September 07 2025

Sunday September 07

The “Guarantee” and “Earnest” of Our Salvation

Ephesians 1:13-14

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Welcome to Pastor's Chat. Today I want to remind you that we are rich. We are rich beyond imagination in Christ Jesus. That is what the book of Ephesians is about. All the riches of Christ that we possess are ours the moment we trust Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior. This is what Paul is teaching the Ephesians about and our Heavenly Father wants us to know about too!

Here in verses 13 and 14, Paul tells us that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit. Already we've talked about what God the Father has given us. We talked about Jesus Christ and what He has given us. Now we're talking about the Holy Spirit and what He gives us even today. He says we also, who have believed and trusted in Christ, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. He seals us. That was our lesson yesterday.

Today, in verse 14, we learn about the guarantee we have by the Holy Spirit. Another word used for guarantee in the old King James is the word “earnest”. It reads, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory”.  This word earnest is a very fascinating word. In Paul's day, it meant the down payment to guarantee the final purchase of some commodity or a piece of property. Even today, when you buy a piece of property or you might hear the real estate agent mention the word earnest, the down payment, the guarantee that you're going to pay the final price on this property when you go to settlement in the lawyer’s office.

The Holy Spirit is God's first installment to guarantee to you and me, His children, that He will finish the work He begun in us and that He will eventually bring us to glory. This “earnest” is for “the redemption of the purchased possession”. This refers to the redemption of the body at the return of Christ for His Church. Romans 8:18-23 and 1 John 3:1-3 both speak of this experience!

Redemption, as we know it in Scripture, is experienced in three different stages:

We have been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7).

We are being redeemed as the Spirit works in our lives to make us more like Christ (Romans 8:1-4).

We shall be redeemed one day when Christ returns, and we become His for eternity.

But the word “earnest” can also means “engagement ring”. Matter of fact, in Greece today, you might find this word still being used that way. Isn't that what an engagement ring is? It's an assurance. It's a guarantee that the promise that you make to each other to be wed one day will be kept. My friend, our relationship to Jesus Christ and to God is not a commercial one. It's a personal one. It's a personal experience of love. He is the bridegroom. The church is His bride. Jesus is making the guarantee with the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life that one day He will come for His bride. He is going to keep His promise. Maybe that is why He is called the Holy Spirit of promise.

What greater assurance do we need to have? I'm often asked, “Can I lose my salvation? They say, “I don’t feel saved. I don't have the assurance that I keep my salvation because I still sin. I still do things I shouldn't do”. Read Romans 6 and 8. These two chapters should give you great assurance of your position in Christ, and reminds you that you will never be separated from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. Absolutely nothing can separate you. Why? The “Earnest”, the Guarantee has been given. You have the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is there right now in your life, never to be taken away.

Yes, can grieve the Holy Spirit, and you can quench Him, but you will never lose Him. Why? Because Jesus said, "He that comes to Me, I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). And Jesus promised in John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever”. My friend, “forever” means “forever”!

May you be especially blessed today as you relish the guarantee that you are His, and He is yours, and you're forever experiencing and enjoying His love.

God bless!