Have you ever noticed how many times in the Word of God a promise of God has a condition attached to it? It seems those conditions have been popping out to me every time I read the Word. 

Here are some examples that use the “if–then” scenario: 

IF YOU ABIDE — THEN

John 8:31 – If you abide in My Word, you shall be My disciples indeed.

John 15:7 – If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

John 15:10 – If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love...

“Abide” is the Greek word meno and it means to remain, tarry, don’t depart.

IF YOU SEEK — THEN

Matthew 6:33 – Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Deuteronomy 4:29 – But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 

Proverbs 8:17 – I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently will find Me. 

Psalm 34:10 – The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. 

Matthew 7:7 – Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. 

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

That work “seek” in the Greek is zeteo, and it means to seek in order to find, seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after, require, demand, to crave.

IF YOU LOVE — THEN 

Deuteronomy 7:9 – Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Psalm 91:14 – Because he has set his love upon Me therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high because he has known My name. 

John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.

John 14:23 – Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and; and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

IF YOU BELIEVE — THEN

Matthew 21:22 – And whatever you ask in prayer believing you will receive. 

Your prayers are conditional. You have to believe you receive. 

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them.

Even your salvation is conditional. You have to believe.

Romans 10: 9 – That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved. 

That word “believe” in the Greek is pisteuo, and it means to trust in, have faith in, be fully convinced of, acknowledge, rely on.  It expresses reliance upon and a personal trust that produces obedience.

So, what are these scriptures telling us about our relationship with God?

We have an “if-then” relationship.

How close we want to be to Him is up to us.

How much He can bless us is up to us. 

How much He can use us is up to us.

How many of our prayers get answered is up to us. 

How intimate our relationship with God depends on us. 

What conditions are we willing to meet?

Now let me add this: although God’s promises are conditional, His love for us is NOT. He loves us unconditionally and wants fellowship with each of us individually. It’s up to us how close we get to God and how close God can get to us. He does not manipulate or control us. 

He has made an everlasting covenant—chesed—and He has obligated Himself in covenant that He will always love us, never leave us or forsake us. He is near, waiting for us to draw near so He can bless us. He wants to be found by us. 

Hebrews 10:22 – Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hears sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

James 4:8 RIV – Come extremely close to the presence of God, and He will respond by coming extremely close to you. And to those of you who are blowing it in so many ways – I mean, you are sinning and really missing the mark of what God approves and wants for your lives – it’s time for you to come clean! You need to make a decision to do whatever is necessary to cleanse your hands – and by hands, I mean your entire lives. Oh, you double-minded – those of you who can’t seem to make up your mind to live single-mindedly for God alone and free from the world; It’s time for you to make a final decision to purposefully cleanse and sanctify yourselves – and I mean all the way to the very deepest parts of your inner beings.