Horizon Church Christmas Advent Bible Reading Plan: The Joy of Every Longing HeartSample

Amid today’s passages about the Holy Spirit, we come to the book of Ephesians where we find financial language to help us understand the reality of the Spirit for followers of Christ.

"In Him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…

The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance,

until the redemption of the possession…"

—Ephesians 1:13–14

Unlike a deposit for a home, our deposit—the Holy Spirit—is actively at work within us. The Spirit’s work in us is not a single moment we can only look back on, hoping it’s enough to carry us forward. Scripture reveals how this Third Person of the Trinity is always at work in those who follow Christ. The Spirit convicts (John 16:8), leads us to obey God’s life-giving Word (Ezekiel 36:27), and guides us “into all truth” (John 16:13), just to name a few.

Even Jesus said it was better for us to have the Spirit walking alongside us (John 16:7). Jesus was active in this world to secure our forgiveness on the cross, and is active today interceding on our behalf before the Father. The Spirit is active in our very hearts today, reminding us that God is the One worthy of ruling in our hearts alone. The seal of the Spirit is our secure deposit, reminding us what is true of God and our identity in Him both now and forever.