The Bible is a book that contains the promises of God. This supposed truth may seem insignificant to atheists and agnostics, but in the Christian world, God's promises contained in the scriptures are the foundation and basis of faith. While some people in today's world argue that the principles of the Bible are now outdated and irrelevant to modern life, many still believe that it is possible to find hope and illumination from the pages of the Holy Writ. One of the most interesting aspects of biblical study is that the promises of God written thousands of years ago are still applicable to us even unto this day. By accepting these promises by faith, God's Word has the power to transform our lives just like it did with the characters in the Bible.
Genesis, the first book of the Pentateuch and of the entire Bible, gives us a closer look at the relationship between God's promises and the blessings bestowed upon us. Each time God decides to bless an individual, family, tribe or an entire nation, He chooses to reveal Himself to the recipient of blessing through a word of promise. Such principle is evident in the life of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. In the Old Testament, God's way of uttering His promises is by divine visitation. He either appears to them in a dream, by means of theophanies, or by His distinct voice. Often, the promise is to be fulfilled in a distant future, but it is merely uttered so that the recipient of blessing can enter into the realm of faith. In turn, this leads to the ultimate expression of faith, and that is obedience.
God's promises to Abraham mentioned in the first few verses of Genesis chapter 12 is one of the most significant words ever mentioned in the scriptures. Not only does it concern Abraham himself, but his descendants, the entire Jewish race, and many other nations of the world. God promised to make Abraham a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, and to bless all the families of the earth through him. This promise was so great and universal that Abraham himself did not live to see all of them fulfilled. However, this does not mean that God has been unfaithful to His promises. Whenever the Lord utters his word of promise, it doesn't mean that blessings will come in a neat handy package.
God places a huge time lapse between the statement of promise and the fulfilment of blessing because He wants to elicit a very specific response from us. That response is faith, or in other words, trust and belief in God. When we respond to God's promises by faith, our lives suddenly take on a different direction. When we hold on to God's promises, the result is that we live a life of obedience and hope. For example, when God spoke to Abraham about the future blessings he will receive, it required Abraham to respond by obedience and leave his country, kindred and father's house. Practically, he left behind everything that he considered comfortable and familiar, pushing forward and hoping towards the unknown. God honoured Abraham's action by counting it upon him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. Although he did not receive the blessings outright, he obtained the favour of God, which is already a blessing in itself. Such principle is also true in Christian life and ministry. There are times that the promises we receive from God take a long time to be fulfilled. But just like Abraham, we must respond by faith and live a life of obedience and hope. We must be assured that God has an ultimate plan and purpose, and His promises are certain to be fulfilled.
For this reason, a believer in God should always have the attitude of belief. Faith is the only thing that connects promise and blessing, and it is necessary to receive the fulfilment of God's word upon our lives. On the other hand, unbelief can prevent us to receive the blessing. For example, God promised the entire Jewish nation that they will inherit Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey. Many of them, however, murmured and rebelled against the Lord in the wilderness. In other words, majority of the Israelites doubted the promises of God. As a result, God's wrath was kindled against them and they were not permitted to enter the Promised Land. Only the next generation was able to enter Canaan, but their fathers died on the wilderness. Collectively, Israel still received the blessing as a nation. But individually, many died in their unbelief. In like manner, Jesus stated that He will return for His church, and this church will be a body of believers which have "no spot or wrinkle". The entire Church, as a collective body, is destined to be saved. But sadly, many individuals will not receive the fulfilment of the promise of salvation because of unbelief.
