Ephesians 1:14, commentary and pictures

The Holy Spirit himself is given as the down payment and pledge of the coming inheritance, held until God fully redeems what he has bought, to the praise of his glory. The bought possession to be redeemed is both the human family and the church, purchased at infinite cost by Christ's life and blood, and the earth itself, lost through Adam's fall to Satan to be renewed and made the eternal home of the redeemed. After hearing the word of truth and trusting in Christ, believers are sealed with that promised Spirit and made God's heritage, forgiven through his blood and adopted as his children. That pledge gives present assurance of future possession, a foretaste of heaven that brings the Saviour near with tender, refreshing power. Because they are wholly bought, believers belong to Christ alone, to live in obedience, consecrate all they have to his service, and treat every fellow soul as God's personal property with respect and love.

Spirit as Earnest Pledge

The promised Holy Spirit himself is the earnest, or pledge, of the believers' inheritance, held until God fully redeems his purchased possession, to the praise of his glory. After hearing the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and believing in Christ and first trusting in him, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise amid every spiritual blessing in Christ. They are chosen to be holy and without blame, predestinated to adoption, accepted in the Beloved, redeemed and forgiven through his blood, made to know the mystery of his will to sum up all things in Christ, made a heritage, and enlightened to know the hope of his calling, the riches of his inheritance, and the greatness of his power shown in raising Christ far above all rule. The verse belongs to a passage describing redemption through Christ, forgiveness, faith, and the sealing of believers by the Spirit, and it connects this inheritance with future immortal life and imperishable riches.

The earnest gives present assurance of future possession, a foretaste of heaven's blessedness received through fully believing in Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit. Only then can people understand the saving truths of the gospel and the purchase made for them, receive the blessings given to those who accept Jesus as personal Saviour, and gain power to become God's children. It is the spirit of life through Christ given through the ministration of the Holy Spirit promised in Matthew 28, bringing the Saviour close beside the believer with tender power that touches the heart, refreshes and strengthens. It is gained through Christian experience and sincere belief in his unseen personality viewed by the eye of faith, which Jesus recognizes as of real value, and every soul needs this earnest now, just now. With it there is not the least excuse for departing from the faith and giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.

Reaching heaven requires both the Spirit's inward work pledging the inheritance and Christ's outward work giving the right to receive that immortal inheritance. The Spirit of God within believers is the pledge, while Christ's work for them gives them the right, and both are necessary. The Spirit's seal and pledge marks God's adopted children with the sign of the cross, their lawbreaking taken away, faithful and obedient to his commandments. That mark of redemption is recognized by angels though human eyes cannot see it, and it pledges the inheritance until God completes the redemption of his purchased people. The seal is a pledge of security until redemption; those sealed belong to Christ as his purchased possession, no one can take them from his hands, and the seal identifies them as God's own bearing his name and the name of the New Jerusalem.

Inheritance and Final Restoration

The purchased possession to be redeemed includes the earth itself, originally given to humanity as its kingdom. That dominion was betrayed into the hands of Satan when Adam yielded to temptation, and the dominion given at creation passed to Satan as conqueror. It has been so long held by the mighty foe, having come by sin under the power of the wicked one. It is to be brought back by the great plan of redemption, which covers not only man but the earth.

Christ recovers that forfeited dominion by paying the penalty of sin and breaking the power of the enemy. What was lost through the first Adam will be restored through the second, redeeming both humanity and the earth. He came to redeem fallen men and women when Satan seemed to do about as he pleased in the world, reigning in the hearts of men and filling the world with disease and woe and human misery. The inheritance restored in this way is the land the righteous will possess forever, the original inheritance and dominion forfeited through sin.

At the end all that was lost by sin is restored. That time is the one long looked for since the flaming sword barred the first pair from Eden. Then God's original purpose in forming the earth to be inhabited is fulfilled. The earth is renewed by the power of God, freed from sin and sorrow, created as a home for holy and happy beings, and made the eternal abode and home of holy, happy, redeemed beings. The earth so renewed becomes the redeemed people's eternal home.

The inheritance is a real home prepared for God's people. It is boundless as the universe and enduring as eternity, incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading. It encompasses future immortal life and imperishable riches, with glory, honor, and immortality as the reward and excellent glory prepared for faithful Christians. Its glory exceeds what human language or finite minds can describe.

