Paul, in his circular letter to various churches, later called Ephesians, mentioned right at the beginning that God blesses us. This is very positive, because God blesses with every spiritual blessing in the midst of the heavenly ones in Christ (Eph 1:3). But there is a catch: we ourselves.

Not tangible

After these opening verses, Paul describes how we are blessed “with every spiritual blessing”. It lacks nothing. However, the nature of this blessing is spiritual and therefore intangible. Paul supplements this by pointing out that this blessing of God is “in the midst of the heavenly ones in Christ Jesus”. So there is nothing here on earth. We are talking about spiritual blessing and that is not in us, but in Christ. This has advantages and disadvantages.

One disadvantage is that it is not in us and cannot be felt. On the surface, you don’t “have” any of this in the here and now. Time and again I have met people who were looking for practical benefits from their faith in everyday life. They want to understand, sense and feel. They wanted concrete and immediate relief from current problems. This gave them advantages in this world. Some therefore asked themselves “Why else should I believe?”. I can understand that, but that is not what was promised. Your own idea does not have to be realistic. Or rephrased: The giver, not the recipient, decides on the gift. You can accept or reject it.

However, there are also benefits of a spiritual blessing that is not even in us, but in Christ. Consider, for example, that this blessing is in good hands at the source. The blessing is certain there. I can relate to this blessing, but I can’t spoil it. The blessing is protected from me, but I can still rely on it. A spiritual blessing may not be directly noticeable, but the effect in peace, confidence and joy can certainly be experienced.

Sealing

In the further course of the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul explains more details. He speaks of God’s love, which has led to this blessing (Eph 1:5). He also speaks of redemption and of God’s grace in which we are set free (Eph 1:7-8). Towards the end of the chapter, he makes another statement:

“In Him you also are who hear the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation – in Him you also are who believe, sealed with the Spirit of promise, the Holy One (who is an earnest of our lot until the redemption of our portion) to the praise of His glory.”
Eph 1:13-14

The sealing that Paul is talking about here is in the sense of figurative language. It is not about a visible or tangible seal. It is also a spiritual reality and it is again “in Him”, i.e. “in Christ”.

We are sealed in Him.

• How? With the spirit of promise, the holy one.
• And what’s the point? It is a deposit of our lot.
• Why only a deposit? Because it is valid until the redemption of what has been given to us, that is, until we receive the whole lot, the whole promise.

There are many points in this section that should be looked at more closely. But let’s stay with this sealing for a while. This sealing with God’s Spirit was linked to a promise. God has good plans for us. He is for us (cf. Rom 8:31). We belong to it when He makes the world a better place (Eph 1:8-10). Sealing is the confirmation of this.

The sealing is the assurance that something is waiting for us, even if we do not yet recognize it right before our eyes. This is not vague, but lies in the nature of promise and expectation (cf. Rom 8:23-25).

Paul comes back to this statement later in Ephesians when he writes:

“And do not grieve the Spirit of God, the Holy One, with whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption.”
Eph 4:30

Down payment

What determines the sober reality of our experience? We are blessed, but still do not fully see and feel what that means. Here and now we have a spiritual blessing. He is not even in us, but in Christ. But it is also something with a view, because we have been blessed with a promise. God’s Spirit has sealed us in Christ with this promise. This means that the promise is certain until it is fulfilled. Implicitly mentioned, this of course also ensures fulfillment.

However, sensing and feeling are not included today. We can enjoy this blessing and it is advisable to make room for this feeling. However, the blessing itself is not a feeling and cannot be localized in an unknown place “within us”. Anyone who is completely self-centered is likely to experience this as a deficiency. From a spiritual point of view, however, the outlook makes sense, because the fulfillment is still ahead of us. The apostle Paul writes about the certainty of fulfillment. With this he speaks to the believers. It is an outlook based on insight and trust.

So no one has to wear rose-colored glasses if they are a believer. We don’t have to pretend to be super pious. We are not. However, we have a promise. We can trust them, even if we have both feet firmly planted on the ground. Sobriety characterizes the here and now. In this, Paul’s words are an encouragement.

Precisely because nothing is visible, the words from Ephesians seem to connect well with reality. Believers are not put off to a vague afterlife, nor are we promised heaven on earth in the here and now. Sobriety is linked to our reality. As a promise from God, the promise is a guideline for us. It is an anchor for the soul, with a spiritual origin. We live with the “not yet”, but still look to the future. We received a promise and were sealed with the spirit of promise. I can’t describe it any further or assign a color to it. The promise is nevertheless there for us as a spiritual reality. The fulfillment is still waiting.