ear·nest
[ur-nist] noun
1. a portion of something, given or done in advance as a pledge of the remainder.
2. [Law]. earnest money.
3. anything that gives pledge, promise, or indication of what is to follow.
So I was studying about the Holy Ghost the other day when I was directed to an entry in the Bible Dictionary for the word earnest. I've heard that word used in business agreements and things; I know that earnest money is a good faith pledge to show that you'll follow through with the remainder of your agreement. (I mean, everyone's seen a movie where the bank won't let Ma keep the farm unless she can produce "earnest money" by the end of the week, right?) We're familiar with the term earnest but I had no idea what that word had to do with the gift of the Holy Ghost so I started reading. Here's what it says:
So I was studying about the Holy Ghost the other day when I was directed to an entry in the Bible Dictionary for the word earnest. I've heard that word used in business agreements and things; I know that earnest money is a good faith pledge to show that you'll follow through with the remainder of your agreement. (I mean, everyone's seen a movie where the bank won't let Ma keep the farm unless she can produce "earnest money" by the end of the week, right?) We're familiar with the term earnest but I had no idea what that word had to do with the gift of the Holy Ghost so I started reading. Here's what it says:
Earnest. A pledge or security. The word thus translated is a commercial term denoting the deposit paid by a buyer on entering into an agreement for the purchase of anything. As used by Paul (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14) it means that the Lord gives us his Holy Spirit in this life as a foretaste of the joy of eternal life. The Spirit is also the Lord’s surety that he will fulfill his promise to give eternal life to the faithful.
Isn't that amazing?! I had never thought of the gift of the Holy Ghost in those terms before! After we are baptized we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, meaning the spirit can be our companion and can guide us to the best things in life. But this "gift" is given as a pledge of something greater. Jesus Christ promises us eternal life when we make promises with Him and He's given us the Holy Ghost as a good faith pledge that He intends to follow through with the full agreement.
Think about how good the spirit feels. It's the best feeling in the world. The bible dictionary says that the Holy Spirit is just a "foretaste of the joy of eternal life". How amazing will eternal life be if the Holy Ghost is just a preview of that? I don't know about you but thinking about that makes me pretty excited.
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