God’s Guarantee

“Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.””

(John 14:8, NLT)

When someone enters a business deal, they must sign on the proverbial dotted line. The business partner wants a guarantee that you will do what you’ve agreed to. Once signed, it is an official written contract. This is exactly what God did with the New Testament! Testament means covenant. A covenant in the Bible consists of two or more parties coming together to make a contract. They agree on certain promises, stipulations, privileges, and responsibilities in the contract.

In the Bible, a blood covenant was the strongest, most binding of them all. And that is what God did for us through the shed blood of Christ. He cut a blood covenant with all who place faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, promising to forgive, redeem, deliver, and save their souls for heaven. This includes the Holy Spirit’s unfailing presence coming to live within us. And more! The Holy Spirit is a type of “down payment” of what awaits us in heaven. The Apostle Paul wrote,

“And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

(Ephesians 1:13–14, NLT)

The Book of Revelation paints an incredible picture of what heaven, our future home, will be like:

“And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

(Revelation 21:2, NLT)

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.””

(Revelation 21:4, NLT)

So dear friend, on coming to Christ, you reaped the windfall of a contract signed with the ink of His shed blood and were instantly sealed by the Holy Spirit for eternity. One day every child of God will be escorted through Heaven’s gates—signed for, sealed, and delivered!

In the next chapter, we will look at some important keys to a victorious Christian life. What we learn might surprise you!