the heart’s contemplation of the perfections of God which causes faith to prevail.
C. H. SPURGEON: Speak to thy soul thus, “If I were dealing with a man’s promise, I should carefully consider the ability and the character of the man who had covenanted with me. So with the promise of God; my eye must not be so much fixed upon the greatness of the mercy—that may stagger me; as upon the greatness of the Promiser—that will cheer me. My soul, it is God, even thy God, God that cannot lie, who speaks to thee. This word of His which thou art now considering is as true as His own existence. He is a God unchangeable. He has not altered the thing which has gone out of His mouth, nor called back one single consolatory sentence. Nor doth He lack any power; it is the God that made the heavens and the earth who has spoken thus. Nor can He fail in wisdom as to the time when He will bestow the favours, for He knoweth when it is best to give and when better to withhold. Therefore, seeing that it is the word of a God so true, so immutable, so powerful, so wise, I will and must believe the promise.” If we thus meditate on the promises, and consider the Promiser, we shall experience their sweetness, and obtain their fulfillment.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: There is nothing that gives me greater hope and assurance this morning than my knowledge of the character of God. “I dare not trust my sweetest frame”―because they’re so changeable. But I can rely upon Him―the character of God: God is eternal, God is immutable, God is everlasting, God never changes His purposes. I know of no greater comfort than that. God never starts a work and then gives it up. You and I do…But God isn’t like that. God is everlasting the same; He’s the father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. Is there a greater comfort than that?
C. H. SPURGEON: God is with His children, and ever will be.
JOHN WESLEY (1703-1791): Though some believe not, God will make good all His promises to them that do believe. He cannot deny Himself―His word cannot fail.
TIMOTHY CRUSO (1657-1697): The being of God may as well fail as the promise of God.
HUDSON TAYLOR (1832-1905): There is a living God. He has spoken in His Word. He means just what He says, and will do all that He has promised.
