Set free today, fully redeemed tomorrow
Daily Scripture
Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:22-30
Ephesians 1
13 You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory.
Ephesians 4
22 Change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires. 23 Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit 24 and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.
25 Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor [Zechariah 8:16] because we are parts of each other in the same body. 26 Be angry without sinning [Psalm 4:4]. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. 27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil. 28 Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need.
29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. 30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
The Greek verb translated “redeem”/ “redemption” had a root sense of “to buy up.” That had a future element as well as a present one. Paul used the Greek word arrabon (down payment) as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit’s role assuring us that God will fully complete our redemption. Paul could look ahead to “the day of redemption.” That echoed Jesus’ promise that when things looked the darkest, his followers should “stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.” (Luke 21:28)
- Scholar William Barclay said, “There are many Greek commercial documents still extant in which the word occurs. A woman sells a cow and receives so many drachmae as arrabōn. Dancing girls are hired for a public entertainment and paid so much in advance. Paul is saying the experience of the Holy Spirit which we have in this world is a foretaste of heaven.” * What are some ways you experience the Spirit’s “down payment” in worship, praise or service?
- Paul also used that word in 2 Corinthians 1:22 and 5:5. “When God anoints someone with the spirit, Paul declares, this is the first part of the gift which will be completed in the resurrection itself. If the Christian hope is founded on Jesus’ own resurrection, that hope becomes a real possession within us through God’s gift of the spirit.” ** Every positive change the Spirit brings in your life is a “down payment” on your eternal redeemed life with God! What “previews” of eternity have you experienced?
Prayer
Gracious God, how I look forward to eternity with you. Thank you that your presence with me in the Holy Spirit lets me begin to “taste” what that glorious eternity will be like. Amen.
GPS Insights
Ginny Howell
Ginny Howell serves as the Worship Experience Director for Resurrection, leading the church’s efforts to provide radical hospitality and an excellent worship experience across all of our locations. She’s a mom to three, g-momma to one sweet little boy, and shares much of her time with her closest companion, a rescued Pit Bull named Lola.
Several years ago I visited a beautiful botanical garden in Tulsa. It was a gorgeous day, perfect temperature with no humidity. Sun was shining, birds chirping, you know, all the things you think of when you picture a relaxing getaway. Out of nowhere, a man quickly came up to me, tried to hand me something, and asked in a hurried voice, “Have you got your ticket?”
I didn’t know what kind of ticket I might be needing, and then he said, “You know, your ticket to heaven?”
Then he handed me a business card with John 3:16 and some other scriptural references on the back along with an 800 number to call for prayer. Not really possessing the spiritual gift of evangelism myself, this interaction struck me as really odd. The abrupt nature of it in such a serene setting felt counterproductive to an activity that was intended to help someone connect with the Divine.
I think the thing about it that stuck with me the most was the suggestion that I would need something tangible or to take some action to be included in or gain access to heaven. My faith background and family of origin didn’t really focus on what I would need to do or obtain to achieve eternal salvation.
These passages from Ephesians speak to much more of what I understand about my worth and value to God; that by the Holy Spirit, I have been claimed and sealed as one of God’s own people, created according to God’s image. In that image, I want to seek justice, do good and build up the community. I am drawn to pursue holiness, in words and actions, but for the times when I fall short of that, I never fear that my redemption is lost.
I didn’t have a response for the man I met in the garden that day. But I do think it’s interesting that I can’t tell you the name of that botanical garden or which plants and flowers struck me as the most beautiful. Maybe the beauty I was meant to encounter there was far deeper than what I could see with my eyes. What I take away most in my reflection from that day is the unwavering feeling and steadfast knowledge that I belong to God, always have and always will.
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* William Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 87.
** Wright, N. T., Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 14). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
