Apr 20
5
New Testament Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
“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, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 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, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:3–14, ESV)
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[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.]
Introduction
Brothers and sisters, we have come now to the third and final section of this opening of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Here in verses 11 through 14 special emphasis is given to the role in which the Holy Spirit plays in the accomplishment of God’s plan of redemption. In short, the Spirit seals the believer. He is, therefore, “the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.”
But before we get to that portion of the passage I want for you to see that Paul never really moves on from his insistance that all of these spiritual blessings that are ours — the forgivness of our sins, our adoption as God’s sons, our redemption from sin and death — are ours because God the Father determined to give them to us in eternity past, being moved by nothing external to himself, but only according to the council of his will, and through Jesus Christ the Beloved Son of God.
In other words, though it is true that this text is divided into three sections with emphasis given, first of all, to what the Father has done (he chose us in Christ), and secondly, to what the Son has done (he has redeemed us by his blood), and thirdly, to what the Spirit has done (he has sealed us as a guarantee of our inheritance), never does Paul leave the originating act of the predestinating of the Father, nor the mediating act of the Son behind. Instead, carries those truths along throughout this text and makes constant reference to them, so that we might continue to marvel at the glory of the grace of the Triune God as manifest in his plan of redemption.
At first glance verse 11 might seem like a plain repetition of what was said earlier in verse 5. In verse 5 we read, “he [the Father] predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:5, ESV). Here in verse 11 we read, “In him [in Christ] 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…” (Ephesians 1:11, ESV).
These two verse sound very similar. They both make reference to the predestinating (or predetermining) act of the Father. And they both insist that God predestined being moved (if you will allow me to use that term) only by his own will, and not by things external to himself.
But verses 5 and 11 differ in two ways: One, verse 5 has our being predestined to adoption as sons in view, whereas verse 11 has predestination to, what the ESV translates as, an “inheritance” in view. Two, and even more significantly, verses 5 and 11 differ in that while the “us” in verse 5 refers to all who will believe upon Christ and thus be adopted as sons of God, the “us” in verse 11 refers more specifically to those who, and I quote, “were the first to hope in Christ.”
Look at verse 12. There we read, “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” And now look at verse 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…”
I draw your attention to these things in the introduction to this sermon because we will miss one of the main points of this passage entirely if we fail to recognize that this is not a straightforward repetition of what has been said earlier regarding our predestination to adoption as sons through Christ and according to the will of the Father. Something more nuanced is going on here. Paul is here distinguishing between those “who were the first to hope in Christ” and his audience — the Ephesian Christians — signified by the phrase “In him you also” at the start of verse 13.
Why this distinction? Well, as we will see, it is not to emphasize differences between the two groups, but rather their unity in Christ Jesus.
With that said, let us now take this passage one phrase at a time.
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“In him we have obtained an inheritance…”
The first line of verse 11 says, “In him we have obtained an inheritance…”
The “in him” is yet again a reference to Christ Jesus. It is one of the 13 references to him found in this passage. I think that you probably get the point by now. Any spiritual blessing that is ours, is ours only in or through Christ Jesus. The Father determined to give us the spiritual blessing — he is the source of all blessing, therefore. But he also determined to give it, in him, in the Beloved, and through his mediation. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5–6, ESV).
As I have said, the “we” here in verse 11 — “In him we have obtained an inheritance…” — refers not to all Christians generally, but specifically to those “who were the first to hope in Christ.” Clearly, Paul considered himself to be a part of that group.
And here Paul teaches that those first Christians — those “who were the first to hope in Christ” — “obtained an inheritance.” What does he mean by this?
Well, it is clear that there is some difficulty in translating the Greek word that is here in the ESV rendered as “obtained an inheritance”.
The NET Bible translates the word like this: “In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will…” (Ephesians 1:11, NET). Instead of “obtained an inheritance”, the NET says, “we too have been claimed as God’s own possession”.
And the NIV translates the Greek word this way, saying, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will…” (Ephesians 1:11, NIV84). Instead of “obtained an inheritance” the NIV has, “In him we were also chosen”.
These two translations bring out the sense that, instead of simply receiving something, namely, “an inheritance”, these first disciples of Christ were in fact appointed to something — they received an appointment or calling.And I think this is probably the right translation of this Greek verb, which is in the passive voice. These “who were the first to hope in Christ” received a particular and special “calling” or “appointment”. They were “predestined” by God to play a special and unique role in the accomplishment of God’s plan of redemption. And this is where Paul takes us.
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“Having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…”
In 11b Paul continues, “having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…”
Though this phrase has specific reference to the appointment or calling of the first disciples of Christ, notice that it reveals general truths about God’s predestinating too.
