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"The promise which is out of faith in Jesus Christ is to them that believe in Jesus Christ",
which is an unnecessary repetition. Moreover, the expression, "out of the faith of Jesus
Christ", is set in contrast with "out of the law" in the preceding verses. Now "out of the
law" looks to the law as the source, and "out of the faith of Jesus Christ" looks to that
faith as a source, and that faith is none other than His faithfulness unto death.
Rom. 3: 3 and 7 use the word "faith" and "truth" interchangeably:--
"Shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect?" (Rom. 3: 3).
"For if the truth of God hath more abounded" (Rom. 3: 7).
This being the case, Peter's attitude to those who said, "Where is the promise of His
coming?" is a foregone conclusion. He says of such:--
"For this they are willingly ignorant of, that by the Word of God . . . . ." (II Pet. 3: 5).
"As also in all his epistles . . . . . the other scriptures" (II Pet. 3: 16).
The exhortation of II Cor. 7: 1, it will be remembered, follows a series of promises
collected from different parts of O.T. Scripture, all which deal with the question of the
purpose and provision of God for dwelling with His people. It does not simply say, "Let
us cleanse ourselves", but rather, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves", and these promises are all part of the written Word of God.
With the revelation of the mystery, quotation of the earlier scriptures almost ceased,
for the reason that a new revelation is therein made, based upon a phase of God's purpose
not dealt with in the earlier scriptures, but essentially hid in God until the time of its
manifestation.
Eph. 1: 13, 14 is no exception to the rule that the promises of God are not to be
divorced from His Word. In these verses, and used in such a way that it is impossible to
separate, is the "hearing" and the "believing" of the Word of truth and the "sealing" and
the "earnest" of the "holy promissory spirit".
There are many great and precious promises, and while we must be careful to divide
the Word of truth aright, because the promises made to Abraham or to David do not
necessarily belong to the Church of the One Body, it still remains true that whatever may
be said of the stability and the certainty of such last mentioned promises and the glorious
fact that all of them are found in Christ, may be said with equal truth and equal comfort
regarding those promises that belong exclusively to the Mystery. In this series we are not
attempting to differentiate, so much as to see what is common to all the promises of God,
trusting thereby to minister grace to our readers and to glorify God for His faithfulness.