In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Not only those who were the first to hope in Christ, as verse 12 says, but also the Ephesian believers, and, I believe, we as well, have the blessings of the promises of God.
Here we see some of the process. First, they heard the word of truth, the gospel. How can they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? So hearing is the first step.
What was heard? The gospel, which Paul says in Romans 1, is the power of God unto salvation.
Second, they believed in Him. Believing in Christ is what saves us. Believing, trusting, entrusting ourselves to Him is saving faith. Saying you believe isn’t the same as believing. Saying a prayer to accept Christ is not the same thing as believing. Going to church is not the same thing as believing.
The result of this believing as explained in verse 13 is that we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. The next verse is going to tell us that He is our guarantee, the down payment of our eternal inheritance.
The Holy Spirit is the one Christ promised to us before He left. He told us that He would not leave us comfortless, but would send the Holy Spirit to teach, guide and convict us, and be the one who encourages us as we travel through life.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 1:23 PM September 28, 2020.