Faith & Promise

Amazingly, two words seem to always go hand in hand when reading the New Testament of the Word of God.  These are the words Promise and Faith. 

Another almost always sticks by ever so closely: Blessing.

Interestingly, in the old covenant the two words (promise and faith) never appear in conjunction with each other. 

Oddly, the same is true for the words promise and blessing.

So, let's get back to Faith ...

In our previous post (Marvelous) we looked at faith and saw how God left nothing to chance, not even us depending on our own faith. 

We also saw how our own faith is fallible and how that we needed to rest in the rock-solid Faith of God in the very measure that He provided - Jesus.

Right here and now?

To our benefit in this life, our faith (remember, pistis or persuasion and reliance on Jesus) can increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ so that we are able to boldly resist the enemy. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord 2Pe 1:2 

How is our faith increased?

By hearing Jesus, the living Word, and by hearing Jesus and by hearing Jesus and ...

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17

And how not?

... and not by lending our ears to the negative talk and news of this world and the deception of the enemy that will effectively challenge and counter the Word of Peace and Comfort, and wellness and prosperity and health and love ... We build our faith by hearing the Word of God, and not the 6pm soupy, 8pm news, the 8:30pm demonic drama, etc.

It (He) becomes tangible

So that faith could become the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen Heb 11:1 and manifest in our daily lives.

Not working to get it

And also not by our own efforts and attempts to come into right-standing with our Father because by way of the Free Gift we are the righteousness of God - This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Gal 3:2. Indeed, as Abraham, we received the precious Spirit of Truth by faith alone!

By Faith alone? Really?

Yes:

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Rom 4:13

What is this Seed ... this Promise? Who receives this Great Promise?

Grace (Jesus Christ) is the Promise, the Free Gift and the way we receive is by faith. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Eph 2:8

Hebrews chapter 11 is the hall of fame for those in faith, honouring them one by one. Yet, the Holy Spirit clearly says in the end of this chapter that these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Heb 11:39-40

It comes together

See again the marriage of Promise and faith in the verse above? 

You see, the word Promise is the Greek word epaggelia or announcement (for information, assent or pledge; especially a divine assurance of good): - message, promise.(Strong's Concordance: G1861)

The Promise IS JESUS!

JESUS IS THE PLEDGE OF OUR FATHER!

JESUS IS OUR ASSURANCE

We receive His Spirit through faith: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Gal 3:14

There is added yet more 

With the Promise comes ALL the great blessings of Father, because in Him we are complete, in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets [authors, those who prepare] have said, For we are also his offspring. Act 17:28 

So that we receive much, much more and far greater blessings than even Abraham did in Gen 12:2-3 when God said to him just how greatly He would bless Jesus: I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him [the devil] that curseth thee: and in thee [Jesus] shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Eph 1:3