You are God’s property

Devotional Reading: You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory. Ephesians 1:13‭-‬14 CEB

Taking a look at Ephesians chapter one again, we Will see that everything that the Father planned for us, and that the Son purchased for us, has been applied to us by the Holy Spirit (vv. 13–14). The work of the Holy Spirit is one of the main features of the book of Ephesians. He is mentioned in every chapter. Begin to make a list of the way in which the Spirit works in our lives (1:13–14, 17; 2:18, 22; 3:5, 16–17; 4:3–4, 30; 5:18; 6:17–18).

Paul treats the Spirit as a real Person who is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. Athanasius, one of the early theologians of the church, defended the deity of Christ by affirming, ‘If Christ is not God, we are not saved.’ The same is true of the Spirit.

To help us to understand His work, Paul uses two metaphors. He first describes the Spirit as a seal (v. 13). The Ephesians’ salvation began when they heard the Word: ‘the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation’ (v. 13; also see Rom. 1:16). Having heard the truth, they believed it, trusting Christ as their Saviour. The moment they believed, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit. The implication of this is that, they are now God’s property. They bear His seal of the Holy Spirit. This gift is given by God to all believers without exception (Acts 2:38–39).

The Spirit is also a pledge (v. 14). Paul uses a Greek word which means the payment of part of a purchase price in advance. The Spirit is a first instalment, deposit or down payment (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5). When we begin to experience the Spirit’s work in our lives, it is a foretaste of Heaven itself. God is our inheritance (1 Pet. 1:3–5) and we are His inheritance (Is. 43:1–5). The Holy Spirit makes us homesick for Heaven as we long to enter into this inheritance.

Prayer and Confession
Thank you Jesus for the promised Holy Spirit

Further Reading – John 14:16-26; 16:5-15