EPPAGELIA (Promise)
What is the Word?
Life is tough to endure, and there are some virtues that can help to ease the burdens of others. Something many of us strive to be is reliable and dependable. We make it a priority to be considered a person of our word, to be perceived as sincere and trustworthy. Interestingly, this may reflect something deep in our nature-something that derives from being created in God’s image. It turns out, God is also concerned about being perceived as trustworthy. He goes to great lengths to assure us that he alone is who we should place our trust in. The New Testament speaks of this as God’s promise, which in Greek is rendered epaggelia.
How does the Bible use this word?
While epaggelia is generally translated as promise, there are some interesting overtones here that can help us to retain a better understanding. In one sense, this is the word that is almost exclusively used in the New Testament to refer to God’s promises. Since God cannot lie, we can see God’s promise as that which is according to God’s very nature. His promises cannot fail because God himself cannot fail. Therefore, we can be completely certain that God will fulfill his promise because he cannot do what is contrary to his very being.
Where in the Bible?
This word comes up repeatedly in the Book of Acts, which gives us an insight into the purposes of the author. For example:
“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise (ἐπαγγελία) is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.””
Here, we can see that Peter is concerned about God’s authenticity. He wants everyone to know that the promise was not merely for the Jews, but for the entire world! Anyone can participate in God’s new redeemed creation and become a member of Christ’s body.
Paul also speaks of Christ as the one place where all of these great promises of God find their ultimate fulfillment:
“For all the promises (ἐπαγγελίαι) of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
Paul notes that Christ is the ultimate proof of God’s reliability and sincerity. The prophecies of old have all come to fruition. Because the tomb is empty and Christ has risen, we can be confident that God cannot and will not lie to us.
Word of Promise
God’s promises to us are all fulfilled in Christ and for that we can rejoice. However, we can also glean some important teaching for how we should interact with one another in the realm of our relationships. Because Christ holds steadfast to his own word, we too should hold steadfast to our own. Let our yes be yes, and our no be no so that we can also be that person whom our spouse, children, and neighbor can rely upon in all things.