II Corinthians 1:21 “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
The Lord our Merciful “God … hath … given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”; that is, the covenant surety that “God” is our “God”, that “Christ” is the Son of God and our Savior, that Eternal Heaven is our final Home, and that our Lord is our help and comfort in this present life. It is said to be “the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” because it is in the “heart” that we feel the blessed love of our “God”, that we rejoice in peace, that our courage is made strong in times of distress, and that we feel the “seal” of our God’s Holy Presence with us. This glorious “earnest” is what moved Job to declare, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: … 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:25-27). This present life frequently casts upon us great trials, disappointments, heartbreaks, sadness, loneliness, and pain; but, “the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” strengthens us, encourages us, comforts us, and gives us “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and “the hope of salvation” (I Thessalonians 5:8) and “the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). Let us joyfully rest in “the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”!