Children of Promise

Romans 9:8 ~ "This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring."

The generations of Israel longed for the promised Messiah. And when the Lord Jesus came and revealed Himself as the promised Savior, the leaders of Israel rejected Him and embraced their heritage instead. In John 8:39-40 this conversation took place: "They answered him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, 'If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.'"

Clinging to their Jewish roots, the Pharisees and other religious leaders denied the very One who had come and rejected the work of Abraham, the one to whom they claimed to belong. What was the work of Abraham? Simple, Abraham believed God. "For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness'" (Romans 4:3). Merely claiming their history did not make them acceptable before the Lord God. Even John the Baptist spoke out against their claims of heritage, "And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham" (Matthew 3:9). 

So, let me ask: are you holding out hope for everlasting life based upon the flesh, or based upon God's promise? Let me explain.

There are those today that cling to a false hope of everlasting life. A hope that they have built for themselves based upon some form of earthly effort or religious heritage. Some have claimed they belong to God because their parents are saved. It is a familial hope, but one that will fail before God. Consider Ezekiel 18:20, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."

There are those who cling to their religious duty, believing that their efforts will warrant them some acceptability before God. They perform rites and rituals, offer prayers and chants, sing songs and follow liturgies. All of this is done in some form of belief that their good activities will outweigh the bad and they will be ushered in to the eternal presence with the blessing of the Almighty. They will be sadly mistaken, for they will hear those dreadful words of our Lord in Matthew 7:22-23, "On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

I have known those who claim their religious heritage--I'm a Baptist, I'm a Presbyterian, I'm a Methodist, etc.--with the thought that their association with a religious order will somehow usher them in to the greater fellowship of the saints and stand in good stead before the Lord. It is a fool's hope.

Only those who are "children of promise" will be grafted in to the Lord Jesus. It is through faith in Christ that we are saved--not by works so there can be no boasting before God (see Ephesians 2:8-9). So, I ask you--are you a child of promise?

Human effort can reform even some of the worst of men, but there will be no human effort that will redeem even one. We are commanded to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation--and in nothing and no one else. Our only hope is found in Christ alone. What is the promise? What is it that the Pharisees missed? They believed that the righteousness required by God could be attained through their effort--by works. But the righteousness God demands is impossible for us to achieve. It will only come through faith in the Lord Jesus.

Consider Romans 9:32-33, "Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.'"

If you are not a child of promise, you are not saved. If you want to be saved, you must believe in the Lord Jesus. What does it mean to believe? That you believe that you are justly condemned by God for your sins against Him and that Jesus took upon Himself your deserved punishment--paying the price for your sins. And, in believing, you do as Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

What do you cling to? Is it your heritage or good works that give you hope of everlasting life? Or have you run to the Lord Jesus and know that He alone is the Savior of the world? Remember this promise--and believe it--"Everyone who call on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).

In His Grace,
​Pastor Michael

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