Does God ever break his promises?

Romans 9

Do we need to worry about God not being faithful to his promises? At first glance that seems like a foolish thing to worry about, God is God and he does not change. What about God’s promise to Abraham and the nation of Israelites that were born from him? If God keeps His promises always, it certainly doesn’t seem like it today. Paul wrestled with the early church to help them understand. Is God just in his handling of physical Israel, (those physically born into Israel)? Paul explains over chapters 9 – 11.

Paul is a physical and a spiritual Israeli. He was born into a Jewish family but has also been born again in the spiritual family of Christ. His heart breaks for his brothers and sister who are religiously Jews and he longs for them to come to the truth.

God loves the entire of creation. Every man, woman, and child has been created in His image. He sent Jesus to die of the cross for everyone. To verify Paul’s claim that God has called everyone, he refers to two passages of scripture from Hosea 2:23 and 1:10. Paul also confirms that of physical Israel he has preserved for himself a remnant, quoting Isaiah chapter 10: 22,23 and 1:9. When Adam fell all of creation fell and when Jesus died on the cross it too was for all of creation.

The challenge is we must accept this relationship by faith. The challenge for physical Israel was their work and tradition would not get them to heaven. The law is only a shadow of what was to come (See Galatians 3 for further insight). The law creates a sense of work, a belief that our abilities can get us to heaven. Our works are as filthy rags, they can not get us to heaven it is only by God’s grace, mercy, and faith that we can have relationship with the creator of everything. In our pride we as human beings want to believe we can earn our way into heaven. Our own works are only a stumbling block to our coming to faith in Christ. We must accept that Jesus was the sacrifice that enables us to have relationship with the Father.

So what good are works then? We do works not as a means of coming into right relationship with God the Father but because we love. Taking out the trash is not one of those fun jobs around the house, however it is something that must be done to maintain a healthy house. I take out the trash because I love my family and want to bless them with a fresh smelling house. I walk the walk with Christ because I love Him and by faith I trust that He wants only the best for me. The things that he asks me to do are not futile but purposeful to my living a joy-filled, peaceful, and powerful life.

God has kept his promise to all mankind. He has raised up physical and spiritual children to Abraham. As Galatians 3 shows us God produced through Abraham, by faith, one “seed” not many “seeds”. Everyone who comes to faith in Christ through grace and faith is and heir to the promise of God to Abraham. God does not fail nor change. It has always been about faith. Remember the law was given to Moses many generations after Abraham (about 400 years). Abraham accepted relationship with the Lord through faith.