That heavenly inheritance was purchased for believers through Christ's great sacrifice and blood. In this probationary life money, property, and possessions are entrusted to people as a test of whether they can be trusted with eternal riches. Those who prove faithful will receive the purchased possession as their own.

Purchased Possession Identified

The purchased possession and heritage in the verse are God's people, the church, and the whole human family, bought back from the ruin wrought by the fall at infinite price by God and His Son through Christ's life, suffering, death, and shed blood on the cross. Every soul is of more value than a world, bought by Christ who is both Author of being and Author of redemption, with God's glory revealed both in creating man in His image and in redeeming him. Those bought are not left in ruin but have every facility placed within reach by which through well-directed effort they may regain their first perfection and stand complete in Christ, and they are expected to do their part in that work. When redeemed by shed blood to become partakers of the divine nature they are very dear to God's heart of love, to be gathered at the final settlement as His jewels and spared as a man spares his own serving son to live through all eternity with Him. Those adjudged to have in Christ endured the penalty of the law and fulfilled its righteousness receive eternal life as overcomers, elevated, pure, and one with Christ, developing a character that is the counterpart of God's character and bearing His likeness, without which none can dwell with God in holy heaven.

Because fellow men belong to God by purchase they must be regarded as His, and no person has authority to take charge of their souls or control mind and practice as property; to interfere with or harm them is to oppose God's claim over them. No one may lord it over them, but each must keep his own soul in the love of God and strive to be conformed to the image of Christ and made perfect in oneness with Him and the Father. No person on earth has even the shadow of a right to oppress those God has redeemed, and those whose lips are sanctified will utter no witticisms or sarcasms to hurt them.

The church is Christ's redeemed, purchased possession and the reward of His humiliation. Christ has endowed His people with His righteousness, capabilities, and blessings so they can represent His sufficiency and display His mercy, grace, and love. Through them heaven's order and harmony are to be shown to the world, and Christ is glorified, with His glory fully displayed in their purity and perfection.

Every individual life is God's personal property by creation and redemption, and every believer is Christ's purchased possession to do His work on the earth. The verse's language applies to both the Ethiopian and the white race: Christ died for the salvation of both without racial distinction, and God's people are to use their God-given talents to work for both, while those who reject God's truth must answer to God for rejecting Christ. Every child and youth is Christ's purchased possession and therefore must aim high in all plans for lifework, adopting the standard God's Word presents as the rule of government in all things as positive duty and positive pleasure. Because they belong to Christ they are to cultivate respect for themselves and constantly cherish respect for their own personal influence, gaining attainments in useful personal experience, success in forming right habits, and advancement in all that is noble and just and firm and solid, so their influence will be appreciated and valued as salt that is a savor of life unto life. Husband and wife each keep distinct individuality in salvation while laboring to help one another heavenward, holding every principle of Christ, and no man is permitted to come between Christ and the soul.

The redemption and rest of the Lord's purchased possession are still awaited, and its timing is unknown, so they must be ready for the Master's call at any time. Their hope includes seeing the Lord face to face, while living now with peace, confidence, assurance, and love and blessing others by letting their light shine. The churches are to guard the Lord's possession faithfully as sentinels, for the church belongs to God because He gave His Son for the world. Their care for this possession includes joining in medical missionary work, which helps keep the churches healthy.

Receiving the Sealing Spirit

After hearing the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and believing in Christ and first trusting in him, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. That sealing comes amid every spiritual blessing in Christ, as those chosen to be holy and without blame, predestinated to adoption as children, accepted in the Beloved, redeemed and forgiven through his blood according to the riches of grace. In that same blessing they are made to know the mystery of his will to sum up all things in Christ, are made a heritage having obtained an inheritance in him, and are enlightened to know the hope of his calling, the riches of his inheritance, and the exceeding greatness of his power wrought in raising Christ and setting him far above all rule.

The inheritance is received through fully believing in Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit. Only then can people understand the saving truths of the gospel and the purchase made for them, receive the blessings given to those who accept Jesus as personal Saviour, and gain power to become God's children. That purchase is Christ's purchased possession bought with a price by his being lifted up upon the cross and giving his precious life so they might not perish but have everlasting life, and the Holy Spirit enables them to understand it.

