Whose Promises Do You Put Your Faith In?

If you’ve been around the biblical counseling world for very long, you’ve probably heard the quippy question and answer that goes, “Why do we do what we do? Because we want what we want.”  This comes from the passage in James 4:1-2b which says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” The point is clear, I murder, and I fight and quarrel because I want something. Why do I do it? Because I want something, and those actions are how I am going to get it. 

Well, a question that goes a bit beyond the simple answer of, “I did it because I wanted to,” is what promise or reward were you believing and seeking? Or perhaps better than that, WHOSE promise or reward were you believing and seeking? 

That is a very significant question to ask yourself. As a Christian, we are commanded to live our lives fully trusting in the promises that the Lord has revealed in Scripture. But one of the main reasons and explanations for sin is that we do not believe the promises of God. Rather, we believe and trust in opposing promises. 

For example, Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:9 “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” God promises blessing to those who do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling. Why then do we often find it so much easier to revile and repay evil for evil? Is it because we do not want a blessing? Of course we want a blessing! We just don’t believe that God will bless, or perhaps, we believe that he would, but it won’t be as good as the blessing that I can get by seeking vengeance. Putting that person in their place who wronged me or making them feel the pain they inflicted on me is the blessing that I believe will satisfy me, not the blessing from God for repaying evil with good.

I’m hoping that you can see if we truly identify the promises that we are putting faith in, we’ll find that our sin isn’t simply a mistake or a little off-course. Instead, it fits the bill of Romans 8:7-8. “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  If we see our sin much clearer, we’ll see how black and wicked it is which should lead us to zealously repent and put it to death, rather than make excuses or explain it away as a personality thing, a preference issue or a wisdom issue.[1]

Here are three opposing promises that many of us believe rather than believing the Lord:

1.       Working, fretting, and worrying is better than waiting on the Lord.

There are many verses that commend and command waiting on the Lord (ex. Psalm 25:3, 27:14, 33:20, 37:9,34, 62:1,5, Isaiah 40:31, 64:4). But they aren’t simply commands, there are also reasons for why we should wait on the Lord and promises for those who do wait on the Lord. 

For example, Psalm 33:20 says, “Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.” The Psalmist waits for the Lord, BECAUSE God is his help and his shield. In other words, the reason that the Psalmist is willing to wait on God, rather than being his own help and his own shield, is because he believes that God is his help and his shield. And he is willing to wait because he truly believes that God is a BETTER help and a BETTER shield than he ever could be for himself. After all, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and perfectly good and loving. How could you or I ever think that our working, fretting and worrying would be a better help and shield than the Lord? The answer is sin. But we need to see it clearly in order to confess and attack the sin at the root of unbelief with the better promises of God in order to truly repent and honor the Lord. 

One other passage, which doesn’t explicitly say wait, but waiting and patience is definitely part of the application of the passage is 1 Peter 5:6–7— “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” According to this verse, humbling ourselves under the Lord’s mighty hand is for the purpose of WAITING on God to exalt us at the proper time, or the RIGHT time. We are commanded to humble ourselves and to wait on the Lord for exaltation. The opposite of that is worry and anxiety according to v.7. Humble people will go to their mighty Lord in prayer[2], whereas proud people will go to fretting, worrying and working to be exalted in their way, in the time that they deem best. 

Are there areas in your life where God wants you to wait, and generously holding out promises of blessing to you? Ask yourself, why do you believe that your efforts, plans, resources and skills are better to bring you blessing than the God who controls and owns everything? 

2.       Coming to my own defense is better than humility.

A second significant opposing promise that many of us struggle with, is coming to our own defense rather than taking the path of humility. 

Multiple times we are explicitly warned and promised, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6). Often in our pride we are blinded to the fact that we are defending ourselves. But there are plenty of times when we just believe defending our own righteousness and honor is better than waiting on God to vindicate us.

