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In God’s Word there are some portions that speak of the responsibilities God requires of man and other portions that speak of the grace God bestows on man. In other words, there are those portions that speak of God’s requirements and those that speak of God’s grace. For example, there are many commandments, laws, and teachings that are indications that God wants man to bear responsibility. These are God’s requirements for man. On the other hand, there are the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies (Eph. 1:3), and the inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading, kept in the heavens for us (1 Pet. 1:4). These are the things that God delights to give to us and that He has accomplished for us; this is the grace that God has bestowed upon us.
God’s Word in the aspect of grace may be summed up into three categories: (1) the promises of God to us, (2) the facts that God has accomplished for us, and (3) the covenants that God has made with man, which He Himself will definitely fulfill. God’s promises are different from God’s facts. God’s promises and God’s facts are also different from God’s covenants. God’s covenants include God’s promises and God’s facts. Here is a simple chart:
Now let us see what is meant by God’s promises. A promise is different from a fact. Promise is related to the future, and fact is related to the past. Promise is something to be done, while fact is something already done. Promise means that God will do something for man, while fact means that God has already done something for man. Promise means if you do such and such, then I will do such and such. Fact means that God loves us and, knowing our impotence, has accomplished something for us. Many of the promises are conditional. If we fulfill the conditions, we shall receive what has been promised. Facts do not require our supplication. We only need to see that the facts are facts and believe them as such.
Some examples will help to show the difference between promise and fact. For example, the Lord Jesus comforted the disciples by saying, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe into God, believe also into Me...For I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you to Myself” (John 14:1-3). This is a promise. It became a fact when the Lord came again as the Spirit.
Later, the Lord told the disciples, “It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (16:7). This is a promise. This promise became a fact on the day of the Lord’s resurrection when He breathed into His disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:19-22).
Again, the Lord Jesus told His disciples, “Behold, I send forth the promise of My Father upon you; but as for you, stay in the city until you put on power from on high” (Luke 24:49). This is a promise within a promise. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came (Acts 2:1-4). At that time this promise became a fact. However, this promise was conditional; that is, the disciples had to stay in the city.
Let us use another illustration to show the difference between promise and fact. Suppose A and B were friends. A became sick and unable to work; neither did he have money to buy the things that he needed. B loved A and told him, “Tomorrow morning I will come to do your work and bring you some money to buy the things you need.” This was B’s promise to A. The next morning B did come to A’s house to do the work and also to give him some money to buy the things he needed. This means that B’s promise to A has become a fact. If A believed B’s promise, that is, if he believed B’s word to be reliable, he would have hope and rest from the day the promise was given, and on the following day he would have the practical enjoyment of it.
God’s Word shows us several principles concerning His promises. Here are some examples:
(1) “‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with a promise, ‘That it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth’” (Eph. 6:2-3). This promise is conditional. Not everyone will be well and live long; only those who honor their parents will be well and live long. If a person does not fulfill the condition mentioned here, he will not receive the promised blessing of well-being and long life.
(2) “Now, O Jehovah God, may Your promise to David my father be fulfilled” (2 Chron. 1:9). This means that we need to ask God to fulfill His promise; that is, the promise requires prayer in order that it may be fulfilled (cf. 1 Kings 8:56).
(3) “According to the number of the days which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for every day, you shall bear your iniquities, forty years; and you shall know My displeasure [or, the revoking of my promise]” (Num. 14:34). This means that if a man is unfaithful toward God’s promise and does not fulfill the conditions accompanying it, the promise may be revoked. For example, of all the children of Israel who came out of Egypt, only Caleb and Joshua entered into Canaan. The rest died in the wilderness (26:65). This shows that God revoked His promise to those unfaithful ones. As for Jacob and Joseph, although they died in Egypt, they were buried in Canaan. Because they were faithful to God even unto death, God did not revoke His promise (Gen. 46:3-4; 49:29-32; 50:12-13, 24-25; Josh. 24:32).
(4) “It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham or to his seed that he would be the heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those of the law are heirs, faith has been made void and the promise has been annulled” (Rom. 4:13-14). This means that if a man apart from God acts by the strength of his flesh or adds something to the promise, it is possible that the promise may become annulled.
