Examples of God's Impossible Promises in the Bible
The Bible presents several instances where God makes promises that appear impossible from a human perspective, often to underscore His omnipotence and the certainty of His word. One foundational statement is found in Luke 1:37, which declares, "for with God nothing will be impossible" [1]. This principle undergirds many of God's seemingly incredible commitments.
A prominent example is God's promise to Abraham. God swore by Himself to Abraham because "he could swear by no greater" [2]. This oath confirmed that Abraham and his descendants would eventually receive the promised land, despite prospects of suffering and enslavement [5]. The unchangeableness of this promise is emphasized by God's oath, a unique occurrence in His interactions with the patriarchs, and one that is frequently referenced later in the Old Testament [4]. The author of Hebrews highlights that God bound Himself with an oath to demonstrate the immutability of His counsel to the "heirs of promise" [7, 8]. This act assures believers that God "would never change his mind" because "it is impossible for God to lie" [7].
Another instance of an "impossible" promise relates to the restoration of the Jewish people. In Jeremiah 33:3, God invites Jeremiah to "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know" (NIV). The Hebrew term for "great and unsearchable things" can be translated as "inaccessible things" or "incredible, hard to man's understanding," referring to the restoration of the Jews, an event that seemed humanly impossible and was despaired of [9]. This promise illustrates that God's promises are meant to quicken the prayers of His people, not slacken them [9].
The concept of God making an "impossible" promise also appears in the context of divine judgment and covenant. For example, God swore an unconditional oath to David regarding his lineage, yet the covenant itself was conditional. While God's promise to David was steadfast, the covenant's fulfillment for David's descendants depended on their obedience, with discipline for those who broke it [3]. This demonstrates that even within an "impossible" or unconditional promise from God's side, there can be conditional elements for human recipients. The certainty of God's promises is so absolute that the Greek word for "impossible" is used with emphasis in Hebrews 6:4 to describe the inability of those who have apostatized to be renewed to repentance [6].
Sources
- Luke “Luke 1:37 (Tyndale) — for wt god can nothinge be vnpossible.”
- King James Version “[KJV] Hebrews 6:13 — For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 132:11: 132:11-12 The Lord swore an oath to David (2 Sam 7:4-16): God’s promise is unconditional, but the covenant is not (If . . . then). Those who break God’s covenant can expect the discipline of God’s judgment (see Ps 89:30-37).”
- Genesis (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 22:15: After Abraham had offered the ram, the angel of the Lord called to him a second time from heaven, and with a solemn oath renewed the former promises, as a reward for this proof of his obedience of faith (cf. Gen 12:2-3). To confirm their unchangeableness, Jehovah swore by Himself (cf. Heb 6:13.), a thing which never occurs again in His intercourse with the patriarchs; so that subsequently not only do we find repeated references to this oath (Gen 24:7; Gen 26:3; Gen 50:24; Exo 13:5, Exo 13:11; Exo 33:1, etc.), but, as Luther observes, all that is said in Psa 8”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 15:18: 15:18-19 God specified the boundaries of the Promised Land. His clear message to Abram was that despite prospects of death and suffering (enslavement), he and his descendants would eventually receive the promises, for God had sworn an oath (see Heb 6:13-14). Nothing can separate God’s people from his love or the fulfillment of his plans (see Rom 8:18-39; 2 Pet 1:3-4).”
- Hebrews (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Hebrews 6:4: 6:4-8 This passage, one of the most difficult in the New Testament, gives a harsh warning about those who have left the Christian faith. Those who have fallen away from Christ and the church are like those who fell in the wilderness (3:15-19): The lack of faith shown in such apostasy results in devastating judgment (cp. 10:26-31). 6:4 In Greek, the word impossible begins the sentence for emphasis—it absolutely cannot happen (see also 6:18; 10:4; 11:6). • They were once enlightened when they “first learned about Christ” (see 10:32 and corresponding study note). • T”
- Hebrews (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Hebrews 6:17: 6:17-18 God also bound himself with an oath: See 7:20-22. God’s oath makes it clear that he would never change his mind . . . because it is impossible for God to lie (see Ps 110:4). • We have fled to him for refuge, like those in the Old Testament era who killed someone accidentally (Num 35:9-34; Deut 4:41-43); Christ is like a city of refuge, where believers escape God’s wrath. Christ’s followers, therefore, have great confidence.”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 6:16: Wherein God, willing,.... Or "wherefore", as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it; that is, whereas an oath is used among men to confirm anything that might be doubted; therefore God, in condescension to the weakness of men, made use of one; being very desirous and determined, more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel; by which is meant, not the Gospel nor the ordinances of it, though these are sometimes called the counsel of God; but the decree of God, concerning the salvation of his people by Jesus Christ, which is im”
- Jeremiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Jeremiah 33:3: Call . . . I will answer-- (Jer 29:12; Psa 91:15). Jeremiah, as the representative of the people of God, is urged by God to pray for that which God has determined to grant; namely, the restoration. God's promises are not to slacken, but to quicken the prayers of His people (Psa 132:13, Psa 132:17; Isa 62:6-7). mighty things--Hebrew, "inaccessible things," that is, incredible, hard to man's understanding [MAURER], namely, the restoration of the Jews, an event despaired of. "Hidden," or "recondite" [PISCATOR]. thou knowest not--Yet God had revealed”