4/27/18

Rainbows, promises and the knowledge of God by Gary Rose

Imagine you are this bird. You are so close to the rainbow that you feel like you are encompassed by it. All the vivid colors are so close that you feel you could almost touch them. In fact, they seem very real indeed. This close they are impressed upon your brain in a memory that can never be wiped out, never!!

Think for a moment about rainbows. God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of a covenant ( a sort of promise)…

Genesis, Chapter 8 (World English Bible)
8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9 “As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,
10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.
11 I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.  (emphasis added)
14 When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17 God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”  (emphasis added)

This covenant was a promise and the token was in the sky! In the clouds, which of course are far away from earth-bound human beings. With this in mind, lets change our thoughts to a different covenant (which of course, is a promise); namely the covenant between God and all human beings who have become Christians. God has promised all things that pertain to life and Godliness through Jesus Christ!

The Apostle Peter says...

2 Peter, Chapter 1 (World English Bible)
1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
3 seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue;
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. (emphasis added vs3f.)
5 Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge;
6 and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control patience; and in patience godliness;
7 and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (emphasis added)

So, what’s the difference? Jesus, and the grace and peace (vs. 2) which only HE gives. A promise of life and godliness, enhanced by “the knowledge of him who called us. God’s promise is fulfilled in Jesus and our part is the faithfulness and the application of knowledge.

I wonder; is there a rainbow of color for Christians. To me, the answer is a resounding YES! But a rainbow of only two colors: The first is the color RED, for the blood that Jesus shed on the Cross AND the color White for the purity from sin that only Jesus can provide.

One last thing- keep on learning; it will make you useful to him!!!