(5) “These all, having obtained a good testimony through their faith, did not obtain the promise, because God has provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” (Heb. 11:39-40). And, “You have need of endurance in order that, having done the will of God, you may obtain the promise” (10:36). This means that we must endure until a certain time, and then we will obtain what God has promised.
From these Scriptures we see the following four principles concerning God’s promises: (1) God’s promise requires our prayer that it may be fulfilled. (2) If God’s promise is conditional, man must fulfill His condition in order to obtain the promise; otherwise, the promise may be revoked. (3) If, apart from God’s promise, man uses the strength of his flesh to act or to add something, the promise may become annulled. (4) God’s promises are fulfilled in God’s time.
How can God’s promise be accomplished in us? Every time we see a promise in God’s Word, we must really pray. We must pray until the Spirit of God is so stirred in us that we feel deeply that this promise is intended of God for us. If there is no condition attached to this promise, we can immediately exercise our faith to receive it, believing that God will act according to His promise and accomplish in us what He has promised. We can immediately praise and thank God. If the promise has certain conditions, we need to fulfill the conditions. Then we come to God through prayer and ask Him to act according to His faithfulness and righteousness and fulfill His promise in us. When we have prayed to the extent that faith rises up in us, we need pray no longer. We can begin to praise and thank God. Then before long we shall see that God’s promise is really being fulfilled in us.
Here are a few examples:
(1) In a certain place there were several sisters who at the beginning of each year were in the habit of asking God to give them a promise to sustain them for the year. One of the sisters felt that she was weak and told the Lord of her situation. The Lord gave her this word, “Christ...who is not weak unto you but is powerful in you” (2 Cor. 13:3). When she received such a word, she became strong. Another sister was prone to worry; whenever she considered the past or the future, she was fearful. She too told the Lord about her situation, and the Lord gave her this promise, saying, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; / Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. / I will strengthen you; surely I will help you; / Surely I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness” (Isa. 41:10). The five occurrences of I and the three occurrences of will in this verse of the Word of God caused her, on one hand, to bow down and worship and, on the other hand, to be so joyful that she praised the Lord even with tears. Later, when she encountered difficulties and trials, she read this word back to God and even read it to herself. God’s Word really established her, helped her, and upheld her through many years.
Among these sisters were many similar stories. The promises that God gave to each of them were exactly suited to their need. They sincerely asked for God’s promise and obtained it. At the end of the year, when they recounted the Lord’s grace, they could testify that within the year God’s promise had truly comforted and sustained them many times.
(2) Another child of God, due to the needs of her living, asked the Lord to give her a promise. One day she read this word: “Let your way of life be without the love of money, being satisfied with the things which are at hand; for He Himself has said, ‘I shall by no means give you up, neither by any means shall I abandon you’” (Heb. 13:5). These words surprised her and at the same time made her glad. This promise is conditional: we must be without covetousness, and we must be content with such things as we have; then we will not be deserted or abandoned by the Lord. She said “Amen and Amen!” to this promise. In the past twenty years since that time, on the one hand, she has maintained the principle of not eating without working (2 Thes. 3:10); on the other hand, the Lord has truly caused the handful of flour in her barrel and the little oil in her container not to be exhausted or lacking. The Lord has not deserted her nor abandoned her.
(3) There is the case of another sister who had been sick for many years. While she was very much in despair, she recalled Romans 8:13: “If you live according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live.” This gave her a new turn. She dealt with what needed to be dealt with according to the Lord’s light. However, she still remained ill in body. Then one day she prayed, “Lord, if Romans 8:13 is the word You have given me, I ask You to grant me another promise.” Then she confessed her weakness and her unbelief. At this time, deep within her, there seemed to be such words: “God is not a man; He will not lie.” She did not know whether such words were found in the Scriptures. Then, looking into a concordance, she discovered that in Numbers 23:19 there were truly such words: “God is not a man, that He should lie, / Nor a son of man, that He should repent. / Has He said, and will He not do it? / Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?” With this her heart was filled with joy and her mouth with praises. Consequently, God also caused her illness to depart.
