"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed you were marked with Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of His glory." Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV
How awesome is this verse of scripture? We are included in Christ, we are marked with the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our inheritance, and we are now God’s possessions! If you don’t get excited at this, what will you get excited over? This scripture so strengthens our study of who we now are in Christ. First of all, we were included in Christ. Notice our Father does not say that we will be included in Christ, not that we are going to be included, not that we are being included, as if it is some process, no plain and simple God says that we were included, past tense. In our Father's eyes it is a done deal! "But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 2:4-5
Next, we are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, Who tells us who we are in Christ. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Romans 8:16 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Galatians 4:6 Notice both of these scriptures say that we are the sons of God, not that we will be the sons of God, but that we are the sons of God. These verses also say that because we are the sons of God, that we have been given the Holy Ghost Who confirms our acceptance and bears witness with our own spirits of who we are in Him. "Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that has this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." 1 John 3:2-3 Isn't it great how all of these scriptures tie right together.
Finally, the Holy Spirit is our guarantee of salvation. The Holy Ghost guarantees our salvation; there is no better guarantee to be had. I have a friend, Brad, who really understands this Truth. Brad is very active in a church that let’s just say is not as accepting of it. One night Brad asked Beth and I to go to a service. At this service the preacher asked him to make a comment, well he did, and was it a great one! The preacher had been talking about salvation and he used an example of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Well, Brad jumped up and said, without hesitation and with no reservations, and in a bold voice, "the neat thing about a butterfly is that it can never go back to being a caterpillar." It took all of one second for that preacher to jump right up and say, "but we know we can all fall away from our salvation." Brad knows who he is in Christ and was openly confessing his faith; the preacher had no idea who he could be in Christ. But in Jesus' Name he will! The preacher did not have the Holy Ghost in him confirming and guaranteeing who he is, yet Brad does. Just because a person stands behind an altar and is called a preacher means nothing. 1 John 4:2, a spirit that confesses Christ is in the flesh, means everything! In Jesus' Name that preacher and all who agreed with him will accept and live the Truth of God! Brad is not at that church by coincidence, he is there because that is where God wants him!
If you don’t believe these verses, that tell us that we are guaranteed eternal salvation, I want you to ask yourself this? When were you filled with the Holy Ghost? If you cannot answer yourself with a specific time and place, a time when you knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that you were, than you need to get with God and ask Him why?
How awesome is this verse of scripture? We are included in Christ, we are marked with the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our inheritance, and we are now God’s possessions! If you don’t get excited at this, what will you get excited over? This scripture so strengthens our study of who we now are in Christ. First of all, we were included in Christ. Notice our Father does not say that we will be included in Christ, not that we are going to be included, not that we are being included, as if it is some process, no plain and simple God says that we were included, past tense. In our Father's eyes it is a done deal! "But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 2:4-5
Next, we are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, Who tells us who we are in Christ. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Romans 8:16 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Galatians 4:6 Notice both of these scriptures say that we are the sons of God, not that we will be the sons of God, but that we are the sons of God. These verses also say that because we are the sons of God, that we have been given the Holy Ghost Who confirms our acceptance and bears witness with our own spirits of who we are in Him. "Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that has this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." 1 John 3:2-3 Isn't it great how all of these scriptures tie right together.
Finally, the Holy Spirit is our guarantee of salvation. The Holy Ghost guarantees our salvation; there is no better guarantee to be had. I have a friend, Brad, who really understands this Truth. Brad is very active in a church that let’s just say is not as accepting of it. One night Brad asked Beth and I to go to a service. At this service the preacher asked him to make a comment, well he did, and was it a great one! The preacher had been talking about salvation and he used an example of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Well, Brad jumped up and said, without hesitation and with no reservations, and in a bold voice, "the neat thing about a butterfly is that it can never go back to being a caterpillar." It took all of one second for that preacher to jump right up and say, "but we know we can all fall away from our salvation." Brad knows who he is in Christ and was openly confessing his faith; the preacher had no idea who he could be in Christ. But in Jesus' Name he will! The preacher did not have the Holy Ghost in him confirming and guaranteeing who he is, yet Brad does. Just because a person stands behind an altar and is called a preacher means nothing. 1 John 4:2, a spirit that confesses Christ is in the flesh, means everything! In Jesus' Name that preacher and all who agreed with him will accept and live the Truth of God! Brad is not at that church by coincidence, he is there because that is where God wants him!
If you don’t believe these verses, that tell us that we are guaranteed eternal salvation, I want you to ask yourself this? When were you filled with the Holy Ghost? If you cannot answer yourself with a specific time and place, a time when you knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that you were, than you need to get with God and ask Him why?
I can tell for me it was at the Brentonel Church of Christ, when I was eleven years old, with my Aunt Linda, in a cold metal chair beside the baptismal. My mom reached over, touched my lips, and I was filled! I had believed before than, but that night I was filled, and as Jesus said, those who believe and are baptized shall be saved. If you have not had such an experience, if you struggle with what we have discussed, there is no condemnation here, just an honest question to ask yourself, have you been filled with the Holy Spirit? God will reveal to you the answer! I have never met anyone who can tell me of an exact moment when they were, who ever question their eternity, it’s just born into them, they have a guarantee that is directly of God! No wavering, no questioning, it’s just in them! And if it’s not in you, it can be, and it’s God’s will that it is. He loves us so very much! God wants us to have no questions about who we are in Him and who He is within us. We should not be tossed to and fro and to insure we are not, God has given us Himself to bear witness with our spirits, so that we can be confident and bold in our eternal salvation!
Father I ask You in Jesus’ Name, that all who read this study will know beyond any shadow of a doubt that they are eternally with You! That they know that they are preserved by You until the Day of Jesus’ return, the Day of Redemption! I thank You Father that they know that they are included in the exact same anointing that You gave to Jesus: Christ! I thank You Father that we all come into fellowship, with one heart, one accord, and one mind, as we are used by You to be doers of the Word! You are greater in us than anything that is in the World and through the Anointing that You have included us in we are now more than conquerors and we can now be used by You to do all things!
Father I ask You in Jesus’ Name, that all who read this study will know beyond any shadow of a doubt that they are eternally with You! That they know that they are preserved by You until the Day of Jesus’ return, the Day of Redemption! I thank You Father that they know that they are included in the exact same anointing that You gave to Jesus: Christ! I thank You Father that we all come into fellowship, with one heart, one accord, and one mind, as we are used by You to be doers of the Word! You are greater in us than anything that is in the World and through the Anointing that You have included us in we are now more than conquerors and we can now be used by You to do all things!
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