Friday, July 3, 2009
2 Corinthians 5:5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
IT'S GUARANTEED!
If a Christian is asked, "Will you be in heaven one day?" he responds without hesitation and with full confidence, "Yes! absolutely!" The confidence we have in our eternal home is not misplaced either. While to some it might sound arrogant for the Christian to assert that he is sure beyond all doubt that he has a place in heaven, he is only repeating what God indeed promises to His children.
It is, of course, not because of us that we can look forward to our heavenly dwelling. We by ourselves with our sins around our necks would not be fit for such a thing. But Jesus Christ clothes us with His righteousness. He lived a life worthy of heaven, not transgressing God's holy law even once -- and those who believe that He did so for them enjoy the benefits of that righteous life, for it covers them like the purest and most spotless garment. The prophet Isaiah said (61:10): "For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness."
Our confidence comes from what Christ has done. It is on account of His perfect life lived for us. It is because of His death on the cross that paid for our guilt that our heavenly home can be so sure and certain for us.
Paul mentions another guarantee that is ours when he writes: "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." We have a "down-payment" from God so that we can be sure of the "full payment" of heavenly glory that is to come. God has given us His Holy Spirit as a pledge that He will fulfill His promise to provide an eternal dwelling for us, His dear believers. His Spirit who lives in us, the Spirit who moves our hearts to know Jesus, to trust Him, and to do His will -- this indwelling Spirit is the deposit, the guarantee.
The Spirit was given to many of us at our baptisms. The Spirit has been given, in fact, to all those who confess that Jesus is their Savior and Lord, for the sign of the Spirit's work in someone's heart is faith in Christ. So you who confess Christ certainly do have that deposit from God, guaranteeing what is to come!
