…and you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13, 14

Do you remember two-part presents? When it was your turn to select a gift to open, an adult would say something like, “You can open that, but if you do, you need to open this package, too. If they aren’t opened together, they won’t make much sense.”

The first half of God’s two-part gift to believers is the hearing and personal acceptance of the gospel. The man Jesus is important in many religions because of his wisdom and moral teachings. However, the true gospel of our salvation is that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sin (1John 2:2). 

When we come to the realization that the Apostle Paul’s words “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway (Romans 7:19) describe us, we understand that sin isn’t something we do, but something we are. Wisdom and morality in themselves only illustrate us the standard. They have no ability to empower our character toward lasting change.

Now it is time to open the second part of our gift: The God who has given us new life in Christ doesn’t leave us to our old self or our old ways. We are given the Holy Spirit—God with us--(John 16:12-14) to both instruct and empower us for godly living. Without the Spirit in our life, our salvation decision can become an isolated religious moment.  

We may have forgotten to buy the batteries for the Galaxy Quest Space Station, but the Holy Spirit’s power and presence come as part of the package. Even when the world has drained us, we can turn toward the Spirit for peace, power, and direction and we will find that God is 100% faithful to His promises.   

Nancy Shirah