Life is filled with promises. I remember as a little girl wanting something and my Mom would say, “I promise, if….” I knew if my Mom promised something, it was going to happen. You see, a promise is only as good as the person who makes it. I’ve known many who make promises with no intention to fulfill them. They are merely interested in getting what they want, there is no concern for the other person or for integrity. Sometimes people make promises with the intent to keep them, but circumstances prevent the fulfilling of the promise. There is also another aspect about promises that we must consider. Most promises have conditions, as with my Mom, there was usually an “if” in the sentence that placed part of the responsibility of securing the promise on me. I had to meet the conditions of the promise. While there are limits to fulfilling our promises, there are no limits on God. His promises are truth. If God makes a promise, He will keep it.
God has made many promises in Scripture. Most of those promises are to us that follow Him. The greatest promise is the promise of eternal life to those who place their faith in Him and endure to the end.
Matthew 24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Matthew 10:22 “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
This promise has a condition. You must endure to the end. The idea that we can make a profession of faith and that our eternity is secure regardless of how we live is simply ridiculous. I’ve known of many who made a profession, and then lived as if there is no God. They lived a very selfish life indulging in many activities that were against God’s word. Yet, when they died, those that loved them clung to the commitment they made but never kept. I’m sure it made those who loved them feel better, but there is no security for those who do not endure.
Revelation 2:7 and 3:21 both speak of eternal life belonging to those that overcome this world.
Revelation 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
Revelation 3:21 “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”
So, what does it mean to overcome? When we overcome something, it indicates the idea of a battle or opposition. The Greek word for overcome is a word that means to conquer or gain victory. In the Bible, we are to overcome every sin, especially those that seem to trip us up often. In Hebrews 12:1. these sins are referred to as “besetting sins.” The writer gives us the analogy of a runner who is continually looking forward, he is cheered on by those in the stands, but he never takes his eyes off the prize. His desire is to overcome every obstacle that can slow him down from winning the prize in the end. This is a great analogy of how we are to win the Christian race.
Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
We are to overcome the temptations that Satan places in our path every opportunity he can. We know that we can do this, because John tells us that greater is the one that is within us, the Holy Spirit, than the one in the world, Satan.
I John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
The Christian life can be looked at as warfare with Satan as our chief enemy. He will use any tactic possible to trip us up. There are many who fall and never get back up. They give in to the lures of this world and wave the white flag of surrender to the things of this world. I believe the writer of Hebrews, John, Paul, and many others make it very clear that if we are to gain the promise of eternal life we must endure to the end. We must overcome the enemy that desires our soul. To those who do not overcome, there is no promise of eternal life in Heaven.
God has promised He will make a way to escape the temptations of this life. I Corinthians 10:13 teaches us that there are no temptations that are not common to the human race. While we may face what we think are impossible odds to overcome, God has promised a way to escape. However, we must look for the “out” and be willing to take it.
I Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
When God makes a promise, we can be sure He will keep it, but we must meet the conditions He has set forth. He offers that promise to every believer, so grab hold and hang on until the end!
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