It is written:
Ephesians 1:13-14-It is the same with you. You heard the true message, the Good News about the way God saves you. 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. 14 The Spirit is the first payment that guarantees we will get all that God has for us. Then we will enjoy complete freedom as people who belong to him. The goal for all of us is the praise of God in all his glory.
Here we are told that the Spirit is the “first payment” or “pledge” that God gives to His people. What does this mean?
“The Holy Spirit is a pledge God has given to the Christian that assures his full redemption and salvation. The Holy Spirit is, in contemporary economic language, a “down payment” that God has given now but which anticipates full payment in glory. The definition of the Greek word arrabon is as follows: The word is a commercial term…. It signifies a “pledge” which is later returned (only Genesis 38: 17-20); a “deposit” which pays part of the total debt and gives a legal claim; … “earnest-money” ratifying a compact … It always implies an act which engages to something bigger. 4 The Holy Spirit is a partial payment on the eternal inheritance promised to the Christian. Possession of the Holy Spirit assures us that we have a legal claim to all God has promised. Something bigger and better awaits us in the future. The pledge of the Holy Spirit is a foretaste of it all.” (Jimmy Jividen, Alice In The Spirit: A Study Of The Nature And Work Of The Holy Spirit, 1253-1262 (Kindle Edition); Nashville, TN; Gospel Advocate Co.)
When you are discouraged with the trials and hardships of this life, remember that the gift of the Holy Spirit is a promise of better things to come. Keep fighting!
We receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit when we as believers repent and are baptized by the authority of Christ (Acts 2:38). Why not obey Him today?
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