The Promised Holy Spirit
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in 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
When we come to accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are not only given the gift of salvation, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. I love that Ephesians 1 calls the Holy Spirit “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”
The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity (with God the Father and God the Son), and is the one who draws us to Christ. As we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes His home in us and gives us wisdom, conviction, and comfort.
In John 14:25-27 Jesus tells His disciples about the Holy Spirit that is coming to them: “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
The Holy Spirit is our advocate, our teacher, our reminder, and our peace. Jesus knew that without His physical presence in the world, we would feel alone and afraid, and He gives us the Holy Spirit as a deposit to help us journey through life on this side of heaven and remember what is to come when Christ makes all things new.