Here it is stated clearly that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.” This is the same truth that we teach our children when we ask them in Baptist Catechism 10, “What are the decrees of God?”, and teach them to answer, “The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.” Ephesians 1:11 is listed as a support text (alongside Romans 11:36 and Daniel 4:35). All things that come to pass are the outworking of God’s singular decree.
And here in Ephesians 1:11 Paul does again identify what motivated or moved God to decree or predestine as he did. Twice in this short passage we read the words “according to”. These who were the first to hope in Christ were predestined to their appointment “according to the purpose of [God]”. And this is the God who “works all things according to the counsel of his will…”
The are many Christians who will admit that God has predestined or foreordained whatsoever will comes to pass. This they must do if they claim to believe the scriptures, for the scriptures are so clear and frequent in their use of these terms. But some, because they are far more concerned with teaching human freedom (or at least their version of it) than they are with acknowledging the freedom of God to do as he wishes with his creation, will say, well, sure God predestinated — but he predestinated according to what he foresaw would happen. In other words, they assert that predestination is not God determining, in and of himself, what will happen, but rather God observing what will happen (because he is omniscient and knows the beginning and the end), and then decreeing what he decrees based upon what he observes.
This is a very popular view today. It takes different forms. But in all its forms, this view is thoroughly unbiblical. I will give you only three reasons for the sake of time.
One, nowhere do the scriptures teach this. Yes, the scriptures teach that God is omniscient. He sees the future with perfect clarity. The future is as clear to him as the past and the present. But this does not mean that God is a passive observer of human history. Rather, the scriptures teach that God knows the future because he has decreed it. Consider Isaiah 46:9-10, which says, “remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…’” (Isaiah 46:9–10, ESV). And no, Romans 8:29 most certainly does not teach that God predestines based upon what he foreknows or foresees, as some erroneously teach. Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29, ESV). Pay careful attention. This text most certainly does not say that God predestined some based upon what he saw them do ahead of time. To the contrary, it teaches that God foreknew, not facts, but individuals. And all “those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Tell me, friends. What does God foreknow? He foreknows everything! He sees with perfect clarity everything that everyone will do. Then are all predestined being foreknown by God? The answer is clearly no! So then, this does show that something is terribly wrong with your interpretation of what “foreknew” means in Romans 8:29. Brothers and sisters, in Romans 8:29 it is not facts about people that are foreknown — in other words, no where does this text say that God foresees who will believe and then predestines them — instead, it is people who are foreknown by God. The meaning is this — God chose in eternity past to set his love upon certain people. And these he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. And this interpretation of the word “foreknew” is perfectly consistent with the way the word is used elsewhere, particularly by Peter in 1 Peter 1:18. Speaking to Christians he says, “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He [Christ] was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you” (1 Peter 1:18–20, ESV). What does Peter mean by this? Does he mean that God, because he is omniscient, saw that this man named Jesus the Christ happened to come into the world and to die for others to ransom them by his blood, and so God determined to send him? That would be absurd! No, instead the word “foreknown” is used here in the same way that it is used in Romans 8:29 — as a close synonym for election. “He [Christ] was foreknown before the foundation of the world.” God chose him and set his love upon him and appointed him to be the redeemer of his elect. And so too, when Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”, it does not speak of God omniscience, but of his unconditional election of some in eternity past. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:29–30, ESV). There is that unbreakable chain of redemption — all who are at first foreknown will also be called, justified and glorified in the end. Nowhere do the scriptures teach that God predestinated according to what he foresaw.
Two, this view that God predestinated according to what he in his omniscience foresaw is incompatible with the word “predestined”. The word means to determine ahead of time. But according to this foreknowledge view, as it is called, God doesn’t determine anything — he only foresees and then responds to the choices of his creatures. I ask you, according to this scheme, who is it that “determines” what will happen? Not God, but the creature! If this is true then why does Paul say again and again in this passage that it is God who predetermines and chooses. This foreknowledge view, in all of it forms (Molinism included) makes man the determiner, and not God.
Three, Paul not only teaches that God predestinated, he also addresses the question, according to what? In other words, he addresses the question, what moved God to predetermine as he did? And the answer is consistent throughout this passage and in others: God predestined according to his purpose; according to the council of his will. In other words, he did not predestinate being moved by things external to himself. No one whispered in God’s ear, saying, I think you should do this. Nor did he look down the corridors of time to see what man would do, so that he might predestinate according to what he foresaw. God predetermined what he predetermined according to his will.
Again, Ephesians 1:5: “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…” (Ephesians 1:5, ESV).
