…²⁹ for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

I promise you.” “Believe me.” “Take my word for it.” “You can count on me.” How often do these words gush forth with no more weight than the breath with which they are uttered? The psalm writer, in recognizing that only God could save him from his stressful situation and seeing that the words of mere humans were not enough, concluded that “All men are liars” (Ps 116:11). David, another psalmist, wrote: “Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than breath.” (Ps 62:9). The counsel of men has no weight; it offers no foundation on which to build one’s life. To be sure, we need to consider the wisdom of others, but not for our foundation of life.

Unlike politicians, fortune-tellers and well-meaning friends and intimates, God always keeps His promises. If this were not so, then “all bets are off.” As Christians, everything we hold to depends on God keeping His word. Absolutely everything. The world offers its counsel; the wise of this world present their philosophies and worldviews. But “let God be found true, though every man be found a liar …” (Rom 3:4).

Human beings distinguish between normal conversation and promises. We even punctuate our statements at times by formally saying something is a promise. In doing so, we seemingly add weight to our statements. God doesn’t need to use such conventions—if He says something, He means it and will do as He says He will do. But He does use human conventions to emphasize the trueness of His word. Here, the Word of God says, “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” They are non-contingent; that is, they do not depend on anything outside of God Himself. Theologians explain that God Himself is non-contingent; He is completely self-motivated, self-catalyzed. All initiative comes from Him. So when His Word says something is irrevocable, there is nothing in heaven or hell or on earth that can thwart it from happening.

Now, one of the greatest promises of the Bible was the one God made to Abraham. On this depends our very salvation, which Paul has argued in the book of Romans. The writer of Hebrews put it this way: “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you’” (Heb 6:13–14). Because God will keep His word, His promise to Abraham, He will keep His promise to save us, and “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed” (Rom 10:11).

Lord, I believe and know that I am saved, because You always keep Your word.