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Biblical, battle-tested, real-life help for "living by faith in the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20). — Steve Fuller

How Is The Holy Spirit The Guarantee Of Our Inheritance?

Money 2 from Microsoft Publisher ClipartThe Guarantee Of Our Inheritance

Through faith in Christ we have received an inheritance — the heart-filling joy of beholding God’s glory in Christ forever.

We can see that in Ephesians 1:11 — In him we have obtained an inheritance …

And in Colossians 1:12 — the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light …

And in 1 Peter 1:3-4 — God … has caused us to be born-again … to an inheritance …

This inheritance is most naturally understood as the heart-filling joy of beholding God’s glory —

  • because Paul says the inheritance is “in light” (Col 1:12) and “light” often describes God’s glory in Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3,6; Revelation 21:23);
  • and because Peter says this inheritance will “be revealed” to us (1 Peter 1:5), and later says that what will “be revealed” to us is God’s glory (1 Peter 5:1).

So, because you are trusting Christ, you have an inheritance — the all-satisfying joy of beholding God’s glory in Christ forever and ever and ever.

But There’s More

Not only does God give us this inheritance, he gives us the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of this inheritance.

We can see that in Ephesians 1:13-14 —

… the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance …

 And in 2 Corinthians 1:22 —

… [God has] given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

And 2 Corinthians 5:5 —

 He who has prepared us for [heaven] is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

But how is the Holy Spirit the guarantee?

One Answer

One answer is that because we trust Christ we have the Spirit, and since the Spirit will keep us in the faith, we can be assured that we will receive the inheritance.

That is surely taught in God’s Word.  But I think the Spirit is even more of a guarantee than that.

The First Installment

The Greek word translated “guarantee” has to do with money.  If someone wants to buy a large-ticket item, he would give the seller a guarantee, which mean he would give some money as “the first installment with a guarantee that the rest would follow” (Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, p.241).

That happens today in real estate transactions.  When we sold a home years ago, a buyer gave us an offer, along with a deposit.  This deposit was an actual first-installment of the total money she promised us.

She had taken part of her total money, and given it to us, so we could know that she had money, and that her money was good.

That’s what God does for us through the Holy Spirit.

When God gives us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee, he takes a portion of what we will experience in heaven, and gives it to us now as a first installment, so we can know for sure heaven is real, and that it is all-satisfying.

Other Passages

We can see this even more clearly when we look at two other passages that describe what the Spirit does.

Take Romans 5:5 for example —

God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The Holy Spirit gives us times when we not only know that God loves us, but when we feel his actual love for us.

Heaven is where we will know God’s love most fully (Romans 8:38-39).  But God, by the Spirit, gives us tastes of his love now, so that by first-hand experience we can know his love is real, and that it is all-satisfying.

Look also at 2 Corinthians 3:18 —

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

 The Holy Spirit enables us to behold the glory of the Lord.  That does not just mean knowing that Christ is glorious (as important as that is).  Other passages show this means we will have times when we see and feel and experience the very glory of God in Christ (John 17:21-23; Colossians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 4:6).

Heaven is where we will receive the full revelation of God’s glory in Christ (1 Peter 4:12-13; Revelation 21:23).  But God, by the Spirit, takes some of the actual glory we will experience in heaven, and enables us to experience it now, so that in this life we  can know his glory is real, and that it is all-satisfying.

How Can We Experience This?

God is sovereign.  He pours out this gracious work of the Spirit where and when he chooses.

But in his mercy, through Christ, he has given us steps to take which he promises will bring us this gracious work.

He encourages us to pray for this work of the Spirit (Luke 11:13; Ephesians 1:15-22; Ephesians 3:14-19).

And he promises that as we fight to hear his word with faith, he will provide us with this work of the Spirit (Galatians 3:5; Ephesians 6:17; John 6:35; John 7:37-38).

God promises that as we seek him with fervent prayer and meditation on God’s Word, he will give us times when we so feel his love, so behold his glory, that we will experientially know heaven is real and is worth it all.

That’s how the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance.

Pie In The Sky?

People criticize Christianity for being just about pie in the sky by and by.

Well, it is about pie in the sky — the all-satisfying pie of beholding God’s glory in Christ forever and ever.

But it’s not just about pie in the sky.  Because God, by the Spirit, gives us tastes of that pie now, in this life.

And when we taste that pie — we will have unshakeable peace, overflowing joy, sacrificial generosity, risky love, and bold evangelism.

Another slice, please.

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(Picture is from Microsoft Publisher Clipart.)

Category: The Work of the Spirit

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5 Responses

  1. Paul Walton says:

    Steve,

    What an amazing truth, the indwelling of the Spirit of God is a witness to our soul that what we are trusting in, is a certainty. The glimpses of seeing Christ’s glory with our spiritual eyes and the feeling of unspeakable joy that floods our soul are a down payment of the future glory that we shall know for an eternity.

    This state of mind is not a constant reality for us now, because creation has been subjected to corruption, and we along with it groan for redemption. But the Spirit of God does bear witness that it is coming.

    “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” Rom. 8:16

    Regrettably some folks in certain circles have been taught that this state of mind can be experienced constantly, that true believers never need to suffer or experience trouble. But the very next verse in Romans 8 tells us differently.

    “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

    This down-payment of the Spirit points to our final inheritance and gives us a hope, not a perhaps someday hope, but a secure hope.

    ” For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Rom. 8:24-25

  2. Steve Fuller says:

    Thanks once again for your thoughts, Paul. Wise, encouraging, biblical. Keep them coming!

    Steve

  3. Bill Schuler says:

    Hi Steve, here is a quote your gonna love from Kim Walker-Smith. ” If you are not passionate about growing your relationship with God, if you are not passionate about falling more in love with him, about seeking him out, about spending time with him, about opening up yourself and pouring your affection on him, if you are not passionate about worshiping him, then you don’t know yet how much he loves you! That’s why you need an encounter with God’s love.”
    It’s true, experiencing his love changes everything. It has been a long time however since I have felt his presence beyond anything than a peace as I wait on him. I miss the supernatural explosion of his love and goodness. I’ll admit I am probably not fighting for it hard enough. I should be. Those times have been the greatest moments of my life.

    • Steve Fuller says:

      Hi Bill,

      Like you said, that is a powerful quote. Thank you for sharing it with us here.

      The peace of waiting on him is precious — but you are right, there is more of his glory he wants us battling to see.

      I am with you in the fight, brother.

      He is worth it all.

      Steve

  4. Tyrone says:

    Hi Steve. In my experience there are times when you do not experience His Presence at all, and that is because He wants us to go by faith and not by experience. Lovely blog.

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