Confidence in God

Confidence in God

                                               II Timothy 1:12

                “For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded (win over, believed or have assurance in) that he is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that day”. What had Paul committed to the Lord? His life. Why he was confident that the Lord could keep what was committed to him and can we have this same confidence? In order to follow someone, we must place our confidence in that person that they are able to perform what we commit to them. Notice some verses from the Bible that show us we can place our confidence in the Lord.

            Chapter 3 of Exodus, God is speaking to Moses from the flames of a burning bush. God is declaring to Moses that He has seen the afflictions of His people in Egypt and that Moses was to be the deliverer of His people. 3:13, Moses ask God, “When I come to the children of Israel and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you. And they shall say unto me, “what is His name? “What shall I say to them”?

            Exodus 3:14, “and God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And He said, “thus shall thy say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me to you”. The words “I AM” is an expression of God’s nature. In using this phrase, God identifies Himself as the self-existing one, the unique, eternal one, uncreated God. An existence different from all other existences.  God is the ultimate truth

            Exodus 3:15.” And God said moreover unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of you fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. God here tells Moses that this is to be a name used and understood for the rest of history. Isaiah 45:5, 6, “I AM the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me. I girded thee, through thou hast not known Me. That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there none beside. I AM the Lord, and there is none else”. Strong defines the word “girded” to bind or compass about. Instead of “ungirding” loosing, God would “gird them” giving them strength for battle.

            John 8:24, Christ says, “therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins”. What did Christ say they must do? Believe that “I AM”. Today likewise we must believe that Christ is the, “I AM”. Then what must I believe about him?

(Continued on back)

            John 8:28, “ then Jesus said to them, when you lift up the son of Man, then you will know that “ I AM” and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I speak these things”. Jesus here in these two verses revealed to them who he was, yet they failed to understand who he was and put him to death. John 8:58, “Jesus said to them, most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, “I AM. In verse 59, they tried to kill him.

            By using this, “I AM”, those during Jesus time should have known who he was having reference to. Exodus 3:14. God there told Moses, “tell them I AM has sent me. Israel then knew when Moses said “I AM” has sent me would know to whom Moses was referring to.

            John 8:58, “before Abraham was, I AM. Jesus did not say before Abraham was born, I was born. Before Abraham was (came into existence) I AM. Abraham had a beginning, did not always exist. The contrast here is, I AM is uncreated, absolute, eternal, always existing and independent of time. Those in the book of Exodus knew this. They knew “I AM “meant eternal God, the one who had no beginning or ending. They knew he was the one who created all things, is all powerful, all knowing , and is always present to everyone. He was someone they could put their trust in.

            Read Isaiah 43:1-13. “Yea, before the day, I AM HE’. Before the beginning of time, the first day of creation, there was no one before him nor there no one to come after him. We should understand today to whom “I AM” is referring and we can have complete confidence in him. As Paul stated, “I believe he can keep that which I commit to him. Do we show the same trust today concerning our souls?

- CL Bruner