The Names of God - The Ernest of Our Inheritance (the Holy Spirit)

The Ernest of Our Inheritance (the Holy Spirit)

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV)

I love the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus. To me, it is the most detailed description of what it means to be saved. Paul relates the salvation experience to all Jesus went through in His last few weeks/months on earth. Paul’s description includes being identified with Christ is several key elements: His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father. But that is not the best part. Typically, that is were “being saved” ends for most people. However, before Jesus ascended, He gave a promise to those He left behind.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16–17 (ESV)

The ”Helper” referred to here is the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send “another” to help us walk out the salvation provided through Jesus. The thing we sometimes lose sight of is this: salvation is actually a covenant with God. And, like all covenants, there was a “guarantee” given by God that He would fulfill His end of the agreement. His Son, Jesus, fulfilled His mission by coming to earth as a man, fulfill all righteousness (necessary to make His blood eligible to be the “spotless lamb” needed to atone for the sin of mankind), and then offer Himself up unto death in order to pay the debt created by Adam in the Garden when he violated God’s command. The work of Jesus was completed, and God received Him back into Heaven to be once enthroned as the King of the Kingdom.

So, God gave “another” One just like the first, but this One would remain with us forever. The Holy Spirit was sent to take up residence inside every Believer, to inhabit them as a guide, teacher, and comfort; to empower, encourage, and help us live this new life of following Jesus. The Holy Spirit was given as a gift to The Church, but it was more than this. The Holy Spirit became the “Earnest of Our Inheritance.” Through salvation, God promised us Heaven; a new home with Him forever. The guarantee that He would fulfill this promise came in the form of the Holy Spirit. God (The Father, The Word, The Spirit – three in one) gave us a part of Himself to show us He would keep His word.

In the U.S., it is customary when buying a house that you put down earnest money with your offer to purchase. This shows the owner you are serious. If you withdraw your offer without merit, you forfeit the earnest money to the owner.

Just as God did in another place, when God made covenant with Abraham, He made this declaration:

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Hebrews 6:13 (KJV)

God gave Abraham His word, sworn by Himself, because there is none greater. He did the same thing to fulfill the promise made to us by Jesus as He ascended to Heaven. God said, “There is nothing more valuable than Me. I will send you My Spirit to indwell you forever, until we are united again in Heaven.” That is how serious God looks at the covenant He made with you. It took “the Word becoming flesh” so that flesh could then shed His blood to pay the penalty for sin, then gave us His Spirit to guarantee that we received all Jesus purchased. That is about as tight of an agreement you can make. We have the promise of the Creator, the covenant sealed with Jesus’ blood, and the Holy Spirit as our guarantee. It’s time we started acting like we have the fulness of God living inside us, the resources of God available to provide for us, and the blessed hope of a life with Him forever.

I hope you find, not only solace in these words, but also hope of a better tomorrow, forgiveness for every yesterday, and an abundance of grace for today. Let us, as Paul put it in Ephesians, “Be to the praise of His glory.” Amen!