Do you have the pledge of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit depicted as a dove, surrounded by angels, by Giaquinto, 1750s. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God , who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit." ( 2 Corinthians 5:5 ) This is a fascinating concept and a wonderful reality. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is said to be an "earnest"--that is, a pledge or deposit--on an ultimate fulfillment of a magnificent promise from God Himself. The word translated "earnest" (Greek arrhabon) is essentially a transliteration of its Hebrew equivalent (arabown), translated "pledge" in the Old Testament (see Genesis 38:17-20 ). Now if the guiding presence of God, through the Holy Spirit, is merely an earnest payment , the fulfillment must be glorious beyond comprehension. This "selfsame thing," as our text calls it, is a wonderful "house which is from heaven," the spiritua