Yes and No

By Bill Brandstatter

     I grew up in a time when a man made a promise and kept it. Yes meant yes and no meant no. Our times, however, are changing. Man’s promises are not what they should be. Sometimes promises are rashly made and then not kept.
     I am glad that God’s promises are trustworthy. The Bible connects yes and no with the keeping of promises. The apostle Paul tells us that “All the promises of God in him are yes, and in him amen, to the glory of God through us.”(2 Cor. 1:20). God’s promises are sure and faithful. We can rely on Him to keep His word.
     When Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). He meant it. You can count on it. No matter what man says concerning salvation, that is what Jesus said,.
     God promises eternal life to the obedient. Peter tells us that God has give us “exceedingly great and precious promises”(2 Pet. 1:4). In the book of Hebrews, we read about those. The writer tells of some who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). From that text, we learn that God’s promises can provide assurances that can be embraced.
     Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Heb. 5:8,9). If we obey Him, we have the promise of salvation from our sins and the hope of a home in heaven with Him.

- Bill Brandstatter preaches for the Marion Church of Christ in Marion, IL. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/