Ephesians 1:7: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7, ESV).
Ephesians 1:9: God has made “known to us to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ” (Ephesians 1:9, ESV).
And Ephesians 1:11: “In [Christ] 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…” (Ephesians 1:11, ESV)
Paul deals with this doctrine of predestination in Romans 8 through 11. And near to the end of Romans 11 he bursts out in praise, saying, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33–36, ESV).
Brothers and sisters, I am convinced that Christians have real trouble with the doctrine of predestination not because the scriptures are unclear on this point. Neither is it simply that their doctrine of salvation is out of sorts. More fundamentally, they have distorted view of God. They fail to recognize that God is not like us in some very important ways. He is above us. His judgements are unsearchable. His ways, inscrutable. You and I are wise to seek counsel when making decisions. Not so with God. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”, Paul asks. The answer is, no one! “‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” Again, no one! To the contrary, “from him and through him and to him are all things.”
Stated yet again, Paul does not leave the question “according to what” unanswered. What moved God to predestinate as he did? Answer: nothing external to him. Not the counsel of another. Not what he foresaw. Certainly not the choices of his creatures considered ahead of time. Instead, God predestinated according to his “own purpose”, for he is the one who “works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
Notice that the text says “all things”. This means “all things”. Somehow — and I do not claim to understand it fully or to have the capacity to explain it — God will use all things, even the bad things which he has permitted, for his glory and for the good of his beloved.
Paul address this in Romans 8 and 9. In Romans 8:28 we find those famous and much loved words, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, ESV). In Romans 9 we find less famous and often despised words: Verse 14: “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, ‘Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?’ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?” (Romans 9:14–24, ESV).
As I have said, somehow — and I do not claim to understand it fully or to have capacity to explain it — God will use all things, even the bad things which he has permitted, for his glory and for the good of his beloved.
This touches upon the so called problem of evil. And perhaps you have noticed that Christians who are opposed to the doctrines that I have here presented sometimes like to press those of us who are of a Calvinistic or Reformed persuasion with this so called problem of evil saying, if it is true that God works all things according to the counsel of his will, then what about evil? What about the fall of man into sin? What about all of the evils that we see in the world?
Now, I don’t deny that this is a difficult question. In general I will say what I have said before. We must acknowledge that God works all things to the counsel of his will and that somehow God will use all things, even the bad things which he has permitted, for his glory and for the good of his beloved.
But if you are a Christian who scoffs at the doctrine of predestination, let me put two questions to you. One, what do you do with all of these passages that teach predestination? And two, what do you do with the so called problem of evil? If you believe in the God of scripture — a God who is good, all knowing, and all powerful — then the problem of evil is a problem for you too! Do you have a better answer than the one that is set forth by the Reformed? Do you have a better answer than the one summarized within chapters 3 and 5 of our Confession of Faith? And no, blaming evil entirely on the free will of the creature will not get you very far — not if you wish to maintain that God is omniscient. At some point you must say what we say if you are to be biblical. That “God the good Creator of all things, in his infinite power and wisdom doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, to the end for the which they were created, according unto his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will; to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness, and mercy.
(Hebrews 1:3; Job 38:11; Isaiah 46:10, 11; Psalms 135:6; Matthew 10:29-31; Ephesians 1:11)” (Second London Confession, 5.1). And that “The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in his providence, that his determinate counsel extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other sinful actions both of angels and men; and that not by a bare permission, which also he most wisely and powerfully boundeth, and otherwise ordereth and governeth, in a manifold dispensation to his most holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness of their acts proceedeth only from the creatures, and not from God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin.
(Romans 11:32-34; 2 Samuel 24:1, 1 Chronicles 21:1; 2 Kings 19:28; Psalm 76:10; Genesis 50:20; Isaiah 10:6, 7, 12; Psalms 50:21; 1 John 2:16)” (Second London Confession, 5.4). Christian, if this is not your answer, I wonder, do you have a better one? One that is more biblical than this?
Now, having discussed the general principle that is set forth in Ephesians 1:11, that God works all things according to the counsel of his will”, let us now return to the text and remember that Paul is here giving special consideration to the appointment that those “who were the first to hope in Christ” were predestined to received.
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“So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory…”
Again, verse 11: “In him we have obtained an inheritance [appointment], having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:11–12, ESV)
Here Paul is drawing special attention to the role played by those first disciples of Christ in the outworking of God’s plan of redemption.
We are to remember that these first disciples of Jesus, of whom Paul was one, were all Jews. They were of the Hebrew people. They were children of Abraham according to the flesh. And Paul is here saying that they — those who were the first to hope in Christ — were predestined in Christ to play a special role in God’s plan of redemption. They are were to be “to the praise of [God’s] glory.”
