Isn’t our faith in God also a pledge of sorts?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: There is an attack on the Pledge of Allegiance in America and it has all but disappeared from the classroom. People say that pledging is deceitful because we can’t make promises we can’t keep. What a terrible thing to teach our children. Isn’t our faith in God also a pledge of sorts? – P.A.
A: As long as we are on this Earth, we possess dual citizenship. On one hand, we owe allegiance to our nation and are called to be good citizens. But Christians are also citizens of the kingdom of God. As we trust in Christ, God gives us the Spirit as a seal. He is also our pledge or guarantee. “God … has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:21–22, NKJV).
In the Apostle Paul’s day, businessmen considered a pledge to do three things: it was a down payment that sealed a bargain, it represented an obligation to buy, and it was a sample of what was to come.
When we buy a new car, a pledge is made by putting a down payment to seal the transaction. It also represents our promise to pay the rest of the purchase price.
This is what the Holy Spirit promises when we receive the “earnest of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14, KJV). As the great missionary statesman Adoniram Judson once said, “The prospect is as bright as the promises of God.”
From one end of the Bible to the other, God assures us that He will never go back on His promises. Saving faith is a commitment to Jesus as Savior and Lord. It is a personal and individual decision. It is more than assent to historical or theological truth given to us. It is faith in the promises of God as the believer’s hope for eternal life.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
©2025 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(c)2025 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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