Men make millions of promises every day for one reason or another. Promises made to an individual many times are doubted.
The reason is that mankind breaks promises. Breaking a promise is not always intentional, but things happen to change circumstances, and sometimes a promise gets broken.
God keeps all of his promises. He is not like man. He made a promise to Abraham to make him into make a great nation, and that through him all families of Earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). God also promised him a land for his descendants (Genesis 15:18-21).
The land promise was fulfilled as the children of Israel conquered the land of Canaan. Of this we read, “And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land, which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers, and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing, which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass” (Joshua 21: 43-45). During his reign, Solomon ruled over all the land God had promised to Abraham (1 Kings 4:21).
The spiritual promise of all families being blessed through Abraham came in the form of Jesus Christ being born in this world, living among men, dying on the cross and being raised up on the third day (Galatians 3:6-29). Through obedience to the gospel of Christ, all men can be saved — that is a promise from God, and God cannot lie. Paul wrote, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour” (Titus 1:2-3).
Some misunderstand God’s promise of eternal life. They have fallen into the trap of thinking that they can do what they want in the name of religion, and it will be acceptable to God. However, God has never allowed man to dictate what to do to obey God. Even when Christ walked among men, this false belief was held by many. Notice the words of Jesus: “Not everyone that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity’” (Matthew 7:21-23). Later, while speaking with “religious people” of his day, Jesus said, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). By the words of Christ, man will be judged. “He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
Knowing God keeps his promises, man must follow and obey his word. For as sure as his promise of eternal life is true, so is his promise of eternal damnation to those who fail to follow him. “Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29).
God keeps his promises.