Ephesians 1:1-23 Continued

I would like to focus on verses 13 and 14. "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

One of the most popular questions by new believers is "How do I know if I'm saved?" Typical answers include, "because the bible tells us so", or "you just know", and those are both true, but most believers are looking for something more concrete. I still struggle with questions like this because I'm human, and I need continual confirmation. After much thought on this I believe a person knows he/she is truly saved because the Holy Spirit is dwelling within you. Verse 13 calls the Spirit a guarantee.

Your next question is how do I really know He's there inside of me? Good question. Let's look at some scripture to answer that. Ephesians 4:30 says, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." The Holy Spirit has feelings. That's why He is considered a Person. If the HS can feel sorrow and the HS is abiding in us, don't you think we would feel sorrow as well? A guilty conscience when we disobey God is one sign the HS is there. Galatians 4:6 says, "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Calling out "Abba, Father" implies a close relationship. A person wouldn't confess publicly Jesus Christ unless he believed He was the Savior of the world. Neither would anyone cry out to God "Father" unless the Spirit was dwelling within. These are two signs of many that the HS is present within a believer.

Grace, MB