(4) There were some children of God who at a certain stage of their spiritual life were brought into the experience of Psalm 66. On the one hand, it seemed as though “You have brought us into the net; / You have put a heavy burden on our loins. / You have made men ride over our heads” (vv. 11-12a). But on the other hand, God also gave them the promise: “We have gone through fire and water; / But You have brought us forth into abundance” (v. 12b). This comforted and established them.
(5) There have been several children of God who have been encompassed by trials. Every time they prayed, there was the following promise that comforted and established them: “No temptation has taken you except that which is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow that you be tempted beyond what you are able, but will, with the temptation, also make the way out, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13).
(6) A certain servant of the Lord was in a very heavy trial; it seemed that a great mountain loomed before him. He had climbed this mountain to the point of exhaustion; he had climbed to the extent of despair; he had climbed to the place where it seemed that there was very little left in him to look to God. The words until the present hour and until now (4:11, 13) brought him over this high mountain. “Until the present hour” he was still being considered the offscouring of the world, the very scum of all things, but he was still able to stand “until now.” Time tests man, but God’s promises enable man to pass through the test of time and remain standing “until the present hour” and “until now.”
(7) There have been some children of God who, when being tossed by the waves, cried unto the Lord. The Lord’s word to them was, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:24, 27). At this promise their troubled heart was immediately calmed. The waves could never bring them to the bottom of the sea.
Therefore, concerning God’s promises, we need to praise Him that they cannot be done away; every word will be established. Faith never asks for evidence, for whatever God says, He will do. Though heaven and earth may be consumed and the mountains and hills fall, he who believes in the Lord shall see His words fulfilled.
Concerning God’s facts, although we cannot find the word facts in the Scriptures, yet in God’s work we find many accomplished facts. In other words, facts are God’s accomplished work.
In the Old Testament God promised that the Lord Jesus would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14). Then “when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under law, that He might redeem those under law that we might receive the sonship” (Gal. 4:4-5). Thus, the promise in Isaiah that “the virgin will conceive and will bear a son” has come true, has become a fact. The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus is also a fact. He offered Himself once for all and obtained an eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12). Since this is a fact, no one needs to ask the Lord to die again for us and redeem us from our sins.
The coming of the Holy Spirit is also a fact forever accomplished. Since this is so, no one needs to ask again for the Holy Spirit to come. (This refers to the fact of the coming of the Holy Spirit, not to the individual experience of the coming of the Holy Spirit.)
Moreover, God has accomplished many other things through Christ. The Scriptures reveal that all things pertaining to life and godliness have been accomplished in Christ. For example, Ephesians 1:3 says, “Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.” Verse 4 continues with the words even as, and this sentence lasts until verse 14 according to the original text. Hence, we see that all the things mentioned in these verses are all the spiritual blessings referred to in verse 3. This also explains 2 Peter 1:3: “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness.” All these are in Christ. They are facts that have already been accomplished.
With regard to God’s promises, if we do not ask concerning them, or if we do not fulfill the conditions, we may not obtain them; the promises may become void as far as we are concerned. But concerning God’s facts, even though we do not ask, He will still fulfill them in us. They are facts; therefore, we do not need to ask concerning them. (This refers to God’s facts themselves, not to our individual experiences.)
God has never asked us to do anything in order to obtain His facts. All He requires is that we simply believe. There may be a delay with God’s promise, but God’s facts can never be late. We can never say that we have received God’s facts and then say that we need to wait a few years for God to give them to us. What God has accomplished and what He has already given to us in Christ can never be postponed to some future time. If God delays His giving to us, it is a contradiction to fact.
Consider two examples. In Ephesians 2:4-6 we read: “God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ...and raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.” There are four withs and one made in these verses. Are the things mentioned here God’s promises or God’s facts? God’s Word tells us that these are all facts. It is God who has made us alive together with Christ, and it is God who has raised us up together with Christ and seated us in the heavenly places together with Christ. These are all accomplished facts. Since this is so, we ought to praise and thank God. We ought to take an attitude toward Satan that we have been raised up together and that we have ascended together with Christ. We should not take an attitude of hope that we may be raised up or that we may ascend. Our attitude should be one which indicates that we have been raised up, that we have ascended. We must know that there is not one of the Lord’s people who has not received a life of resurrection and ascension. If we consider that this life can be obtained only by our asking for it, we do not know what God has accomplished. God has given us in Christ all that relates to life and godliness. We do not need to ask; we only need to claim. Hallelujah, this glorious fact, this accomplished fact, this fact that Christ has accomplished, has been given to us by God in Christ!
The second example is found in Romans 6:6, which says, “Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves.” This verse shows us three things: (1) sin, (2) the old man, and (3) the body of sin. Sin is that very nature of sin that rules in us (v. 14; 7:17). The old man is our self, which likes to listen to sin. The body of sin is our body, which is the puppet of sin. Our body is that which actually commits sins. Sin rules in us and by the old man controls our body to make it commit sins. The old man represents all that is of Adam and inclines toward sin. It is this old man, which listens to sin and directs the body to commit sin. Perhaps some will think that in order for man not to sin, the root of sin must be plucked out. Others may think that for man not to sin, he must painstakingly suppress his body. These are men’s thoughts; what God has done is completely different. God did not deal with the root of sin; neither did He deal with our body. What He dealt with was our old man. “Our old man has been crucified with Him” (6:6). Just as our Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross, in like manner our old man has been crucified with Him. This is a fact. It is a fact that God has accomplished in Christ.
The phrase in order that the body of sin might be annulled may also be rendered “in order that the body of sin might be unemployed.” Because our old man has been crucified with Christ, the body of sin has become unemployed. Although the nature of sin is still present and active and still comes to tempt us, the old man who has been utilized by sin has been crucified with Christ. Therefore, sin can no longer be our master; we have been freed from sin. However, someone may look at himself and think that because he is still weak and still sins, he needs to ask God again to give him grace, and to work again to root out sin, that he may be delivered from sin. Someone else may think that Christ has been crucified but that his old man has not been crucified. He may therefore ask God to crucify his old man. The result is that the more he asks God to crucify his old man, the more his old man seems to be active, exercising dominion over him. What is the reason for this? It is because some are acquainted only with God’s promise but do not know God’s fact. Perhaps they take God’s fact as God’s promise, treating God’s fact in the same way they treat His promises. God says that their old man has been crucified with Christ, but they think that God’s promise is that He will crucify their old man. Therefore, they continue to ask God to crucify their old man. Whenever they commit sin, they feel that their old man has not been crucified, and they ask God once again to crucify their old man. Whenever they fall into temptation, they think that their old man has not been completely dealt with by God. For this reason they feel they need to ask God to deal with their old man. They do not know the fact that their old man has been crucified with Christ, that this is an accomplished fact and is different from a promise. Therefore, they continue to beg. The result is that they make no progress, only continuing to cry out, “Wretched man that I am!” (7:24).
We must realize that Romans 6:6 is a basic experience for everyone who belongs to the Lord. We must ask the Spirit of the Lord to give us the revelation so that we may see that our old man has been crucified with Christ. Then based upon the Word of God, we will be able to believe that we are dead indeed to sin (v. 11). Although at times the temptation will come and cause us to feel that our old man is not dead, still we believe what God has accomplished more than we believe our feeling and experience. Once we see that the fact is a fact, the experience will spontaneously follow. However, we need to realize that it is not because we believe that God’s fact becomes real but because God’s fact is real, we therefore believe.
Faith means that since God says that our old man has been crucified with Christ, we also say that our old man has been crucified with Christ. It is a fact that our old man has been crucified, a fact that God has accomplished in Christ. God cannot do any more than He has already done. We cannot do any more than believe that God’s Word is true. Therefore, what is needed is not for us to ask God to do something but for us to believe what God has already done. Whenever we believe God’s facts, the experience automatically follows. Fact, faith, and experience — this is the order that God has ordained. This great principle in the spiritual life must be remembered.
