A Down Payment For Eternity

Having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance.
–Ephesians 1:13-14

How do we know that when we die, God will do what He promised to do and give us eternal life with Him? How do we know for sure that we are legitimate children of God? The answer is the Holy Spirit. He is the one who secures our future. The Holy Spirit’s presence is the Christian’s birth certificate, if you will. Look at Ephesians 1:13-14: “Having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of this glory.”

Paul said we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s day, there were officials who authenticated documents. The official wore a ring with the insignia of the king or emperor, and he would press that ring on a circle of hot wax on the document as a seal of authenticity. That is the image Paul was using here. When you trust in Christ as your Savior, the King of kings marks you with an imprint of Himself. God stamps you with His Holy Spirit, guaranteeing that you are truly His child.

Paul also said the Holy Spirit “is given as a pledge of our inheritance.” That word translated as “pledge” in Greek literally means “down payment.” The Holy Spirit’s presence in your life is God’s down payment that one day He is going to fulfill His promise to you.

Let me illustrate that for you. Let’s say I want a shiny new Cadillac. So I go to a dealership and find exactly the car I want. I say to the dealer, “I have to get to an appointment, but can you hold this car for me?” The dealer says, “Yes, but I need a $30,000 nonrefundable down payment.” So I write the check for the down payment. Now, do you think anything is going to keep me from going back and consummating that deal I made? Not on your life. I have already invested a substantial portion of my wealth in that car. I am not about to let it go.

When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, that is God’s down payment on the deal He has made with you. And God does not put down some paltry fraction of Himself. Instead, when you become a Christian, God invests a hundred percent of Himself in you through the Holy Spirit. Do you think God is going to turn His back on that investment He has made? Not on your life. One day He is going to take your spirit to heaven, just as He promised. One day He is going to raise your body from the dead and change it forever, just as He promised. The Holy Spirit is God’s promise that secures your future.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “You’re Richer Than You Think” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.

 

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