The Earnest of Our Inheritance
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unto the glory of God by us... who hath also sealed us, and
given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2Cor. 1:22
G.S.Hammans
The function of the Word of God is to produce life i.e. spiritual life in the person who hears and
receives the Word. If one rejects the Word, he has no spiritual life; only the physical life that
he received at his physical birth. If you want to have spiritual life, Jesus said in John 3:3 [1]
that you must be born again i.e. born from above.
This spiritual life consists of 3 elements: Word, water, Spirit. No scripture says that you are born again by the Blood. You are reconciled by the Blood in the death of God's Son Ro. 5: 9,10 [2]. You are redeemed by the Blood IPeter 1:19 [3]. You are washed in the Blood Rev. 1:5 [4], but, I find no scripture saying you are born again by the Blood. What is washed and redeemed is your soul Lev. 17:11 [5]. Blood makes atonement for your soul. That happens when you repent and ask Jesus to be your Savior. You i.e. your soul is justified by your faith in Christ's Blood Ro. 5: 1,9 [6]. What is born again is not your soul; it is your spirit John 3:6 [7]. In fact, John 1:13 [8]says you are not born of Blood.
This born again experience of your spirit (not your soul) begins the same time that you repent and ask Jesus to be your Savior because you are receiving the seed that produces spirit life (not physical or even soulish life) which is the Word IPet. 1:23 [9], John 1:18 [10], Luke 8: 11 [11]. The function of the Blood is to produce eternal life for your soul John 3: 16 [12] and John 6:54 [13]. The function of the Word is to produce life in your spirit John 3: 6 [14], Ps.119:50 [15], Eph.2: 1,5 [17]. God kept the soul and body of man alive by shedding blood in the garden of Eden Gen.3: 21 [18]. It was too late to keep his spirit alive for his spirit died the minute he ate the forbidden fruit Gen.2: 17 [19]. That was the first death and God made provision for the restoration of the first death. There will be no provision the second death which is the death of the soul Eze. 18: 4, 20 [20]and Rev. 20:6,14 [21] and Rev. 21: 8 [22]. Those that reject Christ will die eternally Mt.10: 28 [23] and Lk. 12: 4 [24]. Those that receive Christ will live eternally Jn.3: 14-17 [25]. But, just because you have received Christ i.e. the Word Act8:14 [26] does not mean that you have experienced the full new birth experience because Jesus said in John 3 that it also takes water and Spirit. The Word is the element that God uses to beget i.e. to cause conception, but it does not birth i.e. bring forth that which is begotten into the kingdom of God. That is the function of the water and Spirit Jn. 3: 3-8 [27]. You can see this pattern in Acts 8. Phillip went to Samaria and preached Christ. They received the Word and was baptized in water in the name of Jesus and when Peter and John came and laid hands on them and prayed for them, they received the Holy Ghost producing a full New Testament new birth of Word, water and Spirit. You can see it in Acts 9 when Saul met Jesus, he did not reject but rather received the Lord i.e. the Word. Three days later when Ananias came, he was baptized in water calling on the name of the Lord Acts 22: 16 [28] and also received the Holy Spirit producing full new birth of Word, water and Spirit.
So, when you repent of your sins and take Jesus as your Savior, don't just stop there. Go on and enter His kingdom by birth of water and Sprit. You may be justified by our faith in His Blood as in Ro. 5: 1,9 [29] but you need to go on to birth into His kingdom by water and Spirit. Col. 1: 13,14 [30] you have been delivered from the authority of darkness. How? By the Blood! It goes on to say you have been translated into the kingdom of God's Son. How? By the water and Spirit! The Word of God is the seed that He plants in your heart (spirit) and the seed contains the Blood that washes and redeems your soul, but, neither the seed nor the Blood bring you forth into His kingdom. That is the function of the water and Spirit. Once you are born again of water and the Spirit, you have a down payment called an earnest 2Co. 5: 5 [31] and Eph.1: 14 [32] that others do not have. What is this earnest? It is a pledge or promise. What is it? It is the promise of a right to a glorified body! Eph.1: 14 [33] and Ro.8: 15,23 [34]show that the Spirit (not the Word of Blood) is given to us as the earnest i.e. the promise or pledge of the redemption of our body.
Those that have received only the Word which is the seed that contains the Blood will have life Jn.5: 24 [35] but what kind of body will they have in eternity? I find no scripture that says the Blood or even the Word is given to us as an earnest. That is the function of the Spirit. It is also the function of the water. Why the water? Because that is where you get God's name which the scriptures also show to be part of the earnest or seal. Ro.6: 5 [36] if we have been planted in the likeness of His death, we will be in the likeness of His resurrection. If you have not been planted (baptized in water) how are you going to be in the likeness of His resurrection? These scriptures show the function of the water and Spirit is not only to bring you forth (birth) into His kingdom, but, also is the promise of the redemption of our body to be like His body Phil.3:21 [37]. That is why it is so important to have the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (that name is Jesus) called over you in water baptism. That name along with the Spirit is the seal (Rev. 7: 4 [38] and Rev. 14:1 [39]) that identifies you with God's kingdom. Acts 19:7 [40] about 12 men were baptized (water) in Jesus Name and received the Holy Ghost (Spirit). They not only were redeemed out of the authority of darkness by the Blood, they were also born into the kingdom of God by virtue of the Word, water, Spirit. By this function of water and Spirit, they were not only kingdom people, they had the earnest (down payment) which is the preparation for the body that God has in heaven for us 2Cor. 5.