From what we have seen in the previous examples there are the following principles: (1) We need to discover what God’s fact is. For this, revelation from the Holy Spirit is necessary. (2) Once we see what God’s fact is, we need to hold on to God’s Word and believe that we are just as God’s Word says. We need to believe that just as God’s fact says, so we are. (3) We need by faith, on one hand, to praise God that we are this way; on the other hand, we need to act and manifest that we are such. (4) Whenever temptation or trial comes to us, we must believe that God’s Word and His fact are more dependable than our feelings. We need only to fully believe God’s Word; then God will be responsible to give us the experience. If we pay attention to our experience first, we shall fail and not have any experience. Our responsibility is to believe God’s fact; God’s responsibility is to grant us the experience. If we believe God’s fact, our spiritual life will grow every day. (5) Fact requires our faith, for faith is the only way by which the fact may be realized in our experience. God’s fact is in Christ; therefore, we must be in Christ in order to enjoy the fact that God has accomplished in Christ. When we are united with Christ, we shall experience the fact that God has accomplished in Christ. We must remember that when we were saved, we were united with Christ and were put into Christ (1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3). But many, though they are in Christ, do not abide in Christ. Since they do not stand by faith upon the position that God has given them in Christ, they lose the effect that God’s fact has toward them. Therefore, though we are already in Christ, we also need to abide in Christ. By this means, God’s fact will become our experience and will continue to be manifested through us.
We have mentioned repeatedly that God’s fact is something that He has already accomplished and that we do not need to ask Him to do anything. However, if we have not seen God’s fact as fact, we need to ask God to give us revelation, to give us light, that we may see. It is the spirit of wisdom and revelation that will cause us to know (Eph. 1:17-18). We can ask for such a spirit. What we ask for is the vision. We do not ask that God will do that very thing again but that He may show us that He has already accomplished that thing. We must be clear about this difference.
The following are some further examples to clarify this matter.
(1) A sister, before she had seen the fact of being in Christ, thought that she had to exercise her own effort to work herself into Christ, yet she did not know how to do it. One day upon hearing the word, “Of Him you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:30), she saw in her inner being that God had already put her into Christ and that she did not need to work herself in anymore.
(2) Some children of God, before seeing the fact that “our old man has been crucified with Christ,” either used their own effort to crucify their old man, or they asked God to do it. The result was that the more they tried to crucify their old man, the more lively the old man seemed to be. The more they asked God to crucify their old man, the more confused they became. Then one day God opened their eyes and revealed to them that He had already crucified their old man with Christ. At that time they realized how foolish their action and prayer had been.
(3) A certain sister was not clear that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is already a fact. One night she closed her door and read Acts 2. While reading this portion of the Word, she asked God to give her a revelation. God opened her eyes and showed her three things in this chapter: (a) that Christ has been exalted to the right hand of God and, having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, has poured out the Holy Spirit (v. 33); (b) God has made Him both Lord and Christ (v. 36); (c) this promise of receiving the Holy Spirit is for the Israelites and for their children, and also for those who are far off (v. 39). She saw that it is a fact that the Holy Spirit has been poured out. Since she was one who had repented and had been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, she was included in those who were “far off.” She realized, therefore, that she had a part in the promise, that is, that she had a part in what is mentioned in verse 38: “You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” When she saw this, she was full of joy and could not cease to praise the Lord.
Therefore, we strongly emphasize again that concerning God’s fact we do not need to ask God to do that thing again; we need only to ask God to show us that He has already done that thing. We need not ask God to put us now into Christ, but we do need to ask God to show us that He has already put us into Christ. We do not need to ask God to crucify our old man, but we do need to ask God to show us that He has crucified us with Christ. Neither are we asking God to pour out the Holy Spirit from the heavens; rather, we are asking God to show us that the Holy Spirit has already been poured out. (In Acts 1:13-14 we read that the apostles with several women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers, continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer. Acts 2:1 says that on the day of Pentecost the disciples were all together in one place, because at that time the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out. But Acts 8:15-17 clearly shows that Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans who had believed in the Lord and laid hands on them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. They did not pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out from heaven. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit from heaven is a fact, but the coming down of the Holy Spirit upon individuals is an experience.)
We do need to ask God to show us that His facts are facts. Whenever we have the inner revelation, we can spontaneously believe and then spontaneously have the experience. We say again that we may indeed inquire of God, but what we need to ask Him for is the enlightening of our eyes to give us revelation and light that we may really see something concerning God’s facts.
