Ephesians 1:14

Ephesians 1:14. Which is an earnest, i.e., the Holy Spirit ‘Earnest' is a part of the purchase-money paid as a pledge of full payment afterwards. The present gift of the Spirit is such a pledge of fuller blessing; comp. 2 Corinthians 1:22.

Of our inheritance. ‘Believers obtain the certainty that they are heirs and have an inheritance in eternity, not through an assurance from without, but chiefly through the reality of the possession, not at once in its entire extent, but in an earnest' (Braune).

Unto the redemption, etc. ‘Unto,' rather than ‘until'; the preposition being the same as that used in the next clause. Since the clauses are so similar, they should be regarded as parallel, and both accordingly be joined with the main verb (‘were sealed'). The former of the two sets forth God's purpose in the sealing, as that purpose respects man; the latter the ultimate purpose as respects God. But the former, as a matter of fact, includes what God does for man, the latter what return man makes to God. ‘Redemption' is here used in a wider sense than in Ephesians 1:7 (comp. chap. Ephesians 4:30 and Romans 8:23), pointing to the full final deliverance of soul and body from sin and death, and also to the glorifying which is the positive side of the redemption.

Of his purchased possession. The word is an unusual one, but much discussion had led to general agreement as to its meaning. The verb from which it is derived meant, at first, to cause to remain; then the reflexive sense, to cause to remain for one's self, became to acquire, to gain. The noun thus means ‘an acquired possession,' and is here equivalent to the Hebrew idea of a people belonging to God, acquired by Him. Many other meanings have been suggested, but all of them are decidedly objectionable.

Unto the praise of his glory. See Ephesians 1:12. ‘All issues to “the praise of His glory,” His grace having now done its work (Eadie).' This section began with an ascription of ‘blessing,' it ends with this refrain which makes ‘praise' the ultimate end of the entire scheme of redemption. Our free ascription of praise is for what He has done and for what He is. ‘The beginning, middle, and end of the Christian life, or its ground, path, and goal, is the praise and adoration of God' (Braune).