Kent Slaughter is angry at Bass Pro Shops. Over the last few years he has purchased several pairs of Redhead socks, advertised as “the last socks you’ll ever need”. Each pair came with a lifetime warranty that said Bass Pro would exchange worn-out socks with a new pair at no charge. Slaughter received several new pairs under this guarantee.
Last year Bass Pro said “No” to Slaughter’s latest attempt to make a claim. They gave him a new pair of socks, but the warranty on the new pair was only for 60 days. It’s not likely socks will wear out in 60 days, so Slaughter decided to file a class-action lawsuit seeking $5 million for him and anyone else who has been duped by this failure to honor the original guarantees. If he succeeds, Slaughter will really “sock it” to Bass Pro (did I really just write that?!).
A lifetime guarantee is a sales gimmick; it seeks to lure customers by promising that their products will not wear out; if they do, they’ll be replaced. Many companies have done this. Zippo cigarette lighters, for example, carry such a warranty, as do Cutco knives and Jansport backpacks. When I’m considering a purchase, that promise has sometimes sealed the deal for me.
But what happens when a company goes bankrupt? Who will you sue then? At best, a lifetime guarantee is only a strengthened promise that your purchase will hold up.
God does more than offer lifetime guarantees; He offers eternity guarantees. John 3:16, one of the best-known verses in the Bible, does that very thing: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Life that is everlasting?! Such a thing is unknown on earth; can we trust God with this eternity guarantee?
The Bible claims to be true in all that it says. Psalm 119:160 is an example of such a claim: “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Hebrews 6:18 says that “it is impossible for God to lie”.
Titus 1:2 combines God’s truthfulness with the promise of unending life: “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” If you have faith in the Bible, then this idea of everlasting life for God’s people is ironclad. It’s a guarantee that cannot fail.
In 1 Peter 1:3-5 we learn more about God’s eternity guarantee: “… [He] has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Notice two important terms in that passage: “reserved” and “kept”. Each of them implies a deliberate guard that God has set over His people’s inheritance, as well as His people themselves. Think about Fort Knox, the legendary fortress that guards America’s gold reserves. Is it secure? About as secure as people can make it! But God’s security goes far beyond human security. There is no doubt we will receive what has been promised if we are faithful to the One who made the promises.
Don’t worry; if you’re a child of God you’re not going to be disappointed on the other side of death. No one will file a class-action lawsuit against the Lord for breach of promise. God’s eternity guarantee will absolutely stand!
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2022, Timothy D. Hall