The Promise On Which We Must Stand

Most Rev. (Dr) Gabriel G. Dunia

The promise of God once it has been made is as good as its perfect fulfillment. The reason for this is that the promise of God is embedded in God's everlasting fidelity, love and truth. The promise of God is THE AMEN with a difference because as it is being made, its fulfillment is also being simultaneously guaranteed in and through the divine faithfulness, love and truth. In other words, each of all the known promises of God is synonymous with the unfailing, unfading, unchangeable and everlasting amen, certitude, faithfulness, love suretyship and truth of God. We reasoned what we have written as such because all the known promises of God have always been known to be fulfilled without fail all through the ages. Abraham received many of such promises:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves” (Genesis 12:1-3

God never failed Abram in this promise. He brought Abram successfully to the Promised Land and showed it to him and said: “To your descendants I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7). “For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants for ever” (Genesis 13:15). “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be great” (Genesis 15:1). “Behold, my covenant is with you and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:4). So, Abram was changed to Abraham = the father of a nation to the father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:5-8). He [the Lord] is mindful of His covenant forever, of his word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant” (Psalm 105:8-10).

God is first of all the promise; for as he is forever, unchangeable, so is his fidelity to his promises which is established forever. His words shall never pass away (cf. Isaiah 40:8). His promises must be kept (cf. Tobit 14:4-6). God does not lie; he does not retract (cf. Number 23:19). God's plans are always carried out (cf. Isaiah 25:1). The word that issues from the mouth of God does not return to Him empty until it has accomplished its mission (Isaiah 55:11). It is the unchangeable determination of God to unite to Himself the spouse He has chosen by a bond of perfect fidelity (cf. Hosea 2:22). Without this union of the bond of fidelity between God and his spouse it will be impossible to know God (cf. Hosea 4:2).

CHRISTO-CENTRICITY OF ALL DIVINE PROMISES
The practical expression of the everlasting faithfulness of God to his promises is made visible in the incarnate word of God, Jesus Christ, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Here man's hope of knowing God, seeing God, touching God, eating and being God, as it were, have been made realizable. So, the appearance of Jesus Christ is the appearance of the promise of the Father and its fulfillment. It is through Jesus Christ with him in him that all the promises of God, the past, the present and the future have their fulfillment (cf. 2nd Corinthians 1:20). It was Jesus Christ that the law and prophets spoke about. This PROMISE, Jesus Christ, is the descendant of David who is seated “at the right hand of God” (Psalm 110:1). He is the one who will inherit the nations (Psalm 2:8). He is the virtuous branch spoken of through the mouth of the prophet (Jeremiah 23:5f), which will be the glory of Israel and the restorer of the people. He is the shepherd who will come to feed his sheep like the new David (Ezekiel 34:23f). This promise eventually comes to fulfill the scripture and the work of His Father (Mark 10:45; Luke 24:44; John 19:28 and 30; Apocalypse 19:11). In Him are the salvation and glory of the elect (2 Timothy 2:10); with him men and women are called by the Father to enter into communion, and it is by Him that believers will be strengthened and made faithful to their vocation until the end (1 Corinthians 1:8).

When he was about to leave his followers and the world physically, Jesus earnestly urged his followers to keep his commandments (John 14:15) and remain in his love (manete in dilectione mea = remain in my love (John 15:9), and that he would pray the Father, who will give them another counselor to be with them for ever (John 14:16). Here Jesus and the father made another promise to his followers. Although it is referred to as the promise of the Father (cf. Luke 24:49; Act 1:4), it is the promise of the Father and the Son because Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him (cf. John 14:10 and 11).

THE PROMISE THAT CROWNS THE PROMISE
The promise that crowns the central promise in all its works is the promise of the Father. This promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son. So, when he comes, he proceeds from the Father and the Son. The main purpose of the Holy Spirit is the sanctification of the whole mission of Christ on earth. Mindful of this role of sanctifying the whole mission of Christ on earth, the Holy Spirit descended, filled and sanctified the followers of Jesus Christ. This sanctification equipped them with all the necessary wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength (fortitude/courage), knowledge, piety and fear of love) of the Lord which guided and guarded them in the establishment of the visible Church of Christ, here on earth. It is this Spirit which, filling the universe and holding all things united in existence (Wisdom 1:7), also contains all promises of God (Galatians 3:14). In other words, all promises of God which are innumerable to count are contained in and distributed by the Holy Spirit according to the needs of the Church from generation to generation.

This promise of the Father and the Son is now a reality because Christ has achieved His work on earth (John 17:4), He has loved his own to the end (John 13:1), He has given his body and blood (Luke 22:19). Consequently, all the treasures of God are now open to Him and He can now promise everything. In his name one can now ask for everything of God and one is sure of receiving it (John 14:13ff). This everything is the Spirit of Truth, which the world cannot receive (John 14:7). This Spirit is the living richness and presence of the Father and the Son, Christ remains with His Church always to the end of time (Matthew 28:19 and 20), so that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it (Luke 16:18). Therefore, it is on this promise which has never failed in the past, has not failed now and will never fail in the future, that we must stand now and always.