Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Deeper Teaching by Kenton Cheek

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

—II Corinthians 1:21-22

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you 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

     When a person is born again, they are filled with the Spirit of God.[1]  By grace through faith[2] and repentance in Jesus,[3] one is spiritually cleansed from sin with His blood[4] and becomes a temple of God.[5]  This inward, spiritual baptism joins the believer to His universal Church which is made up of brothers and sisters throughout all time and space.[6]  These brothers and sisters all have the same Holy Spirit dwelling within them, unifying them as the eternal family of God and because the Holy Spirit is God, He unites us with the Godhead.[7]  We are sealed together, bonded with one another with the strongest spiritual ties of love ever known.  Colossians 3:14 tells us, “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

     Sin separated mankind from our holy God and has brought spiritual and physical death to every generation ever since the fall of Adam and Eve.[8]  Jesus is the Second Adam who took all the sin of the entire human race upon Himself and paid the ultimate price, dying upon the cross.[9]  As if that weren’t enough, He conquered death by rising again. 

     By turning away from sin and turning to Jesus in faith for salvation, God is able to bridge the great divide and restore us to the healthy, balanced, life-giving relationship He enjoyed with the first humans in the Garden of Eden.[10]  If someone truly believes and receives Jesus, they are adopted as a son or a daughter of God[11] and that relationship is proven genuine by their changed lives and endurance to the end of their lives.  Others will know we are Christians by our love.

     The bond between brothers and sisters in Jesus and with the Lord Himself is accomplished by the blood of Jesus applied by the Holy Spirit who seals us together unto the Day of Redemption.  Faith and trust in God is deeply personal and salvation must be received individually in order to participate in His community of faith.  One cannot force anyone to have genuine faith.  God loves every human being and is pouring out His Spirit on everyone, but it is up to the individual to respond by belief, confession, repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and His atoning sacrifice.

     Our sealed bond of unity as brothers and sisters in the eternal family of God is something to be strengthened and protected by us.  The Apostle Paul encouraged us to do so with diligence.  Ephesians 4:1-6 says,

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

As we go through the process of sanctification, we must endeavor to walk in humble repentance.  God leads each one of us to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humblywith your God.”[12]  Part of this is to be patient with our brothers and sisters regardless of their level of spiritual maturity and to extend forgiveness to those who hurt us, intentionally or unintentionally.[13]  As we minister the Lord’s message of reconciliation, we are to extend His love and mercy and grace to others.[14]  This helps build up the Body of Christ and strengthens the bonds of Christian unity.[15]

     As temples of God, we are partakers of His divine nature and the goal of our faith is oneness with the Father and with one another.[16]  Even though a believer has the Holy Spirit within them, they also still have the flesh with its corrupted nature.[17]  Gradually, as we grow spiritually, surrender more of our lives to the control of the Spirit, we are transformed from glory to glory to be more like Jesus.[18]  Every human is born as an image bearer of God, but that image has been corrupted by sin.[19]  As we are conformed back into the image of Jesus,[20] our unity with Him grows stronger as does our harmony with our brothers and sisters.[21]

     As sons and daughters of the Most High God, we can impart this sealing power of the Holy Spirit to others.[22]  We do this by sharing the Good News of Jesus with them.[23]  This is what Jesus meant by conferring the keys of the kingdom, His priesthood authority to His followers.[24]  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and we can offer His life saving Gospel to others by sharing our relational knowledge, but it is up to them to accept Him for themselves.[25]  We cannot force them to do that.[26]  If they do accept Him, then the Spirit will do the same sealing work in their lives that He has done in ours.[27]  This is a permanent relationship.  The Spirit is a guarantee of what is to come.[28]

     Jesus has not returned because the Father wants as many people as possible to experience His redemption.[29]  As we share the love and message of Jesus with others and they receive Him and are sealed by the Spirit into the eternal family of God, the Kingdom of God expands and the culmination of this marvelous work and a wonder will be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.[30]  There the universal Church, the Bride of Christ will be joined with God as One.[31]  We will be like Him and one with Him in perfect unity and harmony forever in the New Eden.[32]  Holy relationship with God will be restored in all of its glory, the glory of the Father.[33]

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

—Ephesians 4:30

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[1] John 20:22

[2] Ephesians 2:8

[3] Luke 13:3

[4] I John 1:7-9

[5] I Corinthians 6:19-20

[6] Acts 2:38, I Corinthians 12:13, Hebrews 12:1

[7] John 17:23, Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 1:10

[8] Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23, 6:23

[9] I Corinthians 15:45-47

[10] Isaiah 53:6

[11] Ephesians 1:5, II Corinthians 6:18

[12] Micah 6:8

[13] Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:2, Romans 14:1

[14] II Corinthians 5:18-21

[15] Ephesians 4:12

[16] II Peter 1:4, John 10:30, 17:11, 17:22,

[17] Galatians 5:17, Romans 7:19-25

[18] II Corinthians 3:18

[19] Genesis 1:27, Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:1-3, Psalm 51:5

[20] Romans 8:29

[21] Ephesians 4:11-15

[22] Romans 1:11-12

[23] Matthew 28:16-20

[24] Matthew 16:17-20

[25] John 1:12

[26] Joshua 24:15, Zechariah 4:6, John 3:16, 5:40

[27] Romans 8:11

[28] II Corinthians 1:21-22

[29] II Peter 3:9

[30] Revelation 19:9

[31] John 17:21, Ephesians 5:31, Revelation 19:9

[32] Revelation 21:1

[33] Romans 8:17, II Thessalonians 2:14, Colossians 3:4