A Down Payment from God
Ephesians 1:13-14a It is the same with you. You heard the true message, the Good News about your salvation. When you heard that Good News, you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put his special mark on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that he promised. The Spirit is the first payment that guarantees we will get all that God has for us.
Have you ever been jolted with the shocking thought that God may not exist at all? That it’s all just a fabrication? That when you die, there may not be a heaven?
Anyone who believes in Jesus, truly, eventually has those thoughts. You almost feel guilty for thinking them, but there you go. You can’t un-think them.
And seriously, how do you know, in your heart of hearts, that God is real? How do you know, for sure, that when you die, you’re going to spend the rest of eternity with Him, as opposed to just … nothing?
Fortunately, it’s something that God has already thought of. It’s something that God has already dealt with, decisively, once and for all. Here it is:
It is the same with you. You heard the true message, the Good News about your salvation. When you heard that Good News, you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put his special mark on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that he promised. The Spirit is the first payment that guarantees we will get all that God has for us. (Ephesians 1:13-14a)
So, what God’s talking about here, firstly, is a seal of authenticity. The sort of seal that people, back in the day, used to put into the red wax on a letter, to prove that it actually came from them. The Presence of the Holy Spirit in you, demonstrates that God’s promises are real.
But it’s not just a seal of authenticity. On top of that, God wants you to actually experience the reality of His promises today. And so that you can truly know that His promises are real, He places His Holy Spirit in you as the first payment, the down payment, the guarantee that you will get all that He promised.
It’s like when you buy a house, the first thing they make you do is to sign a contract (to demonstrate authenticity) and pay a deposit (to demonstrate intent). That down payment demonstrates that you’re serious in going through with your promise to complete the purchase.
And that’s why God has put His Spirit in you. He is the tangible evidence of your promise of forgiveness in Christ, and eternal life. The Holy Spirit, God Himself, living in you. You can’t miss that. You can’t not notice that. That’s serious.
And that’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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