The Work of the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 1:13–14, part 1

In our previous studies, we examined the first and second aspects of God’s threefold work, which comprised the blessings of the Father and the Son. In this month’s study, we will look at the work and blessings of the Holy Spirit, as depicted in 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, 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.

Note the two areas of emphasis in this passage—the Word (message of truth) and the Spirit—are always found together in Scripture. In Scripture and in every faithful and dynamic fellowship of believers, you will always find the two together. The Spirit interprets the Word, and the Word becomes fresh and vital where the Spirit of God is present. 

Paul taught that there are three experiences every believer in Jesus the Messiah should have in the course of their faith. First, “listening to the message of truth”; second, “having also believed”; and third, “you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). Let us examine each of these experiences in closer detail.

Paul began by saying, “After listening to the message of truth.” The world in which Paul lived and wrote was a world much like ours today, filled with all kinds of distorted ideas and godless philosophies. The gospel is a clear return to a truthful reality and the end of illusion. By hearing and receiving the message of truth, we get back in touch with God’s reality.

The good news of the gospel is that God loves us, He has not forgotten us, and He has entered human life to share in our sorrow and pain. God, through the Son, has personally taken the penalty for our sin upon Himself. The “message of truth” that we have received is the gospel of salvation—which is the first essential experience of a believer.

Paul continued, “Having also believed.” The second essential experience of the believer, according to Paul, is that we believe in Messiah Jesus and place our trust in Him. Belief is an essential prerequisite to a relationship with Jesus, our Messiah. Paul stressed this fact: We must not only hear the word of truth, but we must also respond to it in faith. We must believe it, which means to accept it as truth and to act accordingly. 

Belief results in change. We conform ourselves to the reality of what we believe. Moreover, our belief must be focused on something, and in this case, it is the Lord Jesus, our Messiah. In the first fourteen verses of Ephesians, the apostle Paul mentioned the Lord Jesus fifteen times. He constantly brought Him before us because God wants to drive home this great fact: We cannot experience true blessing in our lives apart from a personal relationship with Messiah Jesus.

Paul described the third essential experience of the believer with this phrase: “You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.” What does it mean to be sealed with the Holy Spirit? A seal is an identifying mark often placed on a letter, contract, or document, and reveals the sender. In the ancient world, cattle and even slaves were branded with a seal to show their owner. This mark would deter theft because of the owner’s seal upon them. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is the identifying mark of someone who puts their trust and belief in the Lord Jesus, and thus belongs to Him—and no one can take the believer from Him: “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28–30). The Bible elaborates on the meaning of being “sealed with the Holy Spirit” and paints a more complete picture of what Paul is teaching here in Ephesians—so, we will continue to study this concept in more detail in our next study.