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thing abides the earnest has been given, and those who have been thus sealed have
received the pledge of the God of truth, Whose promises in every dispensation find their
Yea and their Amen in Christ.
The remainder of the record of Eph. 1: 14
"the redemption of the purchased
possession" demands a separate study.
No.27 The Muniment Room (1: 3 - 14).
The Threefold Charter of the Church.
The Witness of the Spirit (1: 12 - 14).
The Kinsman-Redeemer.
pp. 205 - 212
The seal and earnest are related to hope, promise and inheritance in Eph. 1: 12-14 or
as it is summed up at the close "until the redemption of the purchased possession". The
preposition eis is only translated "until" once and "till" once, and although these are
noted in Young's Analytical Concordance under till, neither until nor till are included in
the Index at the back. While it is necessarily true that the earnest is "until" the day of
redemption, the idea in Eph. 1: 12-14 is that it is given "with a view to" or "unto" that
day. However we translated eis, the idea of a goal must never be absent. Predestination
is said to be "unto the adoption", in the same way the earnest is unto the redemption of
the inheritance. What is meant by the expression "the redemption of the purchased
possession"? Redemption in its initial stage is blessedly past, "In Whom we have
redemption through His blood" (1: 7). This initial redemption is set forth in the type of
the Passover Lamb. Here deliverance FROM bondage is the uppermost thought.
Redemption however is also UNTO something, He Who led Israel out of Egypt, led them
ultimately into the land of Promise. The figure that stands out prominently in the O.T. as
the great type of this second aspect of Redemption is "The Kinsman-Redeemer" and the
book that sets this great type forth most blessedly is the book of Ruth. Before therefore
we deal with the actual term "the redemption of the purchased possession" let us become
acquainted with the general teaching of the book of Ruth. The Book of Ruth fulfils
several purposes.
(1)
It reveals that even during the dark days of the Judges, there were some who
lived their simple lives in the fear of the Lord.
(2)
The example of utter faithfulness presented by the story of Ruth the Moabitess,
stands out in bold relief against the dark background of the times, and gives
encouragement to us in our own day of darkness and apostasy.
(3)
The book supplies an important link in the genealogy of Christ as the Son of
David.