The Certainty of God's Promise

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, ^(A)he swore by himself,

^2 (A)in hope of eternal life, which God, ^(B)who never lies, ^(C)promised ^(D)before the ages began^[a]

¹⁷ So when God desired to show more convincingly to ^(A)the heirs of the promise ^(B)the unchangeable character of his purpose, ^(C)he guaranteed it with an oath,

Stand Firm

¹³ But ^(A)we ought always to give thanks to God for you, ^(B)brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you ^(C)as the firstfruits^{[a] (D)}to be saved, ^(E)through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.