Eph 1:14 | KingComments | STEP | . As I said at the end of the last chapter, I will clarify the change from “we” in to “you” in . I have already said that in Paul speaks especially about the Jews who are now already related to the Lord Jesus by faith. They have already received what is meant for the people of Israel in the future. The people of Israel still have to repent and be converted. That will happen when the Lord Jesus returns to reign on earth. Then they will look on Him Whom they have pierced and they shall acknowledge their Christ under the confession of their sins ( ). Therefore the word “first” in means the present time: the time that precedes the period when Christ visibly resides on earth. In the present time He is only seen by faith. In the Gentiles are indicated with ‘you’. They are also in Christ, but the difference is that you cannot say of them that they have ‘first’ believed in Christ. Just read that in chapter 2 ( ). There you read that before their conversion they were outsiders in every way. Only after their conversion they have become partakers of the inheritance of Christ, together with the Jewish believers: together they have become heirs in Him ( ). So it is not true that the pagan who has been converted is a partaker in the blessings that are promised to Israel. He is partaker, together with the Jewish believer, of much higher spiritual blessings that have to do with adoption as sons and being heirs. We have seen this before. In the sealing with the Holy Spirit is an additional blessing, with Whom the Jewish believer as well as the non-Jewish believer is sealed. Before Paul speaks about this issue, he first clarifies in a very striking way how the Gentile has become partaker of the Holy Spirit. The sequence is remarkable: first hear, then believe and finally the sealing with the Holy Spirit. First hear and then believe is in accordance with Romans 10: “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?” ( ). And Romans 10 also says: “So faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” ( ). That what is “the word of Christ” in the letter to the Romans, is here called “the message of truth”, with the addition “the gospel of your salvation”. The Bible is ‘the Word of truth’ in which God has revealed His truth, the truth about all things. This Word of truth means ‘the gospel of your salvation’ to everyone who accepts this Word. Gospel means ‘good news’ and it surely is to a person who realizes that God should judge him as a sinner. The gospel offers him salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus. The content of the gospel is written in 1 Corinthians 15: “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, … For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” ( ). So the gospel is about the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. In Romans 4 is added “those who believe in Him [i.e. God] who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, [He] who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” ( ). So a man is saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Who was delivered up in death by God and has also been raised from the dead. God puts His seal on every man who believes that, as a proof that such a person is His property. This seal is the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in that person. The Lord Jesus says in John 14 of the Holy Spirit: “That He may abide with you forever” ( ). This makes clear that the seal of God’s ownership is unbreakable. God’s Spirit is called here “the Holy Spirit of promise”. This is not so much about the fact that the Holy Spirit is promised, but it is more about what is related to the sealing with the Holy Spirit. To be sealed with Him includes a promise. . That promise is being expressed in what follows. The Holy Spirit is the “pledge of our inheritance”. The fact that He is the pledge or guarantee means that we do not own the inheritance yet. A pledge is a kind of assurance that you will receive something in the future that you do not have yet. In everyday language the pledge is always less than the property itself. That, of course, is not the case here. That the Holy Spirit is called ‘pledge’ here has to do with the assurance that the rest is yet to come. Because He has been given to us, we can already enjoy the inheritance now, although we cannot practically take possession of it yet. The inheritance lies in the future. Also the Lord Jesus Himself has not yet received the inheritance. You read in Hebrews 2 that the world to come will be subjected to Him ( ). Only then He shall reign and we with Him. Before that will happen, something else must happen first with that inheritance. We read about “the redemption of [God’s own] possession”. You understand that by ”possession” is meant the inheritance. This inheritance is already our possession now, but it still is under the curse of sin. That curse must first be taken away. The Lord Jesus has accomplished on the cross what was necessary for that. There He became ‘a curse’ and paid the price so He could take away the curse of creation. Through the sin of the first man, Adam, a curse came on creation. Through the obedience of the second man, Christ, this curse will be taken away. The purchased inheritance will be redeemed by Him Who has every right to that inheritance. Also Revelation 5 makes clear Who has the right, that is described in the scroll, to that inheritance: the Lord Jesus. He is both the Lion from the tribe of Judah ( ) and the Lamb standing, as if slain ( ). The Lion has triumphed by giving Himself to be slaughtered as Lamb. He will take possession of the inheritance when ‘the dispensation of the fullness of the times’ has dawned ( ). That will happen in a way at the beginning of the millennial kingdom of peace. Then satan will be bound and sin restrained. But in the millennium there will still be sin and that’s why a perfect situation is not the case yet. However, at the end of the millennium, sin will be completely banned out of creation. Then the word of John will entirely be fulfilled: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” ( ). When the purchased inheritance has been redeemed and when the church together with Christ has received the rule over it, then the counsel of God has been completed. Then God’s glory will glimmer with a radiance that will never fade. He then shall receive all praise of everything there is. The new creation will reflect His glory: all will breathe His praise. All people, in heaven as well as on earth, will reflect His glory and all will praise Him. To Him be all glory forever and ever! Now read Ephesians 1:13-14 again. Reflection: Thank God in your own words for what you have learnt in these verses about His plans with and for you.

