Faith in the Promise-Keeper, Not Just the Promise

# Faith in the Promise-Keeper, Not Just the Promise

There's a profound difference between believing in what God promises and believing in God Himself. This distinction isn't just theological hairsplitting—it's the very foundation of authentic faith that can withstand life's impossible circumstances.

## The Heart of True Faith

Throughout Scripture, we see a consistent pattern: God's approval comes through faith, not through religious rituals or perfect rule-keeping. This truth reverberates through the story of Abraham, a man who becomes the spiritual father of all believers—not because he was circumcised, not because he followed a perfect checklist, but because he believed in the Lord.

Consider the timeline carefully. Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness before he was circumcised. The physical sign came after the spiritual reality. This sequence matters tremendously because it demolishes the idea that external religious practices save us. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant, an outward expression of an inward faith that already existed.

Today, baptism serves a similar role—not as a saving act itself, but as an outward declaration of an internal transformation. It's the physical expression of a spiritual reality that has already occurred. And even more remarkably, Colossians 2:11 tells us that true circumcision today is spiritual, performed by Christ Himself on our hearts. When we come to salvation, Jesus circumcises our hearts, cutting away the body of sin. We become genuinely new—our past no longer defines us, our old nature is put to death, and we are freed from who we once were.

## The Futility of Law-Based Faith

Here's where things get uncomfortable for those who trust in their own religious performance: the law can only condemn, never save. The law serves as a mirror, showing us our sin, but it has no power to cleanse us. Works-based faith is ultimately void faith because it places confidence in human effort rather than divine grace.

First Corinthians 15:55-56 reveals something striking: "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." When we're bound to the law as our means of salvation, death retains its terror and the grave holds victory. But for those in Christ, freed from the law's condemnation, death loses its sting entirely. What the world sees as tragedy, believers can see as homecoming. The grave becomes temporary, not final, because resurrection is guaranteed.

This is why Christians grieve differently. We miss those who have gone before us, but we celebrate their arrival home. Death is not defeat—it's graduation.

## Believing the Impossible

Abraham's story takes a remarkable turn when God promises him a son at age 100. His wife Sarah was 90, long past menopause, biologically incapable of conception. By every natural measure, this promise was impossible. Yet Genesis 15:6 records that "he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

Notice what Abraham believed in—not the promise itself, but the Lord who made the promise. His faith wasn't in the outcome; it was in the character of God. Sarah's womb was dead, but God opened it. The situation looked hopeless, but God proved faithful.

This distinction becomes critical when we face our own impossibilities. Perhaps you're staring down circumstances that look hopeless. Maybe doctors have delivered devastating news. Maybe your calling seems to be ending in failure. Maybe persecution is intensifying. Maybe loved ones are deteriorating before your eyes.

In these moments, faith in outcomes will fail you. Faith in circumstances will crumble. But faith in the character of God—in His goodness, His faithfulness, His sovereignty—that faith can sustain you through anything.

Romans 8:28 promises that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Notice this doesn't promise that all things are good or feel good. It promises that God works all things together for good—for His purpose. Your faith isn't in getting the outcome you want; it's in trusting the One who sees what you cannot.

## Stop Looking at Yourself

Here's a truth that might sting: many of us spend far too much time focused on griefs and sorrows that have already been carried. We obsess over circumstances, fixate on problems, and center our thoughts on ourselves and our situations.

Isaiah 53:4-5 provides stunning clarity: "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows... he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

Read that again slowly. Your griefs? Already borne. Your sorrows? Already carried. Your transgressions? He was wounded for them. Your iniquities? He was bruised for them. Your peace? He took the punishment for it. Your healing? Purchased by His wounds.

The work is finished. The question is whether you believe in Him—not just intellectually, but with the kind of faith that shifts your gaze from your impossibilities to His sufficiency.

## Where Is Your Faith?

This brings us to the essential question: What is your faith actually in? Is it in the promises, or in the Promise-Keeper? Is it in your religious performance, or in His perfect sacrifice? Is it in your ability to figure things out, or in His ability to do the impossible?

The Bible wasn't given merely as a solution manual for life's problems. It was given to reveal Jesus—to show us how trustworthy and faithful God is. When you open Scripture, don't just look for answers to your immediate questions. Look for Jesus. See His character. Understand His love. Witness His faithfulness through generations.

Abraham's story wasn't recorded just for historical interest. It was written for us, so we might believe in the One who raised Jesus from the dead. The same God who opened Sarah's dead womb is the God who brought Jesus out of the tomb. He specializes in bringing life from death, hope from despair, possibility from impossibility.

## The Invitation

The world will tell you that faith like this is foolish. Circumstances will scream that it's naive. Even well-meaning people might suggest you're in denial. But faith in the Lord—not in outcomes, not in circumstances, not in yourself—this is the faith that was credited to Abraham as righteousness. This is the faith that saves. This is the faith that sustains.

Whatever mountain you're facing today, whatever impossibility looms before you, the question remains: Who is your faith in?