Graduate 186: Advent & Ephesians, Day 13
"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,..."
Having just emphasized how God's purpose has been carried out in the nation of Israel, Paul now turns to celebrate the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's glorious and redemptive work. How did they come to be included? Paul emphasizes two key steps: first, they listened to the message of truth, the gospel; second, they believed.
Paul takes up this same theme in the book of Romans, when he writes:
"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek [i.e. Gentile]; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; for 'Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.' How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!' ... So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (10:12-15, 17)
Proclamation and communication are essential. We in the Christian community need to take this seriously. Often we bow to the cultural pressure that wants to discourage us from announcing the good news and the hope that is available through Jesus Christ alone. But the good news that Paul proclaims is not the sort of thing that should remain hidden. Moreover, we need to be very clear about what we are announcing--the gospel of salvation. Not just salvation from punishment in hell for failing to abide by the standards and expectations of Almighty God (though that's important), but also (and even, primarily) salvation from a way of life that leads nowhere, that doesn't really satisfy, and that is actually self-destructive. When we hear the word 'gospel,' our minds may tend to automatically move in one direction, but we need to think about what Paul meant when he spoke of 'gospel,' and what Jesus meant when He spoke of 'gospel'. The gospel that Jesus and Paul proclaimed was the gospel of the kingdom of heaven--the good news of the present availability of God to His people and the opportunity for relationship now with God.
I like how Francis Foulkes puts this point: "Firstly, they had heard the word of truth, i.e. the word that brought them the knowledge of ultimate reality, the revelation of God in his Son (cf. 4:21; Col. 1:15). And secondly, that truth was the gospel or good news, because it was not only revelation, but also the message of the love and mercy and salvation of God for sinful humanity (cf. Rom. 1:16)." (Foulkes, 64) Talk of 'ultimate reality' can sound so abstract, but actually it is absolutely practical. What you believe about ultimate reality will have a profound effect upon how you live. The difficulty comes in that what you believe about ultimate reality is not always reflected in what you say you believe. But the truth is that connecting with ultimate reality has profound practical implications. We have to be clear about this or we will not understand how the second step--belief--is supposed to work.
Belief is about more than intellectual assent to a set of propositions. 'Trust' is about more than saying that I trust something. Belief involves making an active response to the truth that has been revealed in the gospel. We've talked in previous entries about what that active response looks like--the active endeavoring to include Jesus in all aspects of my life. When we do that, then we are sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
What does it mean to be "sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise"? "In the ancient world the seal was the personal sign of the owner or the sender of something important, and thus, as in a letter, it distinguished what was true from what was spurious. It was also the guarantee that the thing sealed had been carried intact." (Foulkes, 64) An individual or official would seal a letter or official document with wax imprinted with his seal. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then, plays an analogous role in our lives. It marks the believer as belonging to God and is the mark of His presence and activity in our lives. Not only does the Holy Spirit's presence point to a present reality, but it also points forward to a future hope, which we will discuss tomorrow.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
Having just emphasized how God's purpose has been carried out in the nation of Israel, Paul now turns to celebrate the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's glorious and redemptive work. How did they come to be included? Paul emphasizes two key steps: first, they listened to the message of truth, the gospel; second, they believed.
Paul takes up this same theme in the book of Romans, when he writes:
"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek [i.e. Gentile]; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; for 'Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.' How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!' ... So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (10:12-15, 17)
Proclamation and communication are essential. We in the Christian community need to take this seriously. Often we bow to the cultural pressure that wants to discourage us from announcing the good news and the hope that is available through Jesus Christ alone. But the good news that Paul proclaims is not the sort of thing that should remain hidden. Moreover, we need to be very clear about what we are announcing--the gospel of salvation. Not just salvation from punishment in hell for failing to abide by the standards and expectations of Almighty God (though that's important), but also (and even, primarily) salvation from a way of life that leads nowhere, that doesn't really satisfy, and that is actually self-destructive. When we hear the word 'gospel,' our minds may tend to automatically move in one direction, but we need to think about what Paul meant when he spoke of 'gospel,' and what Jesus meant when He spoke of 'gospel'. The gospel that Jesus and Paul proclaimed was the gospel of the kingdom of heaven--the good news of the present availability of God to His people and the opportunity for relationship now with God.
I like how Francis Foulkes puts this point: "Firstly, they had heard the word of truth, i.e. the word that brought them the knowledge of ultimate reality, the revelation of God in his Son (cf. 4:21; Col. 1:15). And secondly, that truth was the gospel or good news, because it was not only revelation, but also the message of the love and mercy and salvation of God for sinful humanity (cf. Rom. 1:16)." (Foulkes, 64) Talk of 'ultimate reality' can sound so abstract, but actually it is absolutely practical. What you believe about ultimate reality will have a profound effect upon how you live. The difficulty comes in that what you believe about ultimate reality is not always reflected in what you say you believe. But the truth is that connecting with ultimate reality has profound practical implications. We have to be clear about this or we will not understand how the second step--belief--is supposed to work.
Belief is about more than intellectual assent to a set of propositions. 'Trust' is about more than saying that I trust something. Belief involves making an active response to the truth that has been revealed in the gospel. We've talked in previous entries about what that active response looks like--the active endeavoring to include Jesus in all aspects of my life. When we do that, then we are sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
What does it mean to be "sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise"? "In the ancient world the seal was the personal sign of the owner or the sender of something important, and thus, as in a letter, it distinguished what was true from what was spurious. It was also the guarantee that the thing sealed had been carried intact." (Foulkes, 64) An individual or official would seal a letter or official document with wax imprinted with his seal. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then, plays an analogous role in our lives. It marks the believer as belonging to God and is the mark of His presence and activity in our lives. Not only does the Holy Spirit's presence point to a present reality, but it also points forward to a future hope, which we will discuss tomorrow.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 6:34 PM
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