The Grands Letter

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.”

One of the cardinal doctrines in the New Testament is the security of

all true believers. By that, I mean, not those who just “believe in God,”

but those who have genuinely trusted in Jesus Christ as their LORD and

Savior. In these verses, Paul outlines the order of true faith:

1.“after listening…having also believed” – understanding (akouo).

We understand differently, according to our mental ages. As I

look back upon my own conversion at 7 years-old, I understand

today much more than I did then. Yet, I believed in Jesus and

trusted Him at that time.

2.“sealed in Him” – you were marked (aphragizo) once and for all

as belonging to Him. The Holy Spirit was given to you and is the

LORD’s “pledge” (down-payment) on the full inheritance He will

give you in Heaven. Nothing can ever sever you from Christ!

3.You are right now God’s possession! When we are with Him in

Heaven, we will know and experience His full redemption. Let’s

say that as a child you got lost from your parents. A good friend

found you and took you toward home. You were safe with your

friend, but not as completely safe until you reached home.

All of this produces praise to the LORD! We praise Him for having found

us. We praise Him for having redeemed us, for having secured us in Himself,

and for having prepared a better Home for us within His own estate! And

let’s not forget the human messenger who proclaimed the “message of truth,”

which became the “gospel of (our) salvation. Now, it’s our turn to be that

messenger to someone who is lost like we once were.

May our LORD richly bless you all “to the praise of His glory,”

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”