The Spirit Sealed Believers In Their Personal Past

By: Tom Lowe Date: 1/9/17

Title: The Spirit Sealed Believers in their Personal Past (1:13-14)

Series: Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Introduction

The “gift” of the Spirit is to be distinguished from the “gifts” of the Spirit. The latter are special endowments given to men by the Spirit; but the former is the Spirit himself, given by the Father through Christ (Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:4). The word “gift” does not occur in this passage, but Paul clearly had in mind the conferral of the Spirit upon believers—the final blessing in the enumeration begun at verse seven.

The main thought of verses 13-14 centers around the Holy Spirit and the significance of His presence in the life of believers. The manner in which He is referred to (“the promised Holy Spirit”) is worthy of note. The Spirit is in Himself holy, and it is His mission and work to make us holy. He is called “the promised Holy Spirit” because His coming was the fulfillment of a promise, his manifestation at Pentecost and his ministry with believers having been predicted by the prophets (Joel 2:28) and reaffirmed by Christ.

When we look at the work of the Holy Spirit, we see that (1) He regenerates us, (2) He is a refuge for us, and (3) He gives reality to our lives.

Message

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” The Ephesians heard the Gospel, “the message of truth,” and discovered it was for them—“your salvation.” To them the Christian preachers brought the Christian message. That word has two things. First, it was the word (“the message of truth”); it brought them the truth about God and about the world in which they lived and about themselves. Second, it was good news. It was the message of the love and the grace of God.

We said in the introduction that the work of the Holy Spirit includes our “regeneration.” Well, there will be somebody say, “He doesn’t mention regeneration here.” Actually he does, and in a marvelous way, because now were passing from God’s work for us to the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

In this work of regeneration and renewing, the Holy Spirit causes a sinner to hear and believe in his heart, and that makes him a child of God. The Lord Jesus said, “. . . You must be born again” (John 3:7). How are we to be born again? John explains, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). We need simply to believe on His name.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth,” Hearing means to hear not just the sound of words but to hear with understanding. Paul wrote, “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Who are the called? Are they the ones that just heard the sound of words? No, it means those who heard with understanding. God called them. It was not just a call of hearing words, but a call where the Holy Spirit made those words real. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, according to Romans 10:17. Those who are called hear the Word of God and they respond to it. Then what happens? Peter puts it this way: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23). The word of God goes out as it is going out even through this printed page. We are saying that the Son of God died for you and if you trust Him, you will be saved. “Well,” someone may say, “I read these words, but they mean nothing to me.” Someone else, however, will read or hear this message, and the Spirit of God will apply it to his heart so that he believes—he trusts—and the moment he trusts in Christ, he is regenerated (saved).