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13 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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. 15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. – Ephesians 1:13-23 (ESV)
About a decade ago Capitol Cities had a hit pop song called “Safe and Sound”. It was very catchy and you heard it everywhere. Though many of us remember the repetitive chorus “We’re safe and sound (safe and sound)”, probably less familiar is one of the verses of the song:
“I could show you love
In a tidal wave of mystery
You’ll still be standing next to me
You could be my luck
Even if we’re six feet underground
I know that we’ll be safe and sound” (1)
Really? Even in death you’ll be “safe and sound” as long as you’re kick’n it with the dudes from Capitol Cities? The song doesn’t go on to explain the reason for such assurance! We are all familiar with the phrase “safe and sound”. (2) When looking for a lost person we hope to find them “safe and sound”, that is “not in danger” and “healthy” and when one is found “safe and sound” it is a cause for great rejoicing (unless you are the older son – see Luke 15:27).
I’ve recently been enjoying Gerhard’s Vos’s Reformed Dogmatics (3). A few days ago I read this question and answer in Vos’s section on the Trinity:
84. What does Ephesians 1:17 teach?
Here the Spirit is called “Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of” God and Christ. This means that the Holy Spirit possesses this knowledge of God by nature and can therefore communicate it. Contemplating this truth about the Holy Spirit caused me to look at the wider context of Ephesians 1 where v.13 stood out to me:
“13 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,”
Because of the Holy Spirit, we who were once lost are now “safe and sound”. We are free from danger, being protected by Him until we acquire our promised inheritance and we are healthy in as much as we have the Third Person of the Trinity at work in us giving us knowledge of God the Father, and understanding of both the hope of our inheritance and God’s power at work on us and in us – the same resurrection power the Father worked in Christ our Savior when He was raised, ascended and seated at the Father’s right hand having all things placed under His feet.
This should be cause for great rejoicing! Are you living as one who is “safe and sound”? Are you growing in knowledge, understanding and wisdom? Like the Ephesians, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and you will persevere and yet notice Paul still found it necessary to pray for the Father to continue to give the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to those who had been sealed. So, may we all pray for God to continually give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation knowing we will receive our glorious inheritance to the praise of the glory of Christ!
“We’re safe and sound (safe and sound)”!
Pastor Rich
1. https://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/c/capital_cities/safe_and_sound.html
2. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/safe_and_sound
3. Geerhardus Vos, Reformed Dogmatics, ed. Richard B. Gaffin Jr., trans. Richard B. Gaffin Jr., vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012–2016), 70. I highly recommend this volume as it is weighty and challenging, but organized in a way that dispenses the truth of God’s Word in bit size pieces you can digest and dwell upon to your great benefit. https://www.amazon.com/Reformed-Dogmatics-Theology-GeerhardusVos/dp/157799583X