‏ Ephesians 1:14

Sealed With the Holy Spirit

Eph 1:13. As I said at the end of the last chapter, I will clarify the change from “we” in Eph 1:12 to “you” in Eph 1:13. I have already said that in Eph 1:12 Paul speaks especially about the Jews who are now already related to the Lord Jesus by faith. They have already received what is meant for the people of Israel in the future. The people of Israel still have to repent and be converted. That will happen when the Lord Jesus returns to reign on earth. Then they will look on Him Whom they have pierced and they shall acknowledge their Christ under the confession of their sins (Zec 12:10-13). Therefore the word “first” in Eph 1:12 means the present time: the time that precedes the period when Christ visibly resides on earth. In the present time He is only seen by faith.

In Eph 1:13 the Gentiles are indicated with ‘you’. They are also in Christ, but the difference is that you cannot say of them that they have ‘first’ believed in Christ. Just read that in chapter 2 (Eph 2:12). There you read that before their conversion they were outsiders in every way. Only after their conversion they have become partakers of the inheritance of Christ, together with the Jewish believers: together they have become heirs in Him (Eph 1:11).

So it is not true that the pagan who has been converted is a partaker in the blessings that are promised to Israel. He is partaker, together with the Jewish believer, of much higher spiritual blessings that have to do with adoption as sons and being heirs. We have seen this before. In Eph 1:13 the sealing with the Holy Spirit is an additional blessing, with Whom the Jewish believer as well as the non-Jewish believer is sealed.

Before Paul speaks about this issue, he first clarifies in a very striking way how the Gentile has become partaker of the Holy Spirit. The sequence is remarkable: first hear, then believe and finally the sealing with the Holy Spirit. First hear and then believe is in accordance with Romans 10: “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?” (Rom 10:14). And Romans 10 also says: “So faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). That what is “the word of Christ” in the letter to the Romans, is here called “the message of truth”, with the addition “the gospel of your salvation”. The Bible is ‘the Word of truth’ in which God has revealed His truth, the truth about all things.

This Word of truth means ‘the gospel of your salvation’ to everyone who accepts this Word. Gospel means ‘good news’ and it surely is to a person who realizes that God should judge him as a sinner. The gospel offers him salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus. The content of the gospel is written in 1 Corinthians 15: “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, … For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1Cor 15:1-4). So the gospel is about the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

In Romans 4 is added “those who believe in Him [i.e. God] who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, [He] who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Rom 4:24-25). So a man is saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Who was delivered up in death by God and has also been raised from the dead.

God puts His seal on every man who believes that, as a proof that such a person is His property. This seal is the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in that person. The Lord Jesus says in John 14 of the Holy Spirit: “That He may abide with you forever” (Jn 14:16). This makes clear that the seal of God’s ownership is unbreakable.

God’s Spirit is called here “the Holy Spirit of promise”. This is not so much about the fact that the Holy Spirit is promised, but it is more about what is related to the sealing with the Holy Spirit. To be sealed with Him includes a promise.

Eph 1:14. That promise is being expressed in what follows. The Holy Spirit is the “pledge of our inheritance”. The fact that He is the pledge or guarantee means that we do not own the inheritance yet. A pledge is a kind of assurance that you will receive something in the future that you do not have yet. In everyday language the pledge is always less than the property itself. That, of course, is not the case here. That the Holy Spirit is called ‘pledge’ here has to do with the assurance that the rest is yet to come.

Because He has been given to us, we can already enjoy the inheritance now, although we cannot practically take possession of it yet. The inheritance lies in the future. Also the Lord Jesus Himself has not yet received the inheritance. You read in Hebrews 2 that the world to come will be subjected to Him (Heb 2:5-8). Only then He shall reign and we with Him.

Before that will happen, something else must happen first with that inheritance. We read about “the redemption of [God’s own] possession”. You understand that by ”possession” is meant the inheritance. This inheritance is already our possession now, but it still is under the curse of sin. That curse must first be taken away. The Lord Jesus has accomplished on the cross what was necessary for that. There He became ‘a curse’ and paid the price so He could take away the curse of creation. Through the sin of the first man, Adam, a curse came on creation. Through the obedience of the second man, Christ, this curse will be taken away.

The purchased inheritance will be redeemed by Him Who has every right to that inheritance. Also Revelation 5 makes clear Who has the right, that is described in the scroll, to that inheritance: the Lord Jesus. He is both the Lion from the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5) and the Lamb standing, as if slain (Rev 5:6). The Lion has triumphed by giving Himself to be slaughtered as Lamb.

He will take possession of the inheritance when ‘the dispensation of the fullness of the times’ has dawned (Eph 1:10). That will happen in a way at the beginning of the millennial kingdom of peace. Then satan will be bound and sin restrained. But in the millennium there will still be sin and that’s why a perfect situation is not the case yet. However, at the end of the millennium, sin will be completely banned out of creation. Then the word of John will entirely be fulfilled: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29).

When the purchased inheritance has been redeemed and when the church together with Christ has received the rule over it, then the counsel of God has been completed. Then God’s glory will glimmer with a radiance that will never fade. He then shall receive all praise of everything there is. The new creation will reflect His glory: all will breathe His praise. All people, in heaven as well as on earth, will reflect His glory and all will praise Him. To Him be all glory forever and ever!

Now read Ephesians 1:13-14 again.

Reflection: Thank God in your own words for what you have learnt in these verses about His plans with and for you.