Reference: Promise
American
Used by Paul to denote the spiritual gifts of God, chiefly the Messiah, the Holy Spirit, and the fullness of gospel blessings, of which an assurance was given to Abraham and other saints in behalf of themselves, and of believers who should come after them, Ro 4:13-14; Ga 3:14-29. The "children of the promise" are either Isaac's posterity, as distinguished from Ishmael's; Jews converted to Christianity; or all true believers, who by faith lay hold on the promise of salvation in Christ. In Heb 11:39, "promise" means the thing promised, Ac 1:4. The "exceeding great and precious promises" of God include all good things for this life and the future; which are infallibly secured to his people in Christ, 2Co 1:20; 1Ti 4:8; 2Pe 1:4. On the ground of the infinite merits of their Redeemer, infinite love, unbounded wisdom, and almighty power are pledged for their benefit; and having given them his only son, God will with him freely give them every inferior blessing he sees to be desirable for them, Ro 8:32.
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And meeting them together He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said He, ye have heard from me;
For the promise made to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world, was not by the law, but by the righteousness of faith: for if they only that are of the law be heirs, faith is made useless, and the promise is become of no effect.
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things?
but was yea in Him, (for all the promises of God are in Him yea, and in Him amen,) to the glory of God by us:
that the blessing of Abraham might come on the gentiles by Christ Jesus; that we through faith might receive the promise of the Spirit. Brethren, (I speak after the manner of men,) no one cancelleth or addeth to a covenant which hath been ratified, though it be but the covenant of a man. read more. Now the promises were made to Abraham, and to his seed. He doth not say, "and to seeds," as of many; but as of one, "and to thy seed," which is Christ. This then I say, that the law, which was given four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul the covenant, which was so long before confirmed by God unto Christ, to make void the promise. For if the inheritance be from the law, it is no more from the promise: whereas God gave it to Abraham by promise. What then availeth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made; and it was delivered by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not the mediator of one only; and God is but one. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? not at all: for if a law had been given, which could have confered life, certainly righteousness would have been by the law. But the scripture hath shut up all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept shut up under the law, till the faith appeared which was to be revealed. So that the law was our guide to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now faith is come we are no longer under a pedagogue. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ: and there is neither Jew nor Greek, those is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
And these all, though they obtained an honorable testimony by faith, yet received not the promise;
Hastings
Although the OT is the record of God's promises to lowly saints and to anointed kings, to patriarchs and to prophets, to the nation of His choice and to the world at large, the word itself is rarely used in the English Version, and less frequently in the RV than in the AV. The Heb. noun d
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that he promised her with an oath to give her whatever she would ask:
And they were glad, when they heard it, and engaged to give him money. And he sought to betray Him at a proper season.
but do ye continue in the city of Jerusalem, till ye are endued with power from on high.
And meeting them together He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said He, ye have heard from me;
Therefore being exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the holy Spirit, He hath poured forth this gift, which ye now see and hear.
for the promise is to you and to your children, yea and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
for the promise is to you and to your children, yea and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
though He gave him no inheritance in it, no not the breadth of a foot; but He promised to give it to him for a possession, even to his seed after him; though he had then no child."
But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt.
And though they found in Him no capital offence, yet they desired of Pilate that He might be put to death.
But do not thou comply with them: for there lie in wait for him more than forty men of them, who have bound themselves with a curse neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him: and they are now ready, waiting for an order from thee.
And now I stand arraigned for the hope of the promise which was made by God to our fathers:
That is, not the children of the flesh are the children of God, but the children of the promise are accounted for the seed.
but was yea in Him, (for all the promises of God are in Him yea, and in Him amen,) to the glory of God by us:
Having therefore, my beloved, these promises, let us purify ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
that the blessing of Abraham might come on the gentiles by Christ Jesus; that we through faith might receive the promise of the Spirit.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are children of the promise.
In whom ye also trusted, when ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also when ye believed, ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise,
and of the same body, and joint-partakers of his promise in Christ, by the gospel:
Let us therefore fear least a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to fall short of it:
that ye would not be sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises.
And thus waiting patiently he obtained the promise.
Wherefore God being willing more abundantly to manifest unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it with an oath:
besides, here men that die receive tithes; but there he of whom it is testified that he liveth.
And on this account He is the mediator of a new covenant, that undergoing death for the redemption of transgressions against the first covenant, they that are called might receive the promise of an eternal inheritance.
By faith he sojourned in the land promised him, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob the heirs with him of the same promise.
And these all, though they obtained an honorable testimony by faith, yet received not the promise;
Happy is the man who sustaineth temptation; for being approved he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.
by which are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye may become partakers of a divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the declaration of his coming? for except that the fathers are fallen asleep, all things remain as they were from the beginning of the creation.
And this is the promise which He hath promised us, even eternal life.
Watsons
PROMISE, an assurance given by God, in his word, of bestowing blessings upon his people, 2Pe 1:4. The word in the New Testament is usually taken for the promises that God heretofore made to Abraham, and the other patriarchs, of sending the Messiah, and conferring his Holy Spirit and eternal life on those that should believe on him. It is in this sense that the Apostle Paul commonly uses the word promise, Ro 4:13-14; Ga 3:14,17-18,21-22,29. The promises of the new covenant are called better than those of the old, Heb 8:6. because they are more spiritual, clear, comprehensive, and universal than those of the Mosaic covenant. The time of the promise, Ac 7:17, is the time of fulfilling the promise. The "children of the promise" are,
1. The Israelites descended from Isaac, in opposition to the Ishmaelites descended from Ishmael and Hagar.
2. The Jews converted to Christianity, in opposition to the obstinate Jews, who would not believe in Christ.
3. All true believers, who are born again by the supernatural power of God, and who by faith lay hold on the promise of salvation in Jesus Christ.
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But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt.
For the promise made to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world, was not by the law, but by the righteousness of faith: for if they only that are of the law be heirs, faith is made useless, and the promise is become of no effect.
that the blessing of Abraham might come on the gentiles by Christ Jesus; that we through faith might receive the promise of the Spirit.
This then I say, that the law, which was given four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul the covenant, which was so long before confirmed by God unto Christ, to make void the promise. For if the inheritance be from the law, it is no more from the promise: whereas God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? not at all: for if a law had been given, which could have confered life, certainly righteousness would have been by the law. But the scripture hath shut up all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
But now He hath obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which is established upon better promises.
by which are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye may become partakers of a divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.