2 Peter 1:4 English Standard Version (ESV) by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

A few of us are in an on-line bible studies together. The devotional today was about character. I had written a devotional myself two days ago about God’s Character. Now as I open up my bible studies the opening verse is this one from 2 Peter 1:4 and it fits in perfectly well.

There is a sense of timing in which a pastor had his say, I had my say, and the editors over at Bibledateway had their say. Independent from one another it is only the Holy Spirit that connects us in any way.

So this is what God has today. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

That is a direct quote that was stirred up in my mind by the Lord who holds my heart in His hands. It is not a word of prophecy and should not be taken as such. It only holds meaning to those of us that are here to receive it during the events that are current in our experience.

Will that touch anyone else’s life? I don’t know. That is for God to decide. All I can do is bear witness to what is currently going on in my life and a few friends. I think it is very possible that this happens to others I don’t even know. I can believe in that possibility because that promise Peter speaks about is given to us all.

We have His promises in common. We have His Spirit in common. His Word abides in us in different languages and versions but it is the same Word, Jesus Christ.

The Word is alive because Christ is alive and ruling in our hearts by faith.

We use the word faith as if it is a religion with comments like “What’s your faith?” Faith, true faith, is a gift from God to us to use in this life with Christ. We walk by faith, we do not walk by religion.

How we define faith defines our walk with Christ.

Romans 10:17 English Standard Version (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Deuteronomy 7:9 English Standard Version (ESV) Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

The Old Testament is full of character statements about both God and mankind. If we identify the character statements about each here we might draw the wrong conclusions because it is so easy to just write off what is said because we now live in the New Covenant.

First, the Lord our God is God. That hasn’t changed. Secondly our God is faithful, that hasn’t changed. Third He keeps covenants but the covenant has changed. The fact that the covenant changed has nothing to do with God keeping that first covenant. Third His steadfast love has not changed.

Mankind was to keep loving God and keeping His commandments for a thousand generations. Mankind did not keep loving nor obeying. The historical records indicate that mankind failed over and over again. Those records also show God kept taking them back. His character, love and faithfulness did not change just because mankind could not keep covenant with God.

Conditional covenants always place the if qualifier on mankind’s part, there is no if and or buts when it comes to God’s character. God loves unconditionally. God is faithful unconditionally. 

Numbers 23:19 English Standard Version (ESV) God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

God does not make excuses. We tend to make excuses for failing. It is often said to be someone else’s fault. This kind of unacceptable thinking can even go so far as to accuse God of not holding up His end of the bargain. Man will try to bargain with God but God does not bargain with mankind.

God makes covenants and promises and in those He is faithful and true. If we do not understand them or misinterpret their meanings, that is our failing, not God’s.

Joshua 23:14 English Standard Version (ESV) “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.”

OT comment that is still true.