Want to have a glorified body some day? Receive Jesus as your Savior; get baptized in His Name and Spirit! It is the firstfruits to the redemption of our body! Ro. 8: 15,23 [41]. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift 2Cor. 9:15 [42].
This spiritual life consists of 3 elements: Word, water, Spirit. No scripture says that you are born again by the Blood. You are reconciled by the Blood in the death of God's Son Ro. 5: 9,10 [2]. You are redeemed by the Blood IPeter 1:19 [3]. You are washed in the Blood Rev. 1:5 [4], but, I find no scripture saying you are born again by the Blood. What is washed and redeemed is your soul Lev. 17:11 [5]. Blood makes atonement for your soul. That happens when you repent and ask Jesus to be your Savior. You i.e. your soul is justified by your faith in Christ's Blood Ro. 5: 1,9 [6]. What is born again is not your soul; it is your spirit John 3:6 [7]. In fact, John 1:13 [8]says you are not born of Blood.
This born again experience of your spirit (not your soul) begins the same time that you repent and ask Jesus to be your Savior because you are receiving the seed that produces spirit life (not physical or even soulish life) which is the Word IPet. 1:23 [9], John 1:18 [10], Luke 8: 11 [11]. The function of the Blood is to produce eternal life for your soul John 3: 16 [12] and John 6:54 [13]. The function of the Word is to produce life in your spirit John 3: 6 [14], Ps.119:50 [15], Eph.2: 1,5 [17]. God kept the soul and body of man alive by shedding blood in the garden of Eden Gen.3: 21 [18]. It was too late to keep his spirit alive for his spirit died the minute he ate the forbidden fruit Gen.2: 17 [19]. That was the first death and God made provision for the restoration of the first death. There will be no provision the second death which is the death of the soul Eze. 18: 4, 20 [20]and Rev. 20:6,14 [21] and Rev. 21: 8 [22]. Those that reject Christ will die eternally Mt.10: 28 [23] and Lk. 12: 4 [24]. Those that receive Christ will live eternally Jn.3: 14-17 [25]. But, just because you have received Christ i.e. the Word Act8:14 [26] does not mean that you have experienced the full new birth experience because Jesus said in John 3 that it also takes water and Spirit. The Word is the element that God uses to beget i.e. to cause conception, but it does not birth i.e. bring forth that which is begotten into the kingdom of God. That is the function of the water and Spirit Jn. 3: 3-8 [27]. You can see this pattern in Acts 8. Phillip went to Samaria and preached Christ. They received the Word and was baptized in water in the name of Jesus and when Peter and John came and laid hands on them and prayed for them, they received the Holy Ghost producing a full New Testament new birth of Word, water and Spirit. You can see it in Acts 9 when Saul met Jesus, he did not reject but rather received the Lord i.e. the Word. Three days later when Ananias came, he was baptized in water calling on the name of the Lord Acts 22: 16 [28] and also received the Holy Spirit producing full new birth of Word, water and Spirit.
So, when you repent of your sins and take Jesus as your Savior, don't just stop there. Go on and enter His kingdom by birth of water and Sprit. You may be justified by our faith in His Blood as in Ro. 5: 1,9 [29] but you need to go on to birth into His kingdom by water and Spirit. Col. 1: 13,14 [30] you have been delivered from the authority of darkness. How? By the Blood! It goes on to say you have been translated into the kingdom of God's Son. How? By the water and Spirit! The Word of God is the seed that He plants in your heart (spirit) and the seed contains the Blood that washes and redeems your soul, but, neither the seed nor the Blood bring you forth into His kingdom. That is the function of the water and Spirit. Once you are born again of water and the Spirit, you have a down payment called an earnest 2Co. 5: 5 [31] and Eph.1: 14 [32] that others do not have. What is this earnest? It is a pledge or promise. What is it? It is the promise of a right to a glorified body! Eph.1: 14 [33] and Ro.8: 15,23 [34]show that the Spirit (not the Word of Blood) is given to us as the earnest i.e. the promise or pledge of the redemption of our body.
Those that have received only the Word which is the seed that contains the Blood will have life Jn.5: 24 [35] but what kind of body will they have in eternity? I find no scripture that says the Blood or even the Word is given to us as an earnest. That is the function of the Spirit. It is also the function of the water. Why the water? Because that is where you get God's name which the scriptures also show to be part of the earnest or seal. Ro.6: 5 [36] if we have been planted in the likeness of His death, we will be in the likeness of His resurrection. If you have not been planted (baptized in water) how are you going to be in the likeness of His resurrection? These scriptures show the function of the water and Spirit is not only to bring you forth (birth) into His kingdom, but, also is the promise of the redemption of our body to be like His body Phil.3:21 [37]. That is why it is so important to have the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (that name is Jesus) called over you in water baptism. That name along with the Spirit is the seal (Rev. 7: 4 [38] and Rev. 14:1 [39]) that identifies you with God's kingdom. Acts 19:7 [40] about 12 men were baptized (water) in Jesus Name and received the Holy Ghost (Spirit). They not only were redeemed out of the authority of darkness by the Blood, they were also born into the kingdom of God by virtue of the Word, water, Spirit. By this function of water and Spirit, they were not only kingdom people, they had the earnest (down payment) which is the preparation for the body that God has in heaven for us 2Cor. 5.
Want to have a glorified body some day? Receive Jesus as your Savior; get baptized in His Name and Spirit! It is the firstfruits to the redemption of our body! Ro. 8: 15,23 [41]. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift 2Cor. 9:15 [42].
The Biblical function of the Word, Water, Blood, and Spirit
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