Inheriting God's Promises
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 6:12-20 (KJV)
This passage declares two important things:
God cannot lie.
God is immutable, meaning He doesn’t change.
God could swear by no one greater because there is no one greater than God. Thus, He swore by Himself, based upon His own character. He is holy, just, true, and faithful. He swore by Himself as a guarantee of His promises. God has the power to perform and bring to pass His promises. Because He does not lie or change, He will do what He has said. It is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God. However, we must endure to obtain them, just like Abraham did.
God swore by Himself, thus ending all strife or disagreement about what He has promised. He did it to end all doubt and unbelief. we can rest in faith, knowing who God is and what he has promised. Knowing God’s promises and power will bring it to pass.
We can have hope, or confident expectation of a good outcome. This anchors us as we wait on God. We will remain sure and steadfast in God and His promises because our High Priest, Jesus, made a way for us to come before God. As we spend time in God’s presence, it strengthens us and keeps the promises of God alive in us. Thus, it enables us to wait for the fulfillment of what God promised.
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:12 (KJV)
Through faith, our trust in God, and patience, we endure and outlast time, difficulty, and opposition. When we do, we will inherit the promises of God.
