Everyday Theology: What You Believe MattersEsimerkki

Day 4: The Firstfruits of What Is to Come: The Holy Spirit

The world is overwhelmingly broken. The sufferings of this world are a picture of our “bondage to decay” (Rom. 8:21, CSB) brought on by sin. But it will not always be this way. 

I’m not exactly sure what eternity will be like, but I know that I’ll get to look into the face of our Savior who endured such suffering so that I could have life. I can’t wait to fall at His feet in worship and thank Him for ending sadness and sickness.

Creation groans for this day. We who know Christ groan for it, knowing that the gift of the Holy Spirit is only the firstfruits of the goodness of eternity with our God! 

Read Romans 8:18-25.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites dedicated the firstfruits—the first harvested portion of the crops—to God for His faithfulness to provide for them. These were offered on the Sabbath day following the Passover feast (Lev. 23:9-14). It also signified the faith God’s people had that the rest of the harvest would follow the first. The Holy Spirit as firstfruits is a picture of the promise that God will dwell with His people for eternity. It’s just a little preview to the full-length experience of what it will be like when Jesus returns to rule and reign.

But the Holy Spirit is not just a promise for the future. He’s here to help us now. 

He is with us. He prays for us in accordance with God’s will. He comforts. He leads. He guides. He protects. He encourages. 

I lost my dad to cancer when I was twelve, and I vividly remember the feeling of no longer having words to pray. I had prayed for so many years for healing, and when it came in a way I didn’t desire, I ran out of words to string together. 

When times are hard and we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us. Let that sink in. The Holy Spirit, who is one with God the Father and Jesus, intercedes for us with words that are so deep they are incomprehensible to us. 

It’s comforting to know that all things will be made right one day, but between now and then, there is no greater comfort than knowing that God is with us and for us today. Even if we stagger through darkness, we do not walk alone. The One who intercedes for us is with us, and He is the firstfruit of what will be true eternally.