Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory. That must be a possession indeed, the bestowal of which shall be not only to the glory of Jehovah, but "to the praise of His glory." Observe the several things said here with regard to it. The nature of it — an inheritance. It is a choice possession — the gift of God, and to the praise of His glory. It is an inheritance by birthright. It is a purchased possession. Who can estimate the price? It is a possession already obtained: "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance" (ver. 11). Obtained in Christ, the Holy Ghost Himself has sealed us unto it, He is also the earnest of it in our hearts, and He remains in US, our seal and earnest, "until the redemption of the purchased possession." For it is not yet finally redeemed. Now let us endeavour, by degrees, to get some definite idea of this great subject. Our inheritance! As condemned lost sinners in ourselves, we have no inheritance of our own, save that of sin, and shame, and death, and hell. God gave Adam and Eve, in Him, a splendid inheritance. All things here below were under their dominion. But soon they lost their inheritance, their kingdom, their crown, their souls. And we lost all in them. Nevertheless, Adam was the image of Him that was to come, the Second Adam, the Lord from heaven, the appointed heir of all things. But the possession is not yet fully redeemed. Redemption in the Bible is spoken of in two connections. There is redemption by payment of a price, and that is already done. Every believer has been redeemed, not with silver or gold, "but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." But there is another redemption spoken of, even a redemption by power, and that is not yet. Oh, these poor frames of ours are sorry representatives of the power of God's redemption. Nay, we who have the first fruits of the Spirit, and are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, and sealed unto the day of redemption, even "we groan, being burdened," carrying about with us a body of sin and death, liable to temptations, harassed by the world, the flesh, and the devil; and "we are waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body." Consider — 1. Not only will God give us back the inheritance we have lost by sin, but He Himself shall become our inheritance. 2. Not only shall we be His inheritance, but also His purchased possession. 3. Meanwhile, and since we are still in the flesh, God has given us His Holy Spirit, our Comforter, to subdue, rescue, stablish, anoint, seal us, and be the earnest of our inheritance. 4. Our inheritance is not only kept for us, but we are kept by the power of God for our inheritance. 5. Finally, we have been adopted "according to the good pleasure of His will," redeemed and forgiven "according to the riches of His grace," and our purchased selves and our inheritance are and ever shall be "to the praise of His glory." Amen. (M. Rainsford, B. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. |
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