Receiving the pledge is connected with conversion and giving heart, mind, and soul to God's service. God's people are personally led by the Spirit, walk humbly and lovingly, and listen to his guidance. This reception leads them toward a higher, holier standard, where self is merged in Christ.

The Spirit is given as Christ's comforting presence to abide with workers and teach them, sealing their commission to go as the Father sent Christ. Their work is to honor and glorify God by learning from Christ and doing his will. Only by working under the Holy Spirit's teaching, standing on the platform of truth sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and refusing to unite with the world, can workers acceptably fill their position of trust and accomplish the high and holy work given to disciples and to those now called.

The earnest of the Spirit is to be striven for from the very beginning of a meeting by confessing sins and opening the door of the heart to receive Jesus gladly. It gives a deeper religious experience than before, brings blessing to the soul, and makes believers channels of light and blessing to others. The success of the meeting depends largely on each person seeking it for themselves in dependence on Christ rather than on the minister.

The chapter gives repeated assurances of acceptance and divine promises for believers to claim. From the first hour of belief in Christ as personal Saviour the truly converted soul becomes Christ's purchased possession. The honor and glory of God becomes his object, all his influence is put under contribution to God, he renders to all the commandments of God the obedience required of Adam in Eden, and his physical, mental, and moral powers are constantly increasing in adaptability for the work of God.

Living as God's Possession

To be bought means to belong wholly to Christ as his own, redeemed by his blood and lifted up on the cross to give everlasting life, adopted into the royal family and exalted as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ to an inheritance boundless as the universe and enduring as eternity, incorruptible, undefiled and unfading. Because of this, allegiance is owed to God alone, bound to him in divine love, with no contentment in allegiance to any earthly power and no seeking after any other inheritance. To feel this truth is to consecrate the whole being to his service every hour, with entire consecration, a renewed heart, sins repented of, confessed and forgiven, oneness with Christ as Christ is one with the Father, hatred of what was once loved and love of what was once hated, and counting all things but loss for the excellency of knowing him. Belonging to him claims freedom from letting selfishness hide the Saviour or letting the mind become engrossed with the world, with responsibility to relate rightly to God and the Redeemer; when selfishness is cut away variance ceases and he is adored as life and hope and eternal happiness. That belonging calls for uncomplaining service with cheerful, thankful hearts full of gladness and joy, openly expressing gratitude and helping and encouraging one another instead of discouraging one another.

Time, influence, intellect, sympathy, affection, abilities, gifts, talents and money are entrusted goods of heaven, to be diligently employed, sacredly guarded, improved and kept in circulation for Christ's cause to save souls and advance his kingdom. All that a person is belongs to him because he died on Calvary for transgression, so influence is valued and used only to lift him up before a perishing world and draw men to him. Christians help secure the souls for whom he died by investing his money and keeping every entrusted talent in circulation in his cause, rather than binding up gifts or hiding them in worldly enterprises, uncertain projects and selfish ends against which God has warned. God-given abilities are to be used not for selfish ends but for his glory, with believers brought into connection with him and set in right relation to his flock to use their talents faithfully as they should.

No person has authority to take charge of souls or control them as property, for God's people are his purchased possession and heritage bought at a price beyond human measure, and to interfere with or harm them is to oppose his claim over them. Every soul is of more value than a world, made in his image and redeemed by Christ who is both Author of being and Author of redemption, destined as overcomers who have endured the penalty of the law and fulfilled its righteousness in Christ to receive eternal life, elevated, pure, one with Christ, with character as the counterpart of God's character and bearing his likeness, without which none can dwell in holy heaven. God does not exalt one man to control the mind and practice of another, so no man in trust may put a yoke upon fellow men, command you shall and you shall not, or direct them to follow human sayings and customs against what the Lord has said, for to do so is to take what was never given and lord it over what belongs to God. Each individual life is God's personal property and each soul accountable to him for its actions, with leaders themselves needing to be guided by God; husband and wife each keep distinct individuality in salvation while helping one another heavenward and holding every principle of Christ, and no man may come between Christ and the soul. The purpose of all rule is to give shelter like a lofty tree, as the Spirit-led man always protects the weak, relieves the needy, and looks after the widow and the fatherless.

