Posted on 01/20/2016 1:53:12 PM PST by metmom
"You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13-14).
The Holy Spirit is God's first installment on your eternal inheritance.
The Holy Spirit's ministry in your life is multifaceted and profound. Among other things He brings salvation, conviction, guidance, and strength. He indwells and equips you for spiritual service and gives assurance of your salvation. He is your Helper and Advocate. He is the Spirit of promise, who seals you until the day when your redemption is fully realized (Eph. 4:30).
Sealing speaks of security, authenticity, ownership, and authority. Ancient kings, princes, and nobles placed their official seal on documents or other items to guarantee their inviolability. To break the seal was to incur the wrath of the sovereign whom it represented (cf. Dan. 6:17; Matt. 27:62-66).
A seal on a letter authenticated it as from the hand of the one whose seal it bore. Legal documents such as property deeds and wills were often finalized with an official seal. Those who possessed the sealed decree of a king had the king's delegated authority to act on that decree.
Each of those aspects of sealing is a picture of the Spirit's ministry. He is God's guarantee that your salvation is inviolable and that you are an authentic member of His kingdom and family. You are His possession-having been purchased with His Son's precious blood (1 Cor. 6:20). You are His ambassador with delegated authority to proclaim His message to a lost world (2 Cor. 5:20).
The Spirit is the pledge of your eternal inheritance (Eph. 1:14). The Greek word translated "pledge" in that verse (arrabon) was used of down payment or earnest money given to secure a purchase. Rejoice in the assurance that God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), has given you His Spirit as a guarantee that He will keep His promises.
Suggestions for Prayer
Praise God for the security of your eternal inheritance. Praise the Spirit for His many ministries in your life. Be sensitive to His leading today so that your ministry to others will be powerful and consistent with His will.
For Further Study
Read Esther chapters 3, 8. What role did the king's signet ring play in the decree of Haman (chapter 3)? The decree of Ahasuerus and Mordecai (chapter 8)?
Strangely enough many of them prefer to be Catholics instead of Christians.
Now of course it is possible to be both, but a lot of these posters fit in the “I’m Catholic” mode.
Unfortunately God won’t pull them kicking and screaming into heaven no matter how many times they ask Mary and the various “saints” to make it work for them.
I feel that Satan wishes EVERY created being, would spend eternity in Hell. My opinion is, (just opinion) he even wishes, somehow, that even the good Angels would go to Hell. That will not happen, of course, but he wants to keep as many humans from being born from above as possible. After all, Satan knows that ONLY born from above Christians will go to Heaven.
I think Heaven will be a pretty exclusive place. I just wish more people would join us, but sadly, most people reject salvation.
IMO...The enemy of God and men has one focus.... ....destroying the relationship Christians have with the Lord and preventing those who might come to the Lord from having that relationship. Meanwhile he plays the world of men like a chessboard.
Yes, of course it is possible, but when I was a Catholic, I never thought of myself as a Christian, only a Catholic. Others may think differently, but that is what I thought.
Yes, I don't think Satan has to do anything with non Christians. They already belong to him, even if the people themselves are so spiritually blind, that they can't even see it. He wants to destroy the true Christian's relationship with God, to render them totally ineffective.
I think (my opinion) that is what the Apostle Paul was saying in 1st Cor 9:27. Now, maybe the Catholics think Paul would lose his salvation. My opinion is, he was not worried about that. He was worried about becoming ineffective in his Christian life, and didn't want God to put him on a shelf, and not use him any more.
When I was Catholic, I consider3ed Catholicism at the TRUE form of Christianity and the term Christian was a generic term including all variants.
But Catholicism was the best. The rest were inferior to Catholicism and I looked down on them as being not quite good enough.
What pride and arrogance.
We still get that condescending attitude because Christians aren't as good as Catholics.
They call us separated brethren.
They mean in in a derogatory way but...
I like that term though, we are separated from Catholicism and the world into the heart of Jesus.
We are not of this world though we are “in” it.
We exist in the Kingdom of God.
John 15:19 KJV-
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Catholics hating Christians was foretold by Jesus.
That's why I say, if you ask 30,000 Catholics, you will get 30,000 different opinions.
My opinion was, a Christian was a Catholic who was living a good enough life, to work their way to Heavrn. I knew I was NOT living a good life, and figured I would NEVER be able to work my way to Heaven. Hence, in my own mind, I was a Catholic, but not a Christian. I hope that makes sense to you.
Some may say I can't be an ex Catholic. I have news for them. Yes, I can.
That's why I say, if you ask 30,000 Catholics, you will get 30,000 different opinions.
My opinion was, a Christian was a Catholic who was living a good enough life, to work their way to Heavrn. I knew I was NOT living a good life, and figured I would NEVER be able to work my way to Heaven. Hence, in my own mind, I was a Catholic, but not a Christian. I hope that makes sense to you.
Some may say I can't be an ex Catholic. I have news for them. Yes, I can.
Makes sense to me Mark X2!
:-)
sure he was and wouldn't necessarily be in the Bible.
Sure they were or please show that they were not.
How on Earth did you come up with that????
It's really funny to see you grasp at these weird attempts to justify your VERY poor decision. You place human restrictions on the Deity, Christ can't be in Europe and the United States at the same time....having to show up at all those Masses, He wouldn't have time for anything else....Hey, He's a multitasker, God can ACTUALLY do things that Navigators can't
Good try at passing the buck.
It was YOU that stated that all of those people were popes, starting with Peter.
So it's your responsibility to prove what you said, or it is not factual.
Your "popes" spanned many decades when there was NO Catholic church, just Christians.
If you post fiction with no backup you will be called on it and asked for proof.
Just because you say it doesn't make it true. In fact, most of the time your posts are not factual, and never proved.
Impossible to be a Catholic without being a Christian and equally impossible to be a COMPLETE Christian without being a Catholic.
I think that his easiest prospects are those that he can draw away from Christ's true church, Catholicism. He had trouble for 1,600 years, but then he convinced fallen men to lead millions of people away from His Word.....very tragic.
You were the epitome of Christianity, did you think that you were Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, pagan???.....what if not a Christian???
Catholics do not "look down" on non-Catholics, we grieve for them and pray for their conversion. We can certainly be proud as Catholics, but not arrogant.
May God have mercy upon you. If you do not get this right in this life, and soon, you will be explaining why so many people just vanished and staunch Catholics were left here to field all the queries from those who will hate you. Be born from above, now, and Judgment will not fall upon you. The Heaven flight is leaving soon. Don’t be here waving goodbye to those who pleaded with you to stop the blasphemies.
LOL!
Pelosi is a Christian? Lover of abortions and a Catholic that eats the eucharist wafer. She can only be a Catholic, but you say if she is a Catholic she is a Christian? Double LOL
and equally impossible to be a COMPLETE Christian
Better check you Bible, or maybe a Holy Spirit approved version.
Jesus taught something quite different then what you are saying.
Show me where Jesus or His disciples taught that there were "inCOMPLETE" Christians.
I studied it in depth, and that was never said or believed by Christians, God or Jesus. Or in the Bible.
Your whole post is anathema. Abhorrent, hateful, repugnant, odious, repellent, offensive, an outrage, an abhorrence, a disgrace, an evil and a bane.
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