One Hope, One Promise

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
– Hebrews 10:23 NIV 

We hold onto the hope we profess unswervingly, because God is faithful. Unswervingly is a nautical term, that means to keep the ship on course. But it can also mean to drop anchor and to be held fast and secure. For the writer of Hebrews, the hope we profess is an anchor-dropping event.

Hebrews 6 talks about the promises and hope, and even has a similar nautical usage: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. (Hebrews 6:19-20 NIV). You might think that eternal life in heaven is the hope; but it’s more personal than that.

“… Of Christ Jesus, who is our hope.” (1 Timothy 1:1). Matthew Henry, an 18^th-century theologian would agree: “Christ is the object and ground of the believers hope. Let us therefore set our affections on things above, and wait patiently for his appearance, when we shall certainly appear with him in glory.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible). Like Paul said, Jesus is our hope.

What about the promise? The greatest promise of all is Jesus. Consider all the prophecies regarding His birth, who He was and what He would do. And the prophecies of what He would do; some are still going on!

“With the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14 ESV).

Back to Hebrews: Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2 NLT). The promise of salvation, the promise of deliverance, the promise of eternal life. All these are found in Jesus Christ. The Promise became a Person.

Today’s One Thing:

King David tells us: God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. (Ps 18:30 NLT). One trustworthy website says there are over 3000 divine promises in the Bible; another nearly 7500. Regardless of the actual count, if all of God’s promises prove to be true, how many of them have proven true for you? Spend some time with an online concordance, and look up some of those promises. Here is an everlasting one: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28 ESV).

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