The Wellspring. No.13
“Understanding
is a Wellspring of Life to him that has it.”
(Proverbs.
16:22)
Occasional papers by Arthur & Rosalind Eedle
The Importance of
Earnest
No, this article
has nothing to do with Oscar Wilde's famous play, but we have employed a
similar title!
The word Earnest
is used three times in the New Testament. Here are the references -
2
Cor.1:22 God . . . has sealed us, and given us the earnest of
the spirit in our hearts.
2 Cor.5:5 God, who has also given us the earnest of
the spirit.
Eph.1:14 You were sealed with that promised holy spirit, which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,
to the praise of His glory.
The Greek
word for earnest is ARRABON. Now here is a strange thing. The
equivalent Hebrew word sounds almost identical, being pronounced AYRABON.
Furthermore in Latin it is ARRHABO. There are not many such words that appear
so nearly alike in three different languages.
Here are
the three Old Testament references. Genesis 38:17,18,20 They
concern Tamar and
Tamar had
dressed herself up as a prostitute, and
What does
ARRABON mean? The Hebrew and Greek Lexicons tells us, "A Pledge, a
Surety, a Deposit, a Down-payment, a Foretaste, a First-instalment; any of these
things depending on the circumstances, but always within a legally-binding
setting, where a contract is drawn up between two
parties, one the Giver, the other the Receiver, and a payment is
made, often called the earnest-money, as a pledge of integrity,
honesty, and firm intent, until a certain time in the future, when by agreement
the full sum is paid. Hence there is always a delay implied.
In modern
Greek usage, the word ARRABONA now means an engagement ring. This
is very interesting, because the woman receives the ring as a pledge of
future marriage. However, it must be emphasised that she would never be content
with just the ring. She must have the husband!! This
helps us to understand the Biblical references quoted at the head of this
article.
A long
time ago, in ordinary everyday dealings between people in rural settings, there
was a custom employed when any transfer of property was being considered. In
respect of the sale of a field, for example, the Owner of the field would dig a
clod of earth from that field, and hand it to the prospective new owner as the earnest.
He would then maintain that clod in a special container, as evidence
of a legally binding transaction until the full price was paid. Although no
lawyer was employed, and no written document exchanged, local custom was
strong, in that once the earnest had been given, the owner
would act honourably towards the other party until the actual sale. He would
never be tempted to receive a higher price from some other party, (known today
as gazumping), or by pure whim or fancy, decide not to sell. Once the clod had
been given, the transaction was "signed, sealed and settled."
Similarly,
if a man wished to sell his house, he would cut a swathe of thatch from the
roof, and hand it over as the earnest to the prospective
buyer. If he were selling his mill, then he might decide, for example, to
part with a small piece of machinery, as his earnest.
Let us
now return to the N.T. verses to find out what we need to learn from them.
There is one difficulty here, shared by all English translations. They employ
Upper Case when translating pneuma hagion, making it read "the
Holy Spirit." But one must not fall into the trap of thinking that the
Holy Spirit, a member of the Godhead, can be likened to a mere "down
payment" to be exchanged for the full price later. That would be a most
improper thought. A brief study will surely show that "lower case"
can be used. Jesus said, "Wait until you be endued with power from
on high." But later, in Acts, this power was referred to as
"holy spirit." Hence sometimes we must use Capital letters, when the
context shows that the Person is implied, whilst at other times we shall need
to use lower case, when the power is implied. The writer to the Hebrews said
that we have "tasted the powers of an age to come."
In each
of the three references above, the lower case is needed. Paul is referring to
the gifts of the Holy Spirit being the earnest, the pledge, of
something far greater in the future. Gifts within the early church, such as
tongues, interpretations, prophecy, visions, wisdom, knowledge, and many
others, were supernatural powers, not to be confused with human talents. When a
believer received the baptism of the spirit, he received one or more of these
gifts, and Paul says that it is like the Fiancée receiving her engagement ring,
until she is received into the Lord's arms in resurrection as His Bride.
Judith
Durham, one of The Seekers, composed a song back in the sixties, which contains
the following words. They amply sum up the sentiments of the bride-to-be, -
I'll be shedding black and grey, to take on red
and blue,
Colours I can feel like touching You.
Yes, the
Bride of Christ may receive gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they are but
"black and grey" compared with the vibrancy and wonder of the
"multicoloured" heavenly setting when she meets her Lord in glory.
Paul felt like this when penning those wonderful lines in 1 Corinthians 13.
Speaking of gifts of the Holy Spirit, he likens them to the childhood state,
saying "When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be
done away."
However,
all this, I believe, is just a part of the richness contained within the whole
idea of earnest. Let me quote from the writings of one
G.W.H.Lampe, "The resurrection was an earnest of the
coming redemption of the world." I believe that. I believe in the
resurrection of Christ as an earnest, a pledge, of the final
resurrection of all. As Paul said, even though all men die in Adam, yet
"in Christ shall ALL be made alive." It is signed, sealed and sure.
It cannot be otherwise, lest God be called a liar. Jesus was "the
firstborn of all creation", so that we all belong to Him by virtue of our
origin; but He was also "the firstborn from the dead," thereby making
Himself the earnest, or pledge, of our ultimate restoration
and resurrection.
Furthermore,
I believe that God's Church, His remnant, is an earnest for
the redemption of the rest of creation. God has not called out His elect from
every nation as an end in itself. Many people erroneously believe that they
will be caught up to heaven, there to live in bliss forever more, regardless of
the fate of the other 90%. Nothing could be further from the truth. The elect
remnant must pledge themselves to be the instruments in God's hands to teach,
instruct, comfort, and discipline the rest of the world to know God, and to bow
the knee to Jesus. The Bride will be God's greatest evangelist of all time.
This is "the joy set before us," whereby we do not lose heart as we
go through manifold testing and trials to train us for that day.
Another
example of earnest is in the destruction of
Finally,
I'd like to say a word about those "times of revival" that one reads
about, and often longs for. Take for example the Welsh revival in 1905. Miners,
coming out from the pit, and making their way home, would pass chapels, and
hear singing, and fall under the deep conviction of the Holy Spirit. Regardless
of their condition, they found themselves entering the chapels, and seeking
peace with God, often with many tears of repentance. It is so heart-warming to
read of these stirring revivals, and oftentimes in the past we have prayed to see
them again. But my present understanding is that all such occasions were examples,
earnests, pledges by God that in the days of His Kingdom,
these glad events would be witnessed world-wide. We should be praying "Thy
Kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth."
May God
be praised for "the earnest of our inheritance, until He
redeems His purchased possession."