When the apostle speaks of the promise of `eternal life' made by God

`before the world began', he interjects the qualifying claim `that cannot

lie'.  Why should this have been necessary here?  When the apostle approached

the `dispensational' chapters of his epistle to the Romans, namely chapters 9

to 11 (and only so called to distinguish them from the more doctrinal parts

of the epistle), his chief concern was to show that the setting aside of

Israel which was imminent, in no way invalidated the promises of God or cast

any reflection upon the faithfulness of God to His Word.  In Romans 3 this

same care for the good name of the Lord in spite of superficial evidence to

the contrary is apparent.

`For what if some did not believe ... God forbid: yea, let God be true,

but every man a liar' (Rom. 3:3,4).

Israel's faithlessness cannot impugn the faithfulness of God.  He keeps

His word both in grace and judgment.  So in Romans 9 to 11 `Hath God cast

away His people?'  `God forbid ... God hath not cast away His people which He

foreknew ... Israel hath not obtained ... the election hath obtained it, and

the rest were blinded' (Rom. 11:1,2,7).  So Paul opens this great section

with the asseveration `I say the truth in Christ, I lie not' and proceeds to

show that it is `the children of the promise (that) are counted for the seed'

(Rom.  9:1 -8), an elective purpose is at work, and That is what matters.

When he came to speak of his own peculiar apostleship to the Gentiles, a

commission that could only fully come into operation upon the blindness and

the scattering of Israel, Paul again uses this strong expression:

`Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle (I speak the truth

in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity'

(1 Tim. 2:7).

Here again the Gentile being prominent might arouse the suspicion that

God had gone back on His word to Abraham and to Israel, hence the apostle's

concern regarding the truthfulness of his claim.  Back and behind all this is

the promise made to Abraham after the offering of Isaac, this promise being

confirmed by an oath:

`That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to

lie, we might have a strong consolation' (Heb. 6:18).

This aspect of truth is stated positively in 2 Corinthians:

`For how many soever be the promises of God, in Him is the yea:

wherefore also through Him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through

us' (2 Cor. 1:20 R.V.).

Yet again, Ephesians assures us that those who believe are `sealed with

that holy spirit of promise' (Eph. 1:13).  The promise of life (2 Tim. 1:1;

Titus 1:2) was made by God that cannot lie, and this promise was made `before

the world began', pro chronon aionion.  It will be observed that there is no

word for `world' here or for the word `began', the literal rendering being

`before times of ages'.  The R.V. renders the phrase `before times eternal',

but if the word `eternal' be taken at its face value, there can have been no

times `before'.  Chronos `time' is familiar to the English speaker, coming as

it does in such words as chronology, chronicle, chronometer.  The phrase

`before the world began' occurs but twice in the New Testament, the second

occurrence being in 2 Timothy where Paul speaks of the purpose and grace

which was given us before the world began, but is now made manifest (2 Tim.