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In the devotion “Comfort in Affliction,” I shared about the small flood we had in our house. Two months after the flood, we are waiting for our insurance to send us a contract of the amount they will cover for repairs. The contract will be followed by a check with the agreed upon amount. The contract is the promise of the check to come. The check is the fulfilled promise which will provide for all the needed repairs as a result of the flood.
Over the past few weeks, we have been considering two of the “every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places” that God has blessed us with – chosen for adoption and redeemed. Today we will consider the third spiritual blessing Paul shares with us.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.[1]
Ephesians 3:3-14 (emphasis added)
The third spiritual blessing Paul shares is being sealed for an inheritance. Verses 11-14 are part of the one long, continuous sentence in the Greek, but as we focus on the last four verses, note that “in him” is used four times in these four verses alone. Jesus is still at the center. Just as we are blessed in him, chosen in him, redeemed in him, and united in him, we have obtained an inheritance in him.
The verb obtained in the Greek is the aorist passive indicative which means the action is so certain it is spoken of as if it had already happened. We will explore this more later, but for now, God keeps His promises. People, even with good intentions, often break their promises. God never does. Our inheritance is certain because God is faithful.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23; see also Romans 4:21 and Titus 1:2).
“In him we have obtained an inheritance” – There are two possible understandings for inheritance. The first understanding states that believers are Christ’s inheritance (John 6:37, 39; 10:29; 17:2, 24). The second understanding states that believers receive an inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-4). Both are grammatically and theologically correct. However, believers receiving an inheritance fits most closely with the rest of Paul’s teaching in this section (vs 3-14).
Paul writes to the Romans: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17). Paul doesn’t give us details of our inheritance, but in other parts of Scripture we can put some pieces together.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20). We are recipients of God’s promises.
The commentaries I read didn’t elaborate much on the inheritance beyond the fact that we have received part of our inheritance now and will receive the full inheritance when we are resurrected and glorified.
We are not left in poverty while we await our inheritance. We are being sanctified – each day being conformed to the image of Jesus. Not only are we being sanctified, but God sees us right now, positionally clothed with Jesus’ righteousness. But there is also the future aspect. One day we will be complete, finally and completely conformed to the image of Jesus (Philippians 1:6). We won’t be just positionally righteous, but we will actually be without sin and perfectly righteous.
Another example is that we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. Right now, He helps us understand God’s Word and apply it. In the future, when we are perfected, we will fully understand. We are blessed both now and in the future by our inheritance.
Our inheritance is the result of being “predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Our inheritance was planned and purposed by God before time just as we were predestined for adoption. I won’t go into much detail as we covered predestination and its paradox a few weeks ago, but “William Hendriksen’s comment on this passage is helpful and concise:
Neither fate nor human merit determines our destiny. The benevolent purpose—that we should be holy and faultless (verse 4), sons of God (verse 5), destined to glorify him forever (verse 6, cf. verses 12 and 14)—is fixed, being part of a larger, universe-embracing plan. Not only did God make this plan that includes absolutely all things that ever take place in heaven, on earth, and in hell; past, present, and even the future, pertaining to both believers and unbelievers, to angels and devils, to physical as well as spiritual energies and units of existence both large and small; he also wholly carries it out. His providence in time is as comprehensive as is his decree from eternity. (New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Ephesians [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1967], p. 88)”[2]
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who worksall things according to the counsel of his will.” The word works or energeō in the Greek is where we get our English words, energy, energetic, and energize. When God works all things, He not only creates all things to function, but He creates them functioning the way He intended from the moment of creation.
God works all things according to the counsel of his will. God is sovereign. There is nothing outside His will and purpose. As we go back and think about verse 11, it is in Christ, by God’s sovereignty and power according to His faithfulness that we have obtained an inheritance.
Verse 12 in the ESV reads: “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” In the Greek the order is reversed – “might be to the praise of his glory” comes first. The Greek structure highlights God’s preeminence. It is His work, His credit, His glory.
Hope as Paul uses it here is synonymous with believed in verse 13. Our predestined salvation is to result in the praise of His glory.
In the Greek, the article the is added before Christ to underscore Jesus as the only true Savior. Benjamin L. Merkle adds to our understanding of verse 12: “God’s glory is the revelation and manifestation of who he is: his essence, power, majesty, purity, and holiness. Therefore, to praise God for his glory is to declare that he is the one true God, who made heaven and earth.”[3]
God through Paul could have stopped there. God is faithful. He always keeps His promises, so if He promised us an inheritance, it is ours. We give Him glory, but Paul does not end the long, continuous sentence at verse 12: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (vs 13).
The first part of verse 13 is referring to our salvation, the moment we came to saving faith. We heard and believed the Gospel. We exercised faith. John MacArthur explains: “Faith is man’s response to God’s elective purpose. God’s choice of men is election; men’s choice of God is faith. In election God gives His promises, and by faith men receive them.”[4]
The moment we believe and received Christ in faith as our only hope of salvation, we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26-27; 37:14; Joel 2:28-29).
In the ancient world, seal referred “to an official mark of identification that was placed on a letter, contract, or other important document. The seal usually was made from hot wax, which was placed on the document and then impressed with a signet ring. The document was thereby officially identified with and under the authority of the person to whom the signet belonged.”[5]
The Holy Spirit Himself is the seal. He secures us. Nothing can change our standing in Christ. He is a seal of ownership that we now belong to God. We were bought with a price. We are children of God, heirs, and citizens of heaven. We are under God’s authority and go out as ambassadors under His authority.
But we aren’t just sealed by the Holy Spirit: The Spirit “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (vs 14). The Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance. Guarantee is used three times in the New Testament, and each time it refers to the Holy Spirit. In the ancient world, a guarantee was a down payment for a service. Full payment was made when the service was completed. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit is the down payment for the inheritance that awaits us. He is guaranteeing that we will acquire the possession of it much like an engagement ring is meant as a guarantee that the groom will marry the bride.
It is important to note that verses 13 and 14 are evidence for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. In short, we cannot lose our salvation. The Spirit is our guarantee. Some profess faith but are not truly saved. John wrote: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us” (1 John 2:19). But of those who are saved, Jesus said: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one” (John 18:9). And in Romans, Paul asserted that nothing could ever separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:31-39).
Although it is tempting to make the inheritance about us, the goal of the inheritance is once more “to the praise of his glory.” Paul repeated this phrase twice in our four verses today and three times in this section (vs 3-14). The goal of all spiritual blessings is to praise God (vs 3). Paul began this section with praise, and he ends with praise.
Reflection
1. How can you be a better steward of the inheritance God has already given you? How should this inheritance change how you think, speak, and act? Be specific.
2. How does being sealed by the Holy Spirit change the way you think, speak, and act?
3. How will you live to the praise of God’s glory today? Who will you share you praise of God with today? How will you praise God directly today? Four “God is…” truths you can start with from today’s study are His faithfulness, preeminence, power, and sovereignty.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 1:3–14.
[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 31.
[3] Merkle, Benjamin L. ESV Expository Commentary, Vol. XI: Ephesians – Philemon. (Wheaton, 2018), 35.
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