God’s Unconditional Promises

by Micky Galloway

As we continue to consider things God has promised, it is essential that we consider two classes of promises. There are conditional promises. These are promises that ARE conditioned upon what man does. There are unconditional promises, i.e. promises that no one can do anything about. These will be without any consideration for what man does. Consider these unconditional promises.

In the beginning God created everything so that it produces after its kind (Genesis 1:24). Cows do not produce canaries, watermelons do not produce apples, etc. God said, “Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12). In Genesis 8:22 God promised, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” There is nothing that man can do to change this promise of God. It is unconditional.

God also promised that there would be no more world destruction by means of a flood. In Genesis 9:11 God promised, “And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.” As a reminder of this promise God set the rainbow in the sky. No conduct of man will ever change this promise God made. It is unconditional. God did also promise the future destruction of the world by means of fire. The inspired apostle Peter wrote, “but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (II Peter 3:7-10). This is not conditioned upon what man does, but will come by the unconditional promise of God.

God promised the world a redeemer. We get a glimpse of this promise as early as Genesis 3:15. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” This promise becomes the theme of the Old Testament as it is extended through Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) and David (II Samuel 7:14ff). The apostle Paul taught, “Of this man’s seed hath God according to promise brought unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus” … “And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children…” (Acts 13:23, 32). The Jews tried to prevent this promise from being fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, but their efforts fulfilled prophecies of this unconditional promise. Peter very powerfully reminds the Jews of this in Acts chapters 2 and 3.

After the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, God promised through the angels that Christ shall come again. “And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were looking steadfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11). God never promised that Christ will set foot upon the earth again, but that he will come in the clouds. The apostle Paul added, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:16-18). Christ is coming! Nothing man can do can prevent His coming, for this is an unconditional promise.

When He comes, the dead will be raised. Jesus promised, “Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29). Yes, when the son of Man comes, the dead will be raised and there will be a separation or judgment. Jesus taught, “But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-32). The day of judgment is spoken of as an appointment that all will keep, “inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31). The Hebrew writer said, “it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this (cometh) judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Assuredly, the judgment is promised unconditionally. You will be there, I will be there … No one will escape. “For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10).

Unconditional promises never fail! “God is not a man, that he should lie, Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and will he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). In view of these unconditional promises, let us give earnest consideration to God’s promises of salvation. Indeed, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (I Timothy 1:15) and “it is he that shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). But, beloved, salvation IS NOT an unconditional promise! God has promised to save those who meet His conditions. We will consider these conditions in a future study.