We are commanded to take up the armor of God in Ephesians 6. Most of the items are defensive items for our protection. The helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17), the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14), and the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16). But it’s important to note that the helmet of salvation isn’t the salvation that I accomplish and work for myself. Rather, it’s the salvation that was accomplished through Jesus Christ, by grace alone through faith alone. Likewise, the breastplate of righteousness isn’t my righteousness. My righteousness apart from Christ in me and the Holy Spirit is like swiss cheese at best! It has holes all over the place. And the shield of faith, isn’t faith in myself, my perception, my strength. It’s faith in God and his Word. 

Sadly, we often prefer our own armor in our pride. We think far too highly of ourselves (cf. Romans 12:3), and then when someone doesn’t share our same enthusiasm in our righteousness we grab ahold of the sword—not the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God—but we grab ahold of our own sword and thrust our harsh, destructive words at the other person. All too often we believe that it feels better to oppose God and others by defending ourselves, rather than rejoicing in the God who gives grace to the humble. 

Ask yourself, do you really want the grace of God? Do you really want God’s unmerited favor? Or would you rather fight for your own salvation in the eyes of others and go head-to-head with God? For myself, I pray that his Spirit will help me long for God’s grace through humility and turning the other cheek, rather than picking a fight with my heavenly Father. It didn’t go well when I went against my earthly father as a child. Do I really think it will go well against my heavenly Father? 

3.      My penance is better than Christ’s blood. 

A third opposing promise to God’s promise, but by no means the last, is believing that seeking to atone for my sin through penance is better than fully trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Penance refers to our efforts to pay for our own sins. Now, I know that probably most who would read this blog are not Catholic, and do not theologically believe in penance. However, even for those of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ and believe we are saved by grace alone, the old sinful flesh still rears its ugly head leading us back to penance and works rather than the cross and grace. 

Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” That’s stunning! It doesn’t say there is some condemnation. It says there is NONE. And it emphasizes that there is no condemnation NOW. It doesn’t promise that someday it will go away. It promises that it is totally gone for those who are in Christ. 

So why do we struggle so much with shame and believing that we have to hide and cover up our sin? Why do we feel that when we sin, we cannot immediately run back to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16)? Often we shrink back in shame. We stay away from God by not getting into his perfect Word that revives the soul (Psalm 19:6), and not going to the Lord in prayer who stands ready to forgive (1 John 1:9). We isolate from others out of fear and condemnation. 

It may seem strange to say this, but when we do that, we are believing that our penance is better than Christ’s blood. We may be believing the promise that paying off our debt through works is better than forgiveness. Or we might believe that we have to suffer for our own sin in order to atone for it. Yes, we may say we need Jesus’ blood, but we sinfully add our own suffering to Jesus which says, “Jesus, your sacrifice and your blood wasn’t enough. I have to add my own penance onto yours in order to be free from condemnation.” 

Hopefully, you’d be quick to say, “You can’t add anything to Jesus’ sacrifice for sins!” But I also hope you can see how often we struggle with the old self that grows corrupt through “deceitful desires” (Eph. 4:22). Or perhaps we could say, “deceitful promises”? Oh, what a terrible lie and promise that opposes the promise of the precious blood of Jesus (cf. 1 Peter 1:18-19)! 

Ask yourself, are you living in the freedom of complete forgiveness of sin that comes from Christ’s precious blood? Or are you still trapped, believing your own promise that your efforts, your suffering, your penance is necessary to finally free you from condemnation? 

CONCLUSION

I’ve only given three examples of sinful, deceitful promises we believe, that come from our flesh, the world and the devil, and that oppose the very great and precious promises God has granted to us (cf. 2 Peter 1:3-4). The only way to defeat these sinful promises, is with better promises!

•           Better meaning, truthful promises rather than false and deceitful promises that prove empty in the end (John 17:17, Psalm 119:142, 160).
•           Better meaning, the reward for living according to those promises is so much better than the reward for the promises that aren’t from God (cf. Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18).
•           Better meaning, the promises last forever, rather than just for a short, brief moment (cf. Isaiah 40:7-8).

God’s Word is filled with very great and precious promises that are true for the believer in Jesus Christ! Ask that the Lord would help you see what false promises are competing with the truthful, enduring, better promises of God. And then memorize, pray, and go to war against those deceitful promises with the promises of God, for his glory and your good!