
Can a Christian find him or herself struggling and discouraged? How do you know that God has actually redeemed you, that you will ultimately be part of the new heavens and earth? In Ephesians 1:11–14 Paul tells you that God has given you a guarantee, a down payment — the Holy Spirit.
God has given you an inheritance. God works all things according to the counsel of his will.God works out everything. God has chosen you (or given you an inheritance), but that is part of a broader, sweeping, plan. Verse 11 looks back to verse 4. He works all things according to the purpose of his will. Paul’s emphasis is on God’s planning, ordaining, choosing, activity. Remember that verses 3–14 are interconnected! God’s plan, or decrees, are all-inclusive. Paul tells us God works out everything. Even seemingly insignificant details are included in God’s plan, Matthew 10:29, 30. That comforts you in an uncertain world.
“The truth of God’s omniipotence and independence from his creation stands in sharp contast with the old pagan beliefs of the Ephesian audience, for whom even Zeus, ‘the father of the gods and of men,’ bowed to the inevitable will of the inscrutable fates…. One of the more memorable examples of this was when Zeus held up the golden scales and sorrowfully acknowledged that the death of his hero, Hector of Troy, at the hand of Achilles was sealed by the fates (Homer, Il. 22.207–13).”
S. M. Baugh, Ephesians, p. 93
Our western culture may not talk about the fates, but many philosophers and scientists talk about a universe ruled by chance. Although even the sinful acts of men are included in what God purposes, God is not sinful! How can the wickedness on earth fit with the plan of a sovereign God? The arch-crime of history was the murder of the God-man, the Messiah. Men were responsible for what they did, but this was certainly part of God’s plan, Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28. Yet God is perfectly sinless, James 1:13.
God does more than plan. He carries out his plan. God gives you an inheritance in Christ. God’s plan is eternal. “The purpose of his will” looks back to his choice “before the creation of the world,” verse 4. God promised his salvation “before the beginning of time,” Titus 1:2. The eternal character of God’s plan means that is not contingent on human activity. God plans because he is the sovereign God. No one can resist his will, Isaiah 46:9, 10; Daniel 4:34, 35. All that he has planned will be carried out. Satan will resist, men will rebel, but none can stop God’s hand. God carries out his plan in history. God created all things. He oversees all that happens. The focus on the carrying out of the plan is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. First Jews, then Gentiles, were made to hope in him. God’s sovereign goodness is your comfort. You live in a wicked and dangerous world, but it is not out of God’s control. You may go through very difficult situations. You may suffer severely. Remember that God has all things, including you, in his hand. He is carrying out his plan. In Christ you have received your inheritance. God has chosen you for himself. In him you have received your inheritance. Moses, at God’s command, held out to Israel the hope of the inheritance they would receive in the promised land. God has done more than that for you. He has formed you into his people, the body of the risen, glorified Savior.
“Besides our receiving faith at the hand of the Holy Spirit and besides his enlightening of us by his grace… God also secures us in such a way that we do not fall away.”
John Calvin, Sermons on Ephesians, on Ephesians 1:13–14
Be encouraged because you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. God has given you his Spirit as a down payment.The Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, active in creation and throughout the Old Testament, before being poured out on the church at Pentecost specifically as the Spirit of Christ. Mention of the Spirit in the Old Testament, such as in Ezekiel 36, may use Old Testament imagery, but it points to the fullness of the glory that God’s Spirit will bring to his people.
“Thus, Eph. 1:11–14 and 4:30 assert that believers have been ‘sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise,’ whose regenerating presence is the ‘down payment’ of the full physical regeneration, which is the ‘inheritance’ to come at the end of the age. The mention of ‘the Holy Spirit of promise’ in 1:13 underscores that this is a fulfillment of the OT promise of the Spirit….”
G. K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical-Theology, p. 581
God has chosen you. God’s plan centers, not around man, but his own glory. Yet his plan does include, not just selecting a people in general, but choosing you to be his child. That includes all involved: the sending of Jesus Christ to be your Savior, his perfect life, his death and resurrection in your place. God chose you to be his people. God, who formed you into his people, has sealed you with the promised Holy Spirit. The seal of a monarch was evidence of the authenticity of his document. The presence of the Spirit is God’s assurance that you are his. The Spirit, poured out upon the church at Pentecost, the Spirit who unites you to the Savior, is the guarantee of much more to come. A down payment is in kind. Your resurrection life will be fully characterized by the Holy Spirit, see 1 Corinthians 15. If God has done all this for you, he will not neglect you, he will not let you be overwhelmed by the problems of life. God’s eternal plan has worked itself out in history, and will not be complete until you stand with Christ in glory in the new heavens and earth, praising him for all eternity.
Glorify God! Rome was concerned that assurance of salvation would remove any motive for obedience. People who are assured of their salvation may be tempted to live wicked lives. Paul won’t let you go there! (Neither did Calvin, who treats sanctification in his Institutes extensively before discussing justification. God’s purpose in his plan is his own glory. God is not constrained by human action or will. His plan does not center around man. God’s purpose is his own glory. That includes even his infinite love for his people. Your salvation centers, not on yourself, but on your God. The glory goes to him, Romans 11:33–36. Respond with praise to God. Thank God that he is in control. Rejoice that his plan includes your salvation. Praise him for his sovereign will. But it is not that you simply praise God from time to time. You are to the praise of his glory. You live to honor him. Live in the trusting obedience that comes from knowing that you are in God’s hand. Live the kind of life that shapes each moment to God’s glory. Rejoice in the rich working of the Spirit who is the down payment, the guarantee of much more to come. The knowledge that God has included you in his plan can give you the strength to resist temptation, to live instead to the glory of the God whose heir you are.
God’s Spirit, working in your life this week, is not just a hint but a guarantee of far greater obedience, far grander worship, which will characterize you when the future inheritance has become a full reality. Rejoice in God’s plan, and live as those who are becoming what God wants you to be.