Abounding Grace: Belonging, Seals of Grace

Sunday, we considered the continuing mission of God to establish and expand his family. The Apostle Paul says that God has blessed us, determining to bring us into his family through Jesus Christ. He says that God determined to make us holy and blameless; that he determined to provide us adoption; that through Jesus, we have redemption and forgiveness for our sins; that as sons and daughters of God we have an inheritance in Christ. These are great benefits conferred upon us by God’s grace. But how do we know that these benefits are ours by faith?

As Paul continues, he says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13,14) His argument is that God has given us the Holy Spirit to seal the benefits given to us by Jesus. It is the Spirit that assures us that we belong to Him, affirming that his gifts are ours.

Now, the Holy Spirit ministers to us daily, but God has established specific ceremonies of church life, that set the stage for the Spirit to communicate these truths to us directly. Now all the “ordinances” of Christ create these moments, but two ceremonies are specific. We call these the sacraments or the ceremonial rites of God’s pledge to us. Join us Sunday as we begin to consider these ceremonies.