Ephesians 1:11-14
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Let’s look again at this passage and focus on Paul’s emphasis on our inheritance. In v.11, the phrase “we have obtained an inheritance” translates a single compound word in the Greek. The form of the verb allows for two possible renderings, both of which are consistent with scripture. It can be translated “we were made an inheritance,” or as is translated above in the English Standard Version, “we have obtained an inheritance.”
The first rendering (“we were made an inheritance”) would indicate that we, those who believe, are Christ’s inheritance. Jesus frequently spoke of believers as gifts that the Father had given him (John 17.6). Jesus won us at Calvary—he purchased us at great cost—and we now belong to him. The OT prophesied this would happen. “’And they will be mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘on the day that I prepare my own possession’” (Malachi 3.17).
Translated the other way (“we have obtained an inheritance”) would indicate that it is believers who receive the inheritance. Peter speaks of our having been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and undefiled, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1.3-4).
Given the context of this passage, and Paul’s focus on the many blessings we have received from the Lord, the second translation is probably most appropriate here: we have obtained an inheritance. The inheritance that we will receive is citizenship in the kingdom of God in a new heaven and a new earth. Romans 8 says that we are “heirs of God and fellows heirs with Christ.”
What is truly amazing is that Jesus shares with us the inheritance that he receives from the Father!
The Holy Spirit is our helper and advocate who protects, encourages, and empowers us. The Spirit is our securing force, the mark that the Lord places upon us indicating that we belong to him.
The “sealing” of which Paul speaks here refers to an official mark of identification that was used with important documents. The seal was often made of hot wax, which was dripped onto the document and then impressed with a signet ring that bore the mark—and thus the authority—of the person to whom the signet belonged.
Not only is the Holy Spirit the seal with which God marks us, the Spirit is also the guarantee of our inheritance in Christ. The word for guarantee is the Greek arabon, which originally referred to a down payment or earnest money given to secure a purchase.
A form of the word came to be used for “engagement ring.” The Spirit is the down payment, the guarantee, of the fullness of God’s blessings to come. Blessings that we will inherit as the children of God.
Truly we are blessed!
