You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Perhaps you have heard the phrase, “The only things in this life that you can count on is death and taxes.” Inasmuch as history seems to suggest Benjamin Franklin is not the first to come up with this phrase, below is quoted from his letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy in 1789, considered by many as his last great quote:
Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.
This fatalistic proverb draws on the certain and inevitability of death in this life as the only way to avoid the burden of paying taxes. Inasmuch as I agree about the certainty of death and taxes (unless you live off the grid), there is much more we can be certain about in this life and we need look no further than today’s passage of Scripture. Paul is telling the Ephesians that the Holy Spirit is God’s “seal” of approval, that we in fact, by grace through faith, are members of the family of faith. Believing in Christ means we belong to Christ. The Holy Spirit Jesus promised to believers is like a down payment, a deposit if you will, guaranteeing our inheritance that nothing in both life and death can take away from us.
I like to say it this way – God has “SEALED THE DEAL” by way of His gift of the Holy Spirit. We have the first fruits of a promised future beyond this life that no circumstance can disrupt or dislodge us from. And it’s important to make sure we understand that God’s Revelation contains no fine print that God will spring on us when we come to the end of this life. We can rest assured that the good work God began in us He will bring to completion. No weapon formed including our own sinful rebellion can cause our God to “revoke the warranty” of His Revelation.
So, thinking about your life right now as this finds you, is it not a great encouragement to know that you have been set apart for all eternity and the deal of your divine destiny has been sealed by His Holy Spirit? May our hearts be griped by God’s amazing grace. Because Jesus has “SEALED THE DEAL” of our divine destiny by the shedding of His precious blood, may the lives we live be always and only to the praise of His glory!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 