“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5).
In the passage above, after describing the eternal home in heaven that the Lord has prepared for His people, Paul talked about God giving the Holy Spirit “as a pledge.” We might wonder what this means. What is a pledge? Why did God do this? How is the Spirit given in this way?
Paul used the same language in his letter to the church in Ephesus, when he wrote, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). That passage also mentioned being “sealed…with the Holy Spirit.” The same thought is expressed earlier in Paul’s second letter to Corinth: “Who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge” (2 Corinthians 1:22).
It is helpful to understand what Paul meant in these passages. This is intended to assure Christians of their hope. So in this article, we will examine what it means for the Spirit to be a “pledge” and what benefit this has for us.
What Is a “Pledge”?
The New American Standard version says the Spirit was given “as a pledge” (2 Corinthians 5:5). Other translations use the term “earnest” (KJV), “guarantee” (ESV), or “down payment” (CSB). This is a helpful term if we are familiar with the concept of a down payment. Typically when one buys a home, he makes a down payment. It is a payment made upfront that includes a promise that the full amount will be paid in time.
What Is God’s Purpose for This?
Paul said God “prepared us for this very purpose,” so He “gave to us the Spirit as a pledge” (2 Corinthians 5:5). What is His purpose to which Paul was referring? The context answers this. God’s purpose is that we would receive “a house not made with hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1). “Our dwelling [is in] heaven” (2 Corinthians 5:2). Yet this is more than just a dwelling place. It includes “eternal life” (2 Corinthians 5:1, 4).
Jesus promised His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them: “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3). He said the dwelling place was “in My Father’s house,” which emphasizes closeness with God. We will be with God for eternity, and the Holy Spirit is given as a “down payment” (CSB) or “first installment” (New American Bible: Revised Edition) of this.
How Is the Holy Spirit Given?
First, the “gift of the Holy Spirit” was promised on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38). This “gift” involves fellowship with God (Acts 2:30, 33; Psalm 132:11-12) and is possible because of forgiveness (Isaiah 59:2).*
Second, remember the Holy Spirit’s role. He was sent to reveal the will of God. Paul explained to the brethren in Corinth that “we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery” (1 Corinthians 2:7), and this mystery was revealed by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-13). The words that we have recorded in the Scriptures came as a result of men being “moved by the Holy Spirit” to speak the very words that came from God (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Third, the Holy Spirit dwells in the church. In speaking of the church at Corinth, Paul wrote, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). This is where we come together to approach God and worship Him.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit dwells in each one of us. Paul also described this in his letter to Corinth: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). However, the Spirit dwelling in us is not a feeling, but an understanding. It is something we “know” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We belong to God because we have been bought with a price – the blood of Christ which He shed as a perfect and sinless sacrifice (1 Peter 1:18-19). Now that we belong to Him, we are to glorify God in our bodies by using our bodies to do His will. Jesus set the example for us, as He prayed to the Father, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4).
How Do We Receive this “Pledge”?
Based on what we noticed in the points above, how do we receive the Holy Spirit as the “down payment” of our eternal salvation?
First, we must hear the gospel. Remember what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. It is “after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation…you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). The gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). His word is the source of faith: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). To be sealed with the Spirit, we first need to hear the word that the Spirit revealed from heaven.
Second, we must believe: “after listening to the message of truth…having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). Paul used the term belief in its comprehensive sense. It cannot mean belief only, or else even the demons would have the same assurance that we have (James 2:19). We know that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). The belief that results in us being “sealed…with the Holy Spirit…who is given as a pledge” (Ephesians 1:13-14) necessarily includes obedience. This is why Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21). On another occasion, He asked the question, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
We can follow the example of what happened on the day of Pentecost:
“Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.’ And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation!’ So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:38-41).
“…praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).
These people heard the gospel, were cut to the heart, and asked what they needed to do. And they were told to do something, not just believe. Peter said they were to repent and be baptized. This would result in being forgiven and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for all – “as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” This includes us today as we are “called…through [the] gospel” (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
The Result of Receiving This “Pledge”
When we obey the gospel as the three thousand did on the day of Pentecost, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, having been sealed with Him as He was given as a pledge of our inheritance. What results from this?
First, as we already mentioned, we enjoy fellowship with God as we receive “the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Second, we are guided by the word of God. His word is “a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path” (Psalm 119:105), and it perfectly equips us “for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This word was revealed by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-12).
Third, we are part of the Lord’s church. Those who obeyed the gospel, were forgiven of their sins, and received the gift of the Spirit, were added by God to the church (Acts 2:47). As we noticed earlier, the Spirit dwells in the church (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Fourth, we glorify God as His people. Our body is a “temple of the Holy Spirit” and we “glorify God in [our] body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) by doing the will of God and following His instructions.
Conclusion
We are looking forward to our eternal home in heaven. Jesus promised to prepare this place for us, and the Spirit was given as a “down payment.” This “pledge” includes fellowship with God, guidance from His word, and a place of belonging in His church.
As a result, we can be confident of our reward in heaven. As Paul continued in the context of our opening text, we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Let us continue to glorify God in our bodies, knowing that we will give an account to Him for what we have done in this life (2 Corinthians 5:10), so that we can receive the eternal home He has promised us.
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* For a more detailed explanation on this point, see the article, What Is the Gift of the Holy Spirit?
