Promises That Hold True

We live in a world today where promises are not much more than cute ideas. Promises mean very, very little. We promise someone something and then we go on our merry way. For example, "I promise to pray for you." Really? Most people don't and we know that. The most heartbreaking is of course marriages. Men and women promise to be together for life. Those promises are basically worthless in our culture.

The emerging generations are coming to age as skeptics. They believe very little of what anyone tells them. Why would they? Most likely their favorite coach or athlete left their favorite team for something bigger and better before their contract was up. Their parents or grandparents are most likely divorced. If they're the religious sort they have seen pastor after pastor fall. There seems to be little value in terms of someone's promise.

For these reasons and many others, I think that what is known as Covenant Theology is crucial for our day and time. Covenant theology has at its heart God's promise to make for himself a people. It's a promise that we see renewed again and again. This promise begins in the Garden of Eden after the fall of Adam,

 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

Here God, speaking to the Serpent, is communicating to Adam and Eve that someday their offspring will have victory over the serpent. But it gets better, God kicks them out of the Garden in a merciful act so that humanity could be redeemed.

A few years later God clarifies and develops his promise through Abraham.

Now the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)

This covenantal promise is renewed with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. He adds to it and through David, confirming the royal priesthood of his people. The promise was displayed over and over again through circumcision. This outward act was a sign of God's promise, his covenant.

Jesus burst on the scene and as a result the global scope of the covenant became clear. Now baptism is the sign of the covenant so that it includes Jews, non-Jews, male, and female.

What I love about God's covenantal promises is that he makes good on them. In a culture where promises mean nothing, the Scriptures reveal to us a God who makes promises and keeps them. So many Christian folks talk about the need to live "counter culture". As a result they seek to avoid as much of "this world" as they can. However, the best way for us live "counter culturally" is to embrace the promises and tell the stories of God's great covenant keeping work in our lives and community.

When you live in a culture where promises are not kept the covenant keeping God stands out in stark contrast.