Ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Eph. 1:13, 14.

The word translated as earnest means literally "money given in advance as a pledge or security that the full amount promised will be paid." It is part of the price to be paid as agreed on by buyer and seller.

The Spirit is given to us now as the pledge and guarantee of our future heavenly inheritance. The ultimate blessing, of which the Holy Spirit has given us a foretaste in our lives, will not fail. The very work of the Spirit in our lives is God's pledge to us, "being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). The Holy Spirit in our lives now, is the guarantee of complete redemption. We have this security from God, the completing of that which has already begun in us.

This blessed down-payment takes the weight of doubt and uncertainty off the heart. We know for sure. There are no "if's" and "but's," only genuine, solid conviction and assurance. No better proof could we have than this work of the Holy Spirit in us. We are fully persuaded, completely convinced. God has actually come to us in the presence of the Spirit. God meant by this to give us certainty.

We are never sure when we make a down payment on a house or a car that we can go through with it. Problems and difficulties may arise that will make full payment impossible. But not so with God's down payment. Only God can make and keep such a pledge to us. He intends to go all the way with its. He will stop at nothing less than complete restoration and redemption. He will never go back on His promise to us. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, absolutely nothing.

Therefore we become the bearers and witnesses to an eternal hope. We are messengers of certainty. We have the most glorious news in the world for all people: the sure pledge of the earth made new; an eternity of harmony with the most loving persons in the universe, beginning with God our Father, Jesus Christ our Elder Brother, and the Holy Spirit our unbreakable pledge.