The stuff of the promises

The other day I picked up volume one of William Tyndale’s works. A few pages in I am struck by this quote:

“NOW IS FAITH UNDER THE PROMISES, WHICH DAMN NOT; BUT GIVE PARDON, GRACE, MERCY, FAVOR, AND WHATSOEVER IS CONTAINED IN THE PROMISES.”

This expression appears in a discussion about law and gospel. The former requires perfect love and works; the latter, faith and faith alone.

What strikes me is the way he talks about faith in relation to God’s promises, that faith grabs “whatsoever is contained in the promises.” Faith, entering into the living promise of God itself, takes ahold of what it offers. It gets its hands on the stuff of it. This puts us in a mightily blessed position as children of God. For, whatever he offers us by way of promise (which is a whole universe of good things), we can have, and enjoy now.

It seems to me that when we think of God’s promises, we usually think of promised things to come, such as going to be with the Lord when we die, the resurrection of our frail bodies, our glorification, and the age to come in the new heavens and new earth. However, many of God’s promises offer us things right now. The peace of God, a cleansed conscience, strength to know his love, energy to serve him, love for one another and for all, earthly provision in all things, and much, much more.

Are you well familiarized with God’s manifold promises to his children? Acquaint yourself with this treasury of utterances standing ready to impart very substantial graces to you, and take hold of whatever you need today by faith, for he who promised is faithful.