The Promise

Ephesians 1:13 -In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise

Paul’s letter to the saints at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus has had my attention for the past several weeks. I’ve read it through several times and have memorized quite a few passages.

We are also actually going through a study of the person of the Holy Spirit and since He is mentioned in Ephesians 1, I thought I would blog about Him.

Paul is writing to the saints who have also trusted in Jesus. He makes mention of them having heard the word of truth, the gospel that produced salvation in their lives when they believed. Then he tells them that they were sealed with that “Holy Spirit of promise.” I want to look a little at that phrase, “Holy Spirit of promise.

As I looked into this phrase, I found two interesting views that I will mention here: Some versions of the Bible translates this phrase as: “the Holy Spirit of promise; and others refer to this phrase, “the promised Holy Spirit”. I just want to show how they are both theological sound yet tell us two different things about the Holy Spirit.

To bring clarity to my way of thinking, I would like to define the word “promise”. A promise is “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.” I googled it!

In verse 14 Paul refers the Holy Spirit as an “earnest of our salvation”. Now when we purchased our home several decades ago, we were required to put down some earnest money. Earnest money says that I am serious about buying this house and I am sealing the deal with my money. Paul wrote the Holy Spirit of Promise was our earnest deposit for our redemption. So that’s a wonderful promise and God is saying to us that our salvation has been purchased and the Holy Spirit sealed the deal! That’s glorious news!

Staying in that vein of thought, the Holy Spirit is the one who fulfills the promises of God in our lives. He is the One who makes things happen. When Paul prayed for the saints at Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus, he prayed that God would give to us the spirit of wisdom and revelation. It’s interesting to note all that Paul felt would accompany us having the Holy Spirit of promise: enlightened eyes, the knowledge of the hope of His calling, what the exceeding greatness of His power toward us is, and so on.

Paul mentions that all the promises of God are yes and amen in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20. Why? Because the Holy Spirit of promise brings to pass all that God has said to us. He watches over His word to perform it! (Jeremiah 12:1) This proof positive that Holy Spirit is the assurance that God’s promises will be fulfilled in our lives because He is the One who will make it happen!

The second view is the one we most often think of when we read this phrase. After all Jesus Himself referred to the coming of the Holy Spirit as the promise from God. “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”- Luke 24:49

Then there is the passage in Joel 2:28-29-“And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. and also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”

Ezekiel 26:26- “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

God in His wondrous love for us, sent His Holy Spirit, which He promised He would do, to transform us and our lives. When we are born again, we are born of the Holy Spirit. We become new creatures in Christ by His transforming power. He develops us, transforming us into the image of Christ Jesus! He walks with us and teach us how to live supernaturally in a world filled chaos and confusion. He, the promised One, fulfills the promise of God to us that we are overcomers! He, the promised One, fulfills the promise of God to us that by His stripes we are healed! He, the promised One, fulfills the promise to us that all the promises of God are yes and amen! He is the Holy Spirit of promise and the promised Holy Spirit! Yes and amen! Wonderful Jesus!