We have mentioned the contrast between God’s promise and God’s fact. Now let us summarize the basic difference between God’s fact and God’s promise. In the Scriptures promise is the word spoken by God before the thing happens, and fact is the word spoken by God after the thing has happened. We must receive God’s promise with our faith, and we must not only receive God’s fact with our faith but must also enjoy what God has accomplished. Therefore, when we read God’s Word, one of the most important things is to differentiate which is God’s promise and which is God’s fact. Whenever we come to a place that speaks of God’s grace, telling us how God has done something for us, we need to ask whether this is a promise or a fact. If it is a promise and has some conditions, we need to fulfill the conditions and then really pray until God gives us assurance within to know that this promise is for us. Then quite naturally we shall have faith, and we shall know that God has heard our prayer. We shall spontaneously praise God. Although God’s promise has yet to be fulfilled, still, because of the fact that you have faith, it seems that that very thing is already in your hand. But if it is a fact, then you may immediately exercise faith and praise God, saying, “O God, yes, it is so!” You can believe that it is really so and then act accordingly. By doing this, you will prove your faith.
There are, however, a few points of which we need to be reminded:
(1) Before we ask God for His promise, we must first deal with our impure heart. Those who are full of confusing thoughts or are too emotional will very likely consider that this is God’s promise for them or that that is God’s promise for them. Yesterday there was a promise; today there is another promise. To them, obtaining God’s promises is like drawing from a lottery, taking one lot after another. Nine times out of ten such promises are undependable and might be deceiving. (This does not mean that God’s promises are not dependable but that what such people consider to be God’s promise is something they themselves have conceived, not something that God has given to them.) If those who have natural inclinations or hardness of will subjectively use what they have remembered of God’s Word in their mind, or if they use those words of God that suit their moods, or explain God’s Word in their subjective way and treat these as God’s promises, their “promises” will usually be undependable. The result is that they will become disappointed, even doubtful of God’s Word. Therefore, before we ask for God’s promise, we need to ask Him to enlighten our heart that we may know our heart. We need to ask God to purify our heart. We also need to ask God to grant us grace, making us willing to lay down our self so that we may quietly look unto Him. Then if God gives us a promise, we shall be spontaneously and clearly impressed from the deepest part of our heart.
(2) After receiving God’s promise, we need to make use of it. Charles Spurgeon once said, “O Christian, I beseech you, do not treat God’s promises as if they were curiosities for a museum, but use them as everyday sources of comfort. Trust the Lord whenever your time of need comes on.” These are words of experience.
(3) Those who really have a promise from God usually behave and act in a peaceful and stable way, as if the promise had come true. For example, when Paul was zealous for the work at Corinth, the Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; because I Myself am with you, and no one will assail you to harm you...And he remained there a year and six months” (Acts 18:9-11). On another occasion when Paul was on the way to Rome and ran into danger at sea, he could stand among those who were with him in the ship and say, “Cheer up, men, for I believe God that it shall be so, even in the way in which it has been spoken to me.” Paul not only believed God’s promise but also used God’s promise as a promise and a comfort to others. “And when he had said these things and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God before all; and he broke it and began to eat.” This was Paul’s manner and action after he believed God’s promise. Such manner gave those with him a deep impression. The result was that “all became cheerful, and they also took food” (Acts 27:23-25, 35-36). A saint has said that every promise of God is built upon four pillars: God’s justice, God’s holiness, God’s grace, and God’s truth. God’s justice will not suffer Him to be faithless, God’s holiness will not suffer Him to deceive, God’s grace will not suffer Him to forget, and God’s truth will not suffer Him to change. Another saint has said that though the promise tarry, it can never come too late. These are all words of experience from those who know God.
The psalmist says, “Remember the word to Your servant / In which You have made me hope.” (Psa. 119:49). This is a most powerful prayer. God’s promise gives us a living hope. Hallelujah!
(4) Once we have seen God’s fact, our faith must continue to look at God’s fact, counting the fact as fact. Whenever we have a failure, we need to discover the reason for the failure. We need to condemn both the reason for failure and the act of failing. If due to our own failure we become doubtful concerning God’s fact, even denying God’s fact, this proves that we have an evil heart of unbelief toward God’s fact (Heb. 3:12). At this point we need to ask God to remove the evil heart of unbelief.
If we hold fast the beginning of the assurance firm to the end, we have become partners of Christ (v. 14).
