Precious Promises by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Dec 2, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 46.

Precious Promises

By John Norton Loughborough

THERE “are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4. One of these promises of life is found in 1 John 2:25: “This is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life.” Of our Father's dealings with men our Saviour thus spoke: “Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:2, 3.

How great the Lord's promise of divine aid to poor fallible mortals who seek to follow the path of righteousness! The Lord, knowing our weakness, sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, even adopting contrite ones as His children. To accomplish this, He sent His own Son, “in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:3, 4.

There are not only “great and precious promises” the Lord has made, but there are a great many of these promises. There was a statement that went the rounds of the public journals a few years ago, that there were thirty-six thousand promises in the Bible. As I read it, I said to my companion: “I do not see how that can be, for I do not think there are so many verses in the Bible. Some of the verses are threatenings of God's wrath on the finally impenitent. Some of them are historical records. And many, as in the Chronicles, are simply names of persons.” A count discovered the fact that there are in the Bible over thirty-one thousand verses.

As I was about to read the Bible through again by course, I said, “I will count the promises, and then I shall know for myself how many are recorded.” I began the pleasant task, and prepared to classify the promises, as those relating to the present life, and those relating to the future. In preparation for this, I lined two columns, heading one “Present” and the other “Future.” Supposing I would need double space for the future promises, I so provided. I had not proceeded far in my work, however, before I had to change this plan, for I found more than three promises of the Old Testament related to the present for every one that referred to the future. Of this disappointment I said: “All right! Here is the field of battle. Here is where we need divine aid. He who has sworn by Himself concerning the future, who has given ‘two immutable things,’ His word and His oath, for the future, will see that what He has promised shall be performed.”

As the result of marking the promises, I found as follows: in the Old Testament, relating to the present life there are 798 promises; relating to the future life, 178; or a total of 976. In the New Testament the promises are more evenly divided. Relating to the present life there are 165 promises; to the future life, 153; or a total in the New Testament of 318. The total of direct promises in the Bible is 1,234. In many of these promises there are several things mentioned. I made a second count to ascertain how many items were mentioned in these promises, and I found in the Old Testament 3,044, and in the New Testament 529 items, or a total of the items promised in the entire Bible, 3,573. Besides these, there are many texts where a promise is implied which is not directly stated. But with all these, the count would fall far below the thirty-six thousand of the newspaper report.

What a treat to study God's “exceeding great and precious promises”!

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.