God's Guaranteed Promises

May 7th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 11:39-40 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

From Abel to Abraham to David to the others, “all of these…gained approval” by God by their faith. The “all” omits none of them, for God would never forget a single one of His faithful children. Faith is what pleases Him (11:6), for it trusts in God and His word—hoping for and being assured of the things not seen that God has promised. For these to have “gained approval,” they received God’s salvation by His grace, through faith. Those who died before Jesus Christ attained salvation based on what Christ would do. Likewise, those who have gained salvation in Jesus Christ following the cross attain salvation by what Christ has done. Both come by faith.

The Apostle Paul said, “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18), and each saint mentioned in Hebrews 11 looked toward not only that glory yet to be revealed but also what Peter said was “an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4). So because God’s promise is ultimately fulfilled in eternity, it can never be ultimately fulfilled on this side of glory. No wonder v. 39 says that all those OT saints “did not receive what was promised.” They gained the promise but not the promises fulfilled before they died. The ultimate blessing was merely inaugurated in Jesus Christ. But even now all of God’s promises are not entirely fulfilled so that Christians too can look forward in faith to their ultimate completion following Christ’s return (cf. Rev. 19-22).

There were times in the lives of the OT saints listed in Hebrews 11 that their faith saved them from death. But sometimes that same faith brought them death. They were believers of the highest order, trusting God with so little. But what they had, God’s word, was enough. Though their faith was strong, it was limited to the inferiority of the old covenant that looked forward to something better, namely the new covenant under Jesus Christ. Old covenant saints expected the fulfillment of God’s promise with the Messiah’s arrival, but they never saw it fulfilled. No matter! They still believed it would, and they were willing to suffer for their faith until it did.

Only up to the past 2,000 years when Christ appeared, died, and rose again did those OT saints gain complete salvation. They trusted God and, like Abraham, were counted as righteous (Gen. 15:6). But they died. The same is true with Christians today who believe and are counted as righteous. The believer’s ultimate salvation comes after death. Truly, all of God’s promises are ultimately fulfilled in what will transpire after the believer’s death. For faith is the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). The final fulfillment of God’s promises is not for anyone to see in the flesh, on this side of glory, but to believe by faith.

Food For Thought
We Christians today are far more privileged than the saints of the past, for we have all of God’s Word, all of His promises. We’ve seen so much more come to pass in relation to God’s promises. Christians today should be writing a new chapter on faith that surpasses yesterday’s saints, for we have so much more to strengthen our faith, even our own testimonies. In the same way that technology and information has increased exponentially in the past 50 years, so too has the ability to understand God’s word increased. What that should translate to is a new Hall of Faith like Hebrews 11—a modern chapter about faithful saints who trust in Christ, read and heed His word, and live in obedience to Him. So, if God were still inspiring holy writ, would your faith qualify you to be added to such a book? Perfection is not required, only true faith.