We Will Deliver

Ephesians 1:1-14

(“you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;”) —

“who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Daily Office Lectionary)

 ^“this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.” (NRSV)

“which is the guarantee of our inheritance vouching for God’s redemption of his possession to the praise of his glory.” (Mounce Reverse Interlinear)

 “which is the pledge of our share; the voucher for God to reclaim his belongings; (and) the wholehearted endorsement of God’s marvelous honor.” (My version; from Mounce)

It’s happened again— several translations which have opposite meanings than the Greek. In this case I believe it shows a near-perversion of the intended meaning. I remember the phrase from my baptism: “You are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever.”

We can’t possibly own God! The Lectionary seems to imply that the seal of the Holy Spirit is a kind of rain check that we can present in exchange for some sort of rights over what belongs to God. I don’t think so.

The NRSV waffles, to the point of complete ambiguity.

Mounce translates some of the Greek words with a strong bias toward familiar terms like “inheritance” and “redemption,” not to mention “praise” and “glory.” I wanted to use other words; ones which give fresh meaning to the text. I found all of my alternative words in Strong’s Greek lexicon, by looking up the Greek words in the Reverse Interlinear and reading the definitions.

My version produced a very interesting shift in my understanding. It occurred to me that the pledge and the voucher represented by the “mark of the seal” was a pledge given not to us, but to God; marking us forever as God’s own. This guarantee of our share in the Realm of God is given to God by us, and on our behalf, through the action of the Holy Spirit.

I want to say it another way:

We have been marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, which connects us to the Holy Spirit; it involves us in the work of the Holy Spirit; and this is what grants us the power and authority to give an unbreakable pledge to God— that all we are and all we own; all our share of God’s will and works— it all belongs to God, and God can claim it from us at any time, and we will deliver.

It’s our pledge;

our promise; 

our fidelity—

certified by the Holy Spirit

to be unbreakable

and perfectly trustworthy—

It’s our steadfast trust

that calls forth

the awe;

the wonder;

the splendor

of God’s trust in us.