If God freely gave the greater–Christ’s death for our sins–will He not also freely give the lesser–all of God’s promises? When we’re “in Christ” we partake of His righteousness, which includes all the promises He obtained.
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
2 Corinthians 1:19-20
Unless we hold to a Christ-centered hermeneutic—the art and science of Biblical interpretation—we’re sure to miss the main message of the Bible. Jesus said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (Jesus 5:39). The Bible is ultimately pointing to Christ. He’s the sum and substance of its pages. If we don’t see Him, we don’t see anything.
One of the critical points in reading the Bible is that “all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” That means God says yes to all His promises for Christ’s sake. He obtained them through His righteous life and sacrificial death. He paid for them and is fully entitled to them.
For example, when we read the conditional promises, it’s important to realize that Jesus is the Son of Man. He was born into this world and lived in harmony with God’s word and will. He fulfilled all righteousness, which includes all the conditions upon which many of God’s promises have been made. It goes like this: if you (man) fulfill “A” then I (God) will do “B.” That’s the essence of the Old Covenant: “For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them” (Rom. 10:5).
The New Covenant is far different—far better. Now it goes like this: if you believe that Jesus has fulfilled “A” then I (God) will do “B.” That’s why God can truly say “Yes” to all His promises. God’s grace always states: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).
Furthermore, when we’re united to the One who has fulfilled all righteousness, we receive that righteousness as a free gift. Will we then not also freely receive the righteousness that fulfilled all the conditions of God’s promises? Therefore, our only response can be “Amen.”—so let it be. God says “Yes” to all His promises “in him,” and we say “Amen” to all His promises “in him.”
Jan Blonk
The Devotional Writer
www.devotionalwriter.com
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