The Grands Letter (GLJ)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D. on May 1, 2017 7:48 am (CST)Dear Grands,
Ephesians 1:13-14, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him
with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance,
with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Everyone who has read the writings of the Apostle Paul, has to admit
that they are rich and full-to-the-brim with knowledge. Every word is
weighed, and arranged logically so as to provide all that we need for
understanding the LORD’s truth. First, we listened to (understood) the
LORD’s Gospel. Second, we believed (trusted) what we heard. Then,
the LORD put His seal (the Holy Spirit) within us as His pledge (promise,
down payment) toward the full redemption (release) we will know with
Him in Heaven!
All of this is to say that when we heard the Gospel and believed, the
LORD saved and secured us fully and completely. Then, He put the
Holy Spirit within us, not only as a Guide in this life, but as His down-
payment against all the glories we will one day enjoy with Him. No
one can defraud us of the Holy Spirit, which means that our salvation
cannot ever be revoked. “Once saved, always saved.” Still, the fulness
of our future enjoyment surely hinges on our yielding to the Spirit’s
control of our lives now. Is He fully in control of you?
I had correspondence with a Liberty colleague recently who signed
his email, “Yours, but mostly His.” Our love is toward you daily, but
mostly toward the LORD who saved us.
Nana & Dado III
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas