What is the status of promises these days? Has the making of a promise become a simple figure of speech? When we say, “I promise,” are we really saying, “I'm going to try,” or “I really do intend to accomplish what I said I would do”? Have we lost our connection between our promises and our integrity? It seems as though the power of a promise has gone from being a guarantee of what will happen to a way of showing effort in getting things done. So, what does God see in us when we make a half-hearted promise to someone else? Does this kindle His wrath, or does it just disappoint Him? What should we know and do when it comes to making and keeping our promises?
God's promises
If we want to truly understand what keeping promises is really supposed to be all about, we need look no further than to God himself. When we begin to get to know who He is by understanding the Bible, a few things become plain. First and foremost, God’s word is truth. This means that whenever He says anything regarding the future, He is stating a future fact that has simply not yet been revealed. Second, God is the very definition of integrity. All of His actions and plans fit together in a completely harmonious fashion. God’s promises will always be just, loving and merciful realities. He does not break a promise.
Human promises
With such a lofty standard for promises in place, we now need to look into the role our human promises play. What may come as a surprise is that the New Testament says very little to encourage us to make promises, with two main exceptions. First, there is the godly promise of forsaking all to become a disciple of Jesus. This promise is made to God and absolutely needs to be kept. Second is the promise of marriage. This solemn promise is made during a wedding ceremony with God as a witness and also requires lifelong fidelity.
Outside of these two promises, Jesus himself had very little to say regarding promise making and promise keeping. Now the big question is why. Why aren’t we encouraged to be people whose promises are widely heralded as sound and dependable? The answer is simple. God designed Christian integrity to work in a very different way.
Check out our February 10, 2025 podcast, “Does God Punish Us When We Break a Promise?” for more. We break down the biblical approach for living a Christian life according to Scripture. We address what the consequences might look like for those Christians whose promises are questionable. Most importantly, we follow the powerful guidelines Jesus gave us regarding living a reverent and promise- keeping life. Join us as we uncover many surprising and revealing aspects of being human and making promises. There is so much to learn!