GOD’S POSSESSION
Ephesians
1:14
[The
Holy Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of
it, to the praise of his glory.
A more literal way to translate this significant verse is
to say that the Holy Spirit is an “earnest” that guarantees us the riches of
our redemptive inheritance in Christ. If you’ve ever purchased a home, you know
that the buyer uses “earnest money” to secure commitment to the purchase of
that property. An earnest signifies an up-front obligation to meet the
conditions of the contract and to complete that promise at the specified time
with the remaining financial resources. In other words, a portion goes down now
to guarantee final ownership later.
What a beautiful picture of our salvation in Christ.
Believers, we were bought with the precious and powerful blood of Christ in
love (1 Peter 1:18-20). To seal that redemptive transaction, God marked us with
the seal of his Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30). That mark guarantees God’s
ownership of us. By his wondrous grace, he devised a way to let the world know
that we belong to him. Today, people can know that we’re forgiven, adopted,
empowered and contented people, all because of the Spirit’s mark and seal upon
our lives. Our life in the Spirit shows that we’re God’s possession.
Dwell on this thought today: I belong to Christ. He owns
me because of the sacrificial payment of his Son at Calvary. And because he’s
in the spiritual management business, he’s always looking to upgrade and to
improve his property. That means that as his possession, all the riches of
heaven are at his disposal in me. Think of it – the inestimable glories of
eternal life belong to me because God possesses me. No matter what trial and
trouble I’m facing, the knowledge of this truth can get me through it.
