Covenant Reformed News – February 2009 • Volume XII, Issue 10
This article explains the biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit as the "earnest" or down payment of our future inheritance, drawing on Ephesians 1:13-14 and 2 Corinthians 1:22. The author argues that God provides both objective promises in Scripture and the inward witness of the Spirit to assure believers of their future glory and ultimate redemption. The piece combines pneumatological teaching with eschatological comfort, emphasizing how the Spirit's sealing work guarantees our inheritance in the new creation.
The Earnest of the Spirit (1) After referring to the Holy Spirit who “sealed” us (Eph. 1:13), the apostle Paul calls Him an “earnest:” “the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (14). II Corinthians 1:22, as well as Ephesians 1:13-14, joins the Spirit as seal and as earnest. These two aspects of the Spirit should be linked, understood and enjoyed together by all who are righteous in Jesus Christ. But what is an earnest? Three...