Promises

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature" (II Peter 1:4).

What promises does Peter have in mind? We might feel the answer is obvious: The Abrahamic and Davidic promises, of course. But hear what Bible commentators say:

“Not the promises of the Old Testament are meant, that Christ should come; but those of the New Testament, that Christ should come again” (Ellicott’s Commentary).

“The promised blessings of the gospel are very precious. The great promise of the New Testament is the Holy Ghost” (Matthew Henry).

Other commentaries add little else, with none of them mentioning the great covenants of old. It is our opinion, however, that Peter was specifically referring to the promises God made to these two great men, promises which together form the everlasting covenant.

Basis of our hope

Throughout the New Testament, these promises are the basis of the believer’s hope. Consider the following passages:

Galatians 3:26-29 which says that, in Christ, we are Abraham’s offspring “heirs according to the promise.”

Romans 4:13 states that the “promise” to Abraham and his seed (those justified by faith) was that they should be “heir of the world.”

Romans 15:8 reveals that Jesus was a minister of the circumcision “to confirm the promises made to the fathers.”

Acts 26:6 — Paul stood trial for the “hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.”

Ephesians 2:12 identifies the believers as no longer being “strangers to the covenants of promise [or] aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.”

Hebrews 6;17-20 indicates it is the promise to Abraham that relates the believer to the hope of immortality, i.e. the hope “which entereth into that within the veil.”

There are many others, but these are enough to demonstrate that the promises God made to the patriarchs form the basis of the believer’s hope. With this great emphasis on “the promises” in the rest of the New Testament, we are safe in concluding Peter was referring to these same promises.

Other evidence

This conclusion is reinforced by three other points of evidence:

  1. Peter describes the promises as being “exceeding great.” The only similar language is found in David’s words after he received the promises. In thankful response, David prayed, “O LORD, for thy servants sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things [Heb. greatness’s]” (I Chron. 17:19). Peter may have had this very passage in mind as he refers to “exceeding great” promises given by God’s own “glory and virtue” (i.e. His divine character, v.3 linked to v. 4 by “whereby”). The echoes are evident in the allusions to “greatness’s” and that which was of God’s “own heart” (i.e. His divine character).
  2. In verse 11, Peter says, “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Jesus’ everlasting kingdom is defined by the words of the angel to the virgin Mary: “The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). Here is an angelic application of the Davidic covenant to Jesus Christ. Peter says the faithful will not only partake of the divine nature but will also share in the fulfillment of these promises of old. He clearly has the Old Testament promises in mind in this section.
  3. In II Peter 3:13, we read, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” In these words, and the language describing the dissolution of this present order, we find obvious reference to Isaiah 51, 65 and 66 (Isa. 51:6,16; 65:17-18; 66:22 parallel II Peter 3:10-13). Now the importance of these Isaiah chapters to our consideration is that they are describing the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and David. Thus at both the beginning and end of his letter, Peter writes within the mental context of the Old Testament promises. Note the Isaiah references to the patriarchal promises:

Isaiah 51:1-2 “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness…look unto the rock whence ye are hewn…Look unto Abraham your father.”

Isaiah 51:4 (NASV) “I will set my justice for a light of the peoples” is based on, “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18).

Isaiah 51:6.8 stresses the blessing of God’s righteousness and the “forever” aspect of our hope: “But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished…but my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.” These are two great features of the Abrahamic covenant: “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever…and he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for right­eousness” (Gen. 13:15; 15:6). In Romans, Paul describes this imputed right­eousness as “God’s righteousness” picking up the idea of Isaiah 51.

There can be no doubt that Peter understood the covenants of promise in the same manner as ourselves. For all their schooling, theologians do not see these truths and we are reminded of how thankful we should be for the understanding we have been given. Let us, then, renew our determination to serve and be “followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:12).