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“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…”
And what was their special appointment all about? Well, we find a clue in verse 13 when Paul says, “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” (Ephesians 1:13, ESV).
Here Paul is making a distinction between those Jewish converts “who were the first to hope in Christ” and those Gentile converts who had “heard the word of truth, the gospel of [their] salvation” from them. This distinction between Jew and Gentile is made, not to create division, but to promote unity within Christ’s church. And you should know that this was in fact a problem within the early church. Jews and Gentiles were not unified. But here when Paul writes to the Ephesians, and by way of extension, the rest of the churches of Asia Minor who were largely made up of Gentile Christians, he set out to show that in Christ they are one.
The Jews who were the first to hope in Christ had a special role to play in God’s plan of redemption. They were God’s chosen people under the Old Covenant. To them the promises that were made to their forefathers were entrusted. The prophets came from them. And so did the Christ! They were a special and privileged people therefore. But what was their mission? What was the purpose of God for them? His purpose was that through them the gospel of Jesus the Christ would go to the nations.
You haven’t forgotten what was said to father Abraham when God first called him, have you. “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV). And what appointment did Christ give to his Jewish Apostles as he prepared to ascend to the Father? He “said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV).
How did the Apostles of Christ, and especially Paul, who was known as the Apostles to the Gentiles, view themselves? They viewed themselves of having a special obligation — a special calling — to testify to the world concerning the good news of Jesus the Christ. That is what Paul is alluding to here. He is distinguishing between the first Jewish converts and the later Gentile converts, not to bring division — not to claim that one is superior over the other — but to bring unity.
And where is this unity found?
Pay close attention to this: Their unity is found, not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.
Listen again to Paul’s words in verse 13. “In him you also [you predominantly Gentile Christians living in Ephesus], when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…” (Ephesians 1:13, ESV).
Why are Jew and Gentile Christians one in Christ Jesus? Paul establishes the reason early in his epistle. They are one because both were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
This is huge. The implications of this are far reaching. Our union in Christ is not in any way fleshly or earthly. Our union is based, not upon race or ethnicity, natural birth or genealogy, wealth, education, or social status. Our union in Christ is wrought instead by the sealing of the Holy Spirit, which all who are in Christ receive, the moment they believe.
This is a bit of a side note, and so I will not develop this thought at this time. But I do wish that those who believe in infant baptism, or those who are now considering the paedobaptist position, as it is called, would think carefully about what Paul says here in Ephesians regarding our union with one another being rooted in our union with Christ as wrought by the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Under the Old Covenant the Jewish people enjoyed covenantal union with one another even apart from the work of the Spirit by virtue of their natural descent from Abraham. All who were born from Abraham were born into the covenant that was transacted with him. It was right and natural, therefore, for the sign of that covenant to be applied to the infants. They were in Abraham no matter if they believed in the promises that were given to him. But under the New Covenant that ethnic and generational principle melts away. Once the Christ descended from Abraham, and once he did institute the New Covenant by his shed blood, ethnicity and natural descent does not matter at all. Jew and Gentile are united as one in this New Covenant, not by natural birth, but by new birth! When they believe they are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, united to Christ by faith, and have equal share in the inheritance. And here is why it is only appropriate to give the sign of the New Covenant to those who believe. It only those who believe who are sealed with the Spirit, united to Christ, and partakers of all of the benefits which he has secured. Stated differently, who your parents or grandparents are matters not a lick under the New Covenant. Those who are born to a believing parent or parents are in a privileged position given that that they are in close proximity to the gospel — in that sense they are sanctified! But being born to Jewish parents, or Hungarian parents or Chinese parents, matters not at all in terms of the question, are you in or out of the Covenant of Grace. Truth be told, no one has ever been born into the Covenant of Grace. All are born into that Covenant of Works which Adam broke. For a time, some people — particularly the Hebrew people — were born under the Abrahamic Covenant, which gave birth also to the Mosaic Covenant. The promises of the Covenant of Grace were beautifully contained and proclaimed in those Covenants, and some of the Jews believed the promises. But men and women become partakers of the Covenant of Grace only by faith. This is how it has always been.
So why does Paul refer to the Holy Spirit as the “promised Holy Spirit”at the end of verse 13? The Spirit is called the “promised Holy Spirit” because the Old Testament Prophets prophesied concerning the day when the Holy Spirit would be poured out in abundance and upon all flesh, that is to say, not only on the Jews, but also the Gentiles.
