YE ALSO. Ephesians 1:13-14 The Jews were the first to hear the Gospel, and even in Ephesus, several Jewish men had been baptized with John the Baptist's baptism. This was in preparation for national repentance and the restoration of Israel to its former position among the nations. Paul and his companions met these men and shared with them "the word of truth." After they were saved by grace, they were baptized as believers and received the Holy Spirit. Both Jewish and Gentile believers in Ephesus heard the word of truth and were brought "in Christ." The barrier between them was broken down.
The same remains true today. The obstacles common to humanity are removed when God's grace is understood. No matter who they are, people are saved when they trust the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. The Lord Jesus is the Substance of truth. The Holy Spirit is the Source of truth. Salvation is a blessing of truth. The Word of God is the message of truth and the foundation of truth that we follow when we place our faith in Christ. The truth of God is the message to which all believers in Christ have responded. By faith, we have come to know Him who is "The Truth."
The Gospel of your salvation is the good news of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Because of the provision He made through His sacrifice on the cross, we are justified freely by His grace and are saved for eternity. When we trust in Christ after hearing the Gospel, the Holy Spirit who dwells within us seals us as belonging to God. The seal signifies ownership through a legal mark, which cannot be tampered with or altered. Not only does the Holy Spirit seal those who belong to Christ, but He also serves as the earnest, the down payment, the deposit of all that eternal life entails and has in store for us. He has confirmed the transaction that was completed when eternal life was granted to us.
Most likely, most believers in the assembly at Ephesus were Gentiles, and it is to them that Paul provided assurance that they “also,” just like the believing Jews, were sealed with the Holy Spirit when they believed in Jesus. The Spirit of God serves as our mark of ownership by God. He is the guarantee that we have an inheritance in heaven. The Greek word for inheritance is similar to an engagement ring, assuring us that we are a purchased possession, and God’s intention is for us to be with Him forever. In major transactions, there is “earnest money,” which indicates the seriousness of both parties. The authenticity of a document is confirmed by a seal of authority that safeguards the transaction from theft and dishonesty.
The Holy Spirit indwelling and working in a believer’s life is a sign that we are spiritually genuine, protected, and validated as members of the family of God. Christians belong to God as His own special possession that has been purchased and paid for in full by the precious blood of Christ. The presence of the Holy Spirit establishes the fact that the highest possible authority has guaranteed our future life with God.
Eternal life is an actual fact, and we have that now. The fullness of it will not be understood nor known until the future unfolds to us all that eternal life means. The presence of the Holy Spirit is the deposit of the whole that demonstrates the reality of our salvation and establishes that we are now children of God by faith. In the future, we will have a glorified body; we will be "as He is," and the riches of His grace will be displayed through the church. The transforming power of the Holy Spirit is already seen in the lives of believers who have come from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.
This was noticed city-wide in Ephesus as God worked to change people's lives in their midst. A demon-possessed woman could not stand against the truth of the Gospel. The result was transforming power that was demonstrated to the whole city and led to a riot that was really darkness against light, Satan against God. When a person is redeemed, God has acquired that person for a price that has been paid. The believer becomes an acquisition of God because the purchase price has been met. For us, the price was paid for by the death of the Redeemer. "Christ, my Redeemer, died on the cross. Died for the sinner, paid all his due." The Lord has acquired us so that we might share with Him all the blessings of God. God has determined that we will have all He has planned for us, and the Holy Spirit is the assurance of that inheritance.
What could have been, by nature, a drudgery is now an opportunity for grace to assure us of who we are and our purpose for existence. God has, in His sovereign will, given the Gospel which we have heard, and we heard the word of truth explained and learned that “The Truth” is the Lord. The message of truth moved us to put personal faith in the only One who cannot fail. At first, we did not understand what eternal life entails, but the gracious Holy Spirit, who sealed us as God's promise, enabled and empowered us so we know God wants to use us.
We will have trials, discomfort, disappointments, and difficulties here in this world, but these are ways God demonstrates His power to change lives. The change in believers and how they live under the pressures of life now is a foretaste of the total change in the future when even our bodies are changed to be like "His body of glory." The new birth, the sanctified life, the power to overcome trials, and the comfort given when under severe stress are all evidence of the redemption of the purchased possession. This is already a fact to which nothing needs to be, nor can be, added. "For I am Christ's, and He is mine, forever and forever."
We do not have to wait for the promised new bodies nor a new environment in which to live, to be "to the praise of His glory." In our past, as adopted children were placed as sons in His family, we were able to be to the praise of His glory. Our present inheritance, even though it is limited in comparison to what the future holds, enables us to do God's will at this present time to the praise of His glory. In the future, when the fullness of redemption is experienced, we will be to the praise of His glory. For the Ephesians who understood what the church of God is, and for us who gain this understanding through the letter written to them, our lives are opened up to so much more than is common to man.
Life is much more than just a day-by-day repetition of tasks and meeting needs or taking responsibilities that, by nature, we would like to avoid. Life now has an eternal dimension to it. There are reasons for all the events that take place in our lives. Our own personalities and abilities are being developed now under the stress of living in an ungodly world. The strength and power of the Spirit of God working in and through us opens up areas of service for God we would never have known without the word of truth. This foretaste and deposit make our lives a wonderful experience that can be "unto the praise of His glory."
This foretaste is a deposit of things yet to come, reminding us of our redemption and all Christ has done. We have been purchased at the highest possible cost so that we might be His own people zealous of good works. The Spirit God gave us when we were saved is a foretaste of our home. Not only then, but presently, the Holy Spirit does His work. We can see around us needs and obligations toward other people that we dare not ignore. People need what we have; the Gospel has made a difference. Those who believe it are saved from sin; the unsaved have an awful sentence to face eternally. The sealing of the Spirit is an earnest of what's ahead. In the pages of the scripture, many verses I have read tell of coming blessings and of hidden things that will be known in the future. So, I am motivated to pass on what the Spirit has shown me.