My dread of paying a big repair bill caused me some unneeded anxiety.  I remember putting off a water heater replacement in our home. What started out as a slight leak in the unit, eventually required several full size towels per day to catch the leaking water! When I gave up and admitted that my towel recycling was a lost cause, I prepared to contact the store and face the prospect of another repair bill.

My little drama then took an unexpectedly happy turn. On closer inspection of the 50 gallon water heater, I finally noticed a sticker: “lifetime warranty.” Hallelujah! Sure enough, I phoned Whirlpool with the details and was authorized to replace the defective heater with a new one–free! Our only cost was the plumber who helped us go “out with the old; in with the new.”

If only I had known of the lifetime guarantee earlier, I could have avoided those frustrating months of the mop-up operation.[1]

This episode got me thinking of a lifetime guarantee that is even better–God’s assured promises. In an age where so few people and organizations are credible, it’s wonderful to discover how the true and living God has taken extra measures to assure us that He is trustworthy.

Let’s see how God– the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit–has given believers special guarantees to encourage us to fully trust in Him.

1. God the Father has provided guarantees.

For many years Hebrews 6:13-19 has encouraged my faith. This Scripture passage demonstrates God’s extra measures to give us assurance:

“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.’ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things [His character and His oath], in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” [2]

Consider these “two unchangeable things.”

God’s unchangeable Character

God’s nature is true and He always reveals truth. As Moses declared, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19). Unlike fallible human beings, God is dependable. As James 1:17 puts it, “In Him [God] there is no variation nor the slightest suggestion of change” (James 1:17b, Weymouth).

The apostle Paul also affirmed God’s complete trustworthiness: “…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2).

If someone has lied to you repeatedly, each instance reduces his/her credibility. However, God has always been–and always will be–truthful. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus asked the Father, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). God the Father’s character guarantees that His Word is certain.

God’s unchangeable oath

How gracious of the Lord to give Abraham, “the father of those who believe, ” an added incentive to trust Him. Two unchangeable things, God’s character and His oath, give believers a guarantee of God’s promised salvation. This assurance provides a refuge of confidence in the face of persecution; it gives an anchor of security in the face of skepticism.

God’s promises have been proven generation after generation. Looking back over Israel’s victories in Canaan, Joshua confessed to the nation, “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed” (Josh. 23:14; 21:45).

God’s promise assures you that He is trustworthy. In light of the Father’s guarantees, rest in His promises. The LORD summons you:

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10).

(Part 1 of 3)

[1]. I’ve been wanting to write a book about avoiding procrastination, but I keep putting it off… 🙂

[2]. Quoting Genesis 22:17