For example, the prophet Joel said, “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, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit” (Joel 2:28–30, ESV).
The people of God living under the Old Covenant lived with this expectation that in the future the Spirit of God would be poured out like never before in abundance and upon all flesh, for this was promised to them by God. Read Ezekiel 36 and 37 for yourself. Read Isaiah 32.
In fact, read the book of Acts and see for yourself how significant this theme regarding the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is. You will note that the Spirit was poured out first upon the the Jewish Christians — that is to say, upon those who were the “first to hope in Christ”. And when it was poured out upon the Jewish disciples they spoke in tongues. And no, this was not a heavenly prayer language, but known languages — the languages of the nations! And why would that be? Because under the New Covenant, the gospel was to be proclaimed amongst the nations! And then keep reading in Acts and see the theme of the outpouring of the Spirit develop. Watch how “those who were the first to hope in Christ” marveled over the fact that the Spirit was poured out also upon the Gentiles.
When Paul calls the Spirit, “the promised Holy Spirit” he is highlighting this progression in the history of redemption. He is saying to his Gentile brethren, the day has come, and you are proof of it! The promises of God concerning the coming of the Christ, the New Covenant, the expansion of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth, and the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh have come! And you, Ephesians, are proof of it. For you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
What does it mean to be sealed? A seal is a guarantee. It is a certification of the reality or authenticity of a thing. When Paul says that we are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” he is saying that God has put his mark on us by the Spirit. God has certified the authenticity of our salvation by sealing us with his Spirit. Water baptism, by the way, is the visible and sacramental sign of this invisible work. The Spirit is a downpayment or guarantee of our inheritance, therefore. This is what Paul says in verse 14. Speaking of the Spirit he says, “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it…” (Ephesians 1:14, ESV). We will have the fulness of our inheritance in the new heavens and new earth. There all will be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit has been poured out now. We have a foretaste, therefore, of the future, full, and final inheritance that is ours through faith in Christ Jesus. God has given to his people a downpayment of the Spirit, so as to say, there is more of this to come.
Notice that this sealing of the Spirit was received by the Ephesians when they believed the “word of truth, the gospel of their salvation”, which is also to say, when they “believed in [Christ]…”
Some of you might be thinking to yourselves, well, I though that the work of the Spirit comes before faith. I though that faith is a gift and that the Spirit of God is the one who enables us to believe. Doesn’t he call us to faith? Doesn’t he open our eyes to see, and our ears to hear the gospel with belief? Doen’t he make those who are dead to live so that they might lay ahold of Christ by faith and walk with him? And the answer is, yes. But those things just mentioned are called effectual calling and regeneration. Those are also works of the Holy Spirit. And those works do preceded faith. But here we are talking about sealing. The Spirit does many things for the believer, friends. Some thing precede faith, some things accompany faith, and some things follow faith. The Spirit does also help the believer and sanctify the believer.
When we believe upon Christ as he is presented to us in the “word of truth, the gospel of [our] salvation” we too are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”.
By the way, with all of this predestination and election talk, I want for you to notice that Paul, in the same passage, makes mention of the preaching of the gospel and of faith. The simple point that I am making is this: the doctrine of predestination does not obliterate or contradict the doctrine of human responsibility or choice, but rather sweetly complies with it. God has predestined some to adoption as sons, but those who are predestined only come to have the adoption of sons (along with every other spiritual blessing in Christ) through the means of the preaching of the gospel and received by faith.
And that brings us back to the beginning of verse 13 and the words, “In him you also…”. Again, the reason Paul makes a distinction between “those who were the first to hope in Christ” and the Ephesians who believed later and through their word — the reason he makes a distinction, therefore, between Jew and Gentile — is not to divide, but to unite. “In him you also…”, he says. And then he proceeds to show that the Ephesians have been sealed with the same Spirit and have the downpayment, therefore, of the same inheritance, because they are united to the same Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord.
This theme that is introduced very briefly here will be developed later in Paul’s epistle. And I would like to quickly read that passage to you where Paul develops this theme. Turn to Ephesians 2:11 and follow along. I’ll read quickly, so you will need to pay careful attention.
“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:11–22, ESV)
“Unity in the inaugurated new creation” is the theme. And this is the doctrinal basis for Paul application, when he’s says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV)
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“…to the praise of his glory.”
Notice lastly that all of this is said to be to the praise of the glory of God.
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Conclusion
Friends let us not forget Paul’s purpose for writing. It was “for this reason [that he bowed his] knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” May Paul’s enthusiasm for the love and grace of God be contagious. May we be moved to marvel over it as he did. Many we, along with him, give glory to God for his marvelous and underserved grace.
