God is a promise Maker. He shines His essence through His promises, revealing His character by the words He has spoken and fulfilled. Among His greatest promises is the pledge to transform us—from selfish, sinful human beings into people marked by love and genuine care. God promised to cleanse us, to give us a new heart and a new spirit. Through the prophet Ezekiel, He declared, “And I will give you one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you” (11:19). Again, He said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… and I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes” (36:26–27).
The promise is clear: a new, righteous heart and spirit. But how would He accomplish such a miracle? His promise is distilled from His spoken and written word. It is like a seed moving through its life cycle. “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). God has spoken His word about changing us into vessels fit to live forever. It is a promise—solid as the Rock of Ages.
How He Kept His Promise
Yahweh would clothe Himself in a chosen, prepared human being—His Son—who would become the sin sacrifice. Christ, the Anointed One, was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Scripture testifies, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me” (Heb. 10:5). Christ Himself said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Ps. 40:7–8).
His calling as the Sacrificial Lamb was written “in the scroll of the book.” And our calling is written in that same book. It is like a family record, beginning with Him, with spiritual DNA flowing through all who are called. In its pages we find our marching orders—where we stand as the seed of the promise germinates and grows into mature sons and daughters of God.
He has promised this transformation through His word, His eternal seed. But a seed only lives after it dies, is buried, and rises again.
This is where the lightning strikes. We must die with Christ, be buried with Him, and be raised with Him. This is the meaning of the cross. Whether we fully grasp it or not, Scripture declares that our old sinful self has already died with Christ. “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him… that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin” (Rom. 6:6–7). Baptism symbolizes this reality—the old self going under, the new self rising (Col. 2:12).
This is the message of the cross: the place of spiritual change. These are the words that ground new believers in the basic teaching of repentance from sin. Without this, gatherings become little more than social events—hugs and potlucks.
Christ offers something far greater: an invitation to “sit with Him on His throne” (Rev. 3:21). This path is not for the casual or the complacent. It requires spiritual growth, the kind Christ described as entering through the narrow gate. “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction… Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13–14).
Christ has promised us the opportunity to dwell with Him, to abide with Him, to reign with Him after the smoke clears. But this treasure lies along the narrow road. Revelation 2–3 outlines the seven overcoming requirements that lead to the throne. Meanwhile, the wide avenue is lined with potluck stations and easy religion.
Conclusion
The promise and the cross are not separate themes; they are one continuous work of God. The promise is the seed—His word declaring that He will give us a new heart and spirit. The cross is the soil in which that seed dies, is buried, and rises into new life. God keeps His promise by leading us through the very pattern Christ walked: death to the old, burial of the former self, and resurrection into the life He has prepared. The promise reveals His intention; the cross accomplishes it. And those who embrace both will grow into the sons and daughters written in His book from the beginning. Kenneth Wayne Hancock
Immortality Road 