Men and women redeemed by Christ's shed blood to become partakers of the divine nature are very dear to God's heart of love, to be gathered at the last as his jewels and spared as a man spares his own serving son to live through eternity with him, so no person has even the shadow of a right to oppress them and sanctified lips will utter no witticisms or sarcasms to hurt them. Oneself and every other person, including every fellow worker, belongs to the Lord by purchase through his life, suffering and death, and therefore must be treated with due respect and Christian courtesy, with patience, kind words, kind deeds and a tender, faithful, gentle spirit, without hasty or overbearing words, condemnation, measuring by human standards, or occasion for disaffection. Friction is avoided by learning the meekness and lowliness of Christ, dealing with them not as servants to command at will but as people belonging to Christ whose great worth calls for faithful, respectful and gentle treatment. Talking about others' mistakes in criticism and faultfinding, gathering and repeating reports to cause pain or sadness or hurt another's influence, grieves that purchased possession in word and spirit and grieves the Holy Spirit, and belongs to Satan's work; there is no time or strength for criticizing one another, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to faultfinding must be overcome, each must keep his own soul in God's love, and speech in social conversation should give strength, courage, hope and faith and relieve the burdened.

Belonging to Christ is reason to love the people for whom he died even when they do not love, please or appreciate, letting Christian influence bind them through love for Jesus to awaken desire for righteousness and truth. They are to live by heaven's laws rather than the world's customs, putting away envy, suspicion and selfishness that hides the Saviour, ending variance, and helping one another onward. That identity calls believers to help their school and fellow students by staying closely connected with God and living so as to welcome heavenly angels and bring blessing.

From the first hour of belief in Christ as personal Saviour the truly converted soul is his purchased possession, with God's honor and glory as its object, all influence put under contribution to him, obedience rendered to all God's commandments as required of Adam in Eden, and physical, mental and moral powers constantly increasing in adaptability for God's work. By creation and redemption future eternal welfare depends on obedience, so every person with reasoning faculties is under obligation to search the Word and ascertain all enjoined, to understand all it requires in keeping all precepts and commandments that govern his kingdom, giving evidence to heaven, unfallen worlds and fallen men by diligently hearkening. Every child and youth as his purchased possession must therefore aim high in lifework, taking God's standard as rule of government in all things as positive duty and positive pleasure, cultivating self-respect and cherishing respect for personal influence, gaining useful experience, right habits and all that is noble, just, firm and solid, so influence will be valued as salt that is a savor of life unto life.

Because believers are bought with his own blood and he consecrated himself as the living Way, the line of communication stays open for his mercies to come to them and their prayers to come to him, and they please him most by faith in his promises, bringing all perplexities in full assurance nothing doubting that he will listen and help. God loves his purchased possession with unchangeable love that returns again and again to undeserving hearts even when doubt and unbelief grieve him; he longs to see them overcome the discouragement with which Satan would overpower them and not be paralyzed by unbelief in adversity, sickness, disappointment and trial. They live now with peace, confidence, assurance and love, letting light shine and blessing others while ready for the Master's call at any unknown hour, with hope that includes seeing the Lord face to face when redemption and rest still awaited are fulfilled. The earnest now is the spirit of life through Christ given by the Holy Spirit, bringing the Saviour close with tender power that touches, refreshes and strengthens the heart through Christian experience and sincere belief in his unseen personality seen by faith, which Jesus counts of real value; with it there is no excuse for departing from the faith to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.

As his agents entrusted with what he has given, believers are to use resources in temporal and spiritual service, passing his mercy, sympathy and compassion to others so that love in action inspires faith, brings him praise and joins people together, reaching beyond a few favorites to those most needing care. Following his self-sacrificing example they recognize they belong to him and work to bring his message of love and care to people of every station, practicing self-denial and self-sacrifice so the church may honor God. That work knows no racial distinction, for both Ethiopian and white are his purchased possession for whose salvation Christ died, and God-given talents are to be used for the salvation of both. Those with means are stewards of his gifts and will answer to him for neglecting suffering people who need help, for such neglect is unfaithfulness toward his possession; the churches are entrusted to guard that possession faithfully, including joining in medical missionary work that helps keep the churches healthy.