Many of God's promises in the New Testament were first read aloud in someone's home. The apostles wrote letters to small groups of believers in cities like Rome, Corinth and Philippi, and those letters were read to the whole church when it gathered.
The people hearing them were not comfortable. Some were poor. Some had lost their goods for their faith. Some were being pressured to give up their faith. So the promises in these letters were not written as pretty sayings. They were lifelines, and they read best when you know what the writer and the readers were going through.
This page sticks mainly to the letters, from Romans to Revelation. For the promises Jesus spoke Himself in the Gospels, see our page on the promises of Jesus.
Old Testament and New Testament promises side by side
The New Testament does not throw out the promises God made earlier. It shows where they were heading. Still, there are real differences, and seeing them helps you read both well.
| Many Old Testament promises | New Testament promises | |
|---|---|---|
| Spoken to | Named people such as Noah, Abraham, Moses and David, or the nation of Israel | Everyone who believes in Christ, Jew or Gentile |
| Often about | Land, children, harvests, safety from enemies, a king | Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, God's love, eternal life, the return of Christ |
| God's law written on | Tablets of stone given at Sinai | The heart (Jeremiah 31:33, quoted in Hebrews 8:10) |
| Given through | Moses and the prophets | Jesus, the mediator of a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6) |
| How they connect | Seen from far off and waited for (Hebrews 11:13) | Yea and Amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20) |
What better promises means
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Hebrews 8:6 (KJV)
The writer of Hebrews is not saying God's earlier word was weak or wrong. He goes on to quote Jeremiah, where God promised a new covenant that would put His law inside people instead of on stone, and would remember their sins no more. The old covenant could show people what was right. It could not change their hearts. The new one does, because Jesus Himself stands behind it. Hebrews 11 ends by saying the faithful people of old did not receive the promise in their lifetime, because God had something better that would include us too.
Promises for the hard days in Romans and Corinthians
Romans 8:28, read with what comes around it
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (KJV)
This verse does not say all things are good. Sickness, betrayal and loss are not good. It says God works all things together for good, the way a builder uses even broken pieces. It is spoken to them that love God, and the very next verse names the good He is after: making us like His Son. Just before it, Paul says the Spirit prays for us when we do not even know what to ask.
Nothing can come between
Romans 8 ends with the strongest promise of belonging in the Bible. Paul lists everything that might pull a believer away from God, from death and life to angels and things to come, and crosses every one off. None shall be able to separate us from the love of God.
A way out of temptation
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)
Paul wrote this right after reminding the Corinthians how Israel failed in the wilderness, stories told in Exodus and Numbers. His point: they were tempted, and so are you, but you are not trapped. Your temptation is common, God is faithful, and there is always an exit. Part of the promise is that you will be able to bear it while you look for the way out.
Wisdom for the asking
James wrote to believers scattered far from home. He told them that anyone who lacks wisdom can ask God, who gives freely and does not scold you for asking. and it shall be given him. The only condition James adds is to ask in faith instead of wavering back and forth.
A gentle word. Standing on God's promises goes hand in hand with good care. Keep seeing your doctor, take what you have been prescribed, and talk to someone you trust. If healing is slow, that is never proof that your faith was too small. The people of the Bible waited too.
Philippians 4:13 and 4:19 in context
These two verses are among the best loved lines in all of Paul's letters. Both read differently once you know where Paul was sitting when he wrote them.
Paul was a prisoner. Early in the letter he says his bonds are known in all the palace. The church at Philippi had heard he was in need and sent a gift by a man named Epaphroditus. Chapter 4 is Paul's thank you note. Right before verse 13 he explains that he has learned to be content when he has plenty and when he goes hungry. Then he says it:
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
So the all things are the ups and downs he just named. This is a promise of strength to stay faithful, steady and content whether life is full or empty. It fits a hospital bed or a lean month as well as a big game. A few verses later Paul turns to the givers:
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 (KJV)
He said it to a church that had just given to someone else when it could have kept the money. God would meet their need out of His riches, not out of theirs. Notice it says need, not every want. And notice the measure: according to his riches in glory, which are never short.
When you fail, and when you feel alone
The New Testament is honest about believers. John's first letter says that if we claim to have no sin, we fool ourselves. Then it gives a promise for the day you have to admit it:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (KJV)
Faithful means God will do it every time. Just means He is right to do it, because Jesus already paid for the sin. You do not have to earn forgiveness after you confess. You receive it.
For loneliness there is Hebrews 13:5. The writer is talking about money, telling readers not to chase it, and the reason he gives is a promise much older than his letter: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Those words go back to Moses speaking to Israel in Deuteronomy 31:6 and to God speaking to Joshua in Joshua 1:5. A promise made to people standing at the edge of the Promised Land is handed to every believer.
How to read a promise in an apostle's letter
- Find out who wrote it and who got it. The opening verse of a letter usually tells you. Philippians was written from a prison to a church that loved Paul.
- Read the paragraph, not just the verse. Romans 8:28 means more next to 8:26 and 8:29, and Philippians 4:13 means more next to 4:11 and 4:12.
- Look for the word in Christ. Almost every promise in the letters comes through Jesus. That is what 2 Corinthians 1:20 means when it says the promises are yea and Amen in Him.
- Notice the therefore that follows. Paul often turns from a promise straight to a way of living. The promise is the reason; the change is the response.
- Say amen to it. You might pray: Father, You promised to supply what I need. I am trusting You with this bill and this week.
A promise from the Bible's last book
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4 (KJV)
Near the end of the Bible, John sees a new heaven and a new earth, and hears a voice say God will live with His people. Then comes this promise. No more death. No more sorrow, crying or pain. The prophets saw pieces of this day, and Isaiah wrote of new heavens and a new earth long before. If today is a day of tears, this is where the story is going.
Read them one at a time
The New Testament comes in a later book of the series, still being written. A good place to start is Book Two, which runs from Numbers through Esther. It includes the promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Joshua 1:5 that Hebrews 13:5 repeats, and the wilderness years Paul points back to in 1 Corinthians 10. Each promise has its own page with the King James verse, who it was made to, any condition, and a short prayer.