Ephesians 1:14 - Pledge of our inheritance?

Does Ephesians 1:14 have conditions?


Ephesians 1:13: "in Whom also we — having-heard the word (of) truth, the good-news (of) your salvation, in Whom also having-believed — you-were-sealed (in) the Holy Spirit (of) promise,"

Ephesians 1:14: "Which is (the) PLEDGE (of) our INHERITANCE for (the final) redemption (of His) possession for (the) praise (of) His glory."


Pledge:

The "PLEDGE" can be the Holy Spirit, as it is written in all the New Testament passages using the Greek word for "PLEDGE" [arrabón 728 in Greek]:

"the Holy Spirit (of) promise, which is (the) PLEDGE [arrabón 728 in Greek]" (Ephesians 1:13-14).

"the PLEDGE [arrabón 728 in Greek] (of) the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 1:22).

"God, the (One) having-given us (His) PLEDGE [arrabón 728 in Greek]: the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 5:5).


What is a pledge?

The only other example in the entire Bible using the Greek word for "PLEDGE" [arrabón 728 in Greek] can be found in Genesis 38 (in ancients Greek manuscripts such as the Septuagint, which contains Genesis).

It is written that "Judah" (Genesis 38:15) went to "Tamar" (Genesis 38:13) to have an intimate intercourse with her. He wanted to give her a payment for this, saying: "I will send you a young goat" (Genesis 38:17). Because the payment could not yet be sent, Tamar said: "give (me) a PLEDGE [arrabón 728 in Greek], until you send (it)" (Genesis 38:17). Judah gave her a PLEDGE, which was his ring, his necklace and the staff in his hand. They then had intimate intercourse. Later, Judah sent the payment to receive back his PLEDGE: "Then Judah sent the young goat of the goats by (the) hand of his shepherd the Odollamite, to receive the PLEDGE [arrabón 728 in Greek] from the woman" (Genesis 38:20).

As we learn from this story, the "PLEDGE" was a guarantee that the payment would be sent later, UNDER THE CONDITION also that Tamar would have an intimate intercourse with Judah after receiving the "PLEDGE".

In a similar way, God gave us "(His) PLEDGE [arrabón 728 in Greek]: the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 5:5) so as to have a guarantee of our INHERITANCE, as the Holy Spirit is "(the) PLEDGE [arrabón 728 in Greek] (of) our INHERITANCE" (Ephesians 1:14), under the condition also of loving God for example after receiving the "PLEDGE", as it is written about the "inheritors (of) the kingdom which He-promised (to) the (ones) loving Him" (James 2:5).

It would also be possible for someone to fall from meeting the condition of loving God after first meeting this condition, as for example to the same "church in Ephesus" (Revelation 2:1) it was written: "I-have against you that you-left your first love" (Revelation 2:4).


Conditional inheritance?

Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit is "(the) PLEDGE (of) our INHERITANCE [kléronomia 2817 in Greek] (Ephesians 1:14).

Several chapters later in Ephesians 5, Paul indicated that one does not have an inheritance unconditionally, as he wrote: "For you-know this — recognizing that EVERY SEXUAL-IMMORAL or UNCLEAN or GREEDY (person) (that is, (an) idolater) DOES NOT HAVE (AN) INHERITANCE [kléronomia 2817 in Greek] in the kingdom (of) Christ and God" (Ephesians 5:5). 


(Future) inheritance in the kingdom?

This "INHERITANCE [kléronomia 2817 in Greek] (Ephesians 1:14) would be specifically an "INHERITANCE [kléronomia 2817 in Greek] in the KINGDOM (of) Christ and God" (Ephesians 5:5). 

The only time when Jesus mentioned the terms "INHERIT" and "KINGDOM" together in all the 4 gospels was in Matthew 25, where a future judgment was described as "He-WILL-make-to-stand the sheep on His right (side), and the goats on (the) left (side)" (Matthew 25:33) and to the righteous it is said: "Come, the (ones) having-been-blessed (of) My Father, INHERIT the KINGDOM" (Matthew 25:34) while to the unrighteous it is said: "Depart from Me, the (ones) having-been-cursed, into the eternal fire" (Matthew 25:41).

Paul referred to inheriting the kingdom in the future tense, writing: "do-you not know that unrighteous (ones) WILL not INHERIT (the) KINGDOM (of) God? Do not be-deceived" (1 Corinthians 6:9) and "the works (of) the flesh are evident" (Galatians 5:19) and "the (ones) practicing such (things) WILL not INHERIT (the) KINGDOM (of) God" (Galatians 5:21).


(Future) redemption?

Paul wrote: "YOU-WERE-SEALED (in) the HOLY SPIRIT (of) promise, Which is (the) pledge (of) our inheritance for (the final) REDEMPTION [apolutrо́sis 629 in Greek] (of His) possession" (Ephesians 1:13-14). 

Paul wrote about: "THE HOLY SPIRIT (of) God in Which YOU-WERE-SEALED for (the) day (of) REDEMPTION [apolutrо́sis 629 in Greek]" (Ephesians 4:30). 

What would this REDEMPTION be about?

It would be a (futureREDEMPTION of our body, as Paul wrote that we are "EAGERLY-AWAITING adoption-as-sons, the REDEMPTION [apolutrо́sis 629 in Greek] (of) our body" (Romans 8:23).


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