(The following is the July 30 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read 2 Corinthians 1 and pay close attention to verses 21-22.)
People who buy homes, cars, and other costly purchases make a down payment if they don’t pay the total cost up front. The down payment may be a small percentage of the total price, allowing the buyer to pay the balance over an extended period.
There are two verses in 2 Corinthians and one in Ephesians where Paul describes the Holy Spirit indwelling us as a down payment. “He has put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment” (v. 22). “Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment” (2 Cor. 5:5). “The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:14).
Consider the significance of our present experience with the Holy Spirit, which Grudem explains this way: *
The Holy Spirit purifies.
The Holy Spirit unifies.
The Holy Spirit reveals through past revelation to prophets and apostles, evidence of God’s presence, guidance and direction to God’s people, providing a godlike atmosphere when he manifests his presence, giving us assurance, teaching, and illuminating.
The Holy Spirit empowers through giving life and power for service.
The Holy Spirit shows stronger or weaker evidence of the presence and blessing of God according to our response to him.
If all of the above happens with only a down payment of the Holy Spirit, how much more is there to come that we cannot yet imagine?
Next Step:
Search for “Holy Spirit” at www.biblegateway.com, in a digital Bible, concordance, or other resources. Read the verses returned by the search results. Praise God for the down payment of the Holy Spirit and the fullness believers will experience in his presence one day.
____________________
* Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 2nd ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 780-793.
Comments