You Also – Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

You Also – Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

"You also" – I can see this phrase like a few other powerful phrases in the Bible. "But God…", "I am", "They bent down to pick up stones"… these phrases pack a punch. They say much more than their words. "You also" – whoever Paul is writing to is included. Most of Ephesians, his audience, were Gentiles. Paul just finished a couple sentences of who was first and their overwhelming blessings, destiny, chosenness, adoption and love of God for the purpose in life.

You also are included. It’s like hearing your name called in the greatest category possible. Paul knows that when you believe, you become something beyond your national identity, your scientific classification, your heredity or anything else. You become His. Despite all the differences of people on so many levels, the infinitely most important thing can be the same: we are His.

And to show that, we have a seal: His Spirit. A down payment. A pledge. He’s not going to leave His Spirit behind. There’s a time coming when He’ll gather things up. He’s left his mark inside us. When the time comes, the redemption of those who are His, we have a stronghold in us that will take us home.

He again reminds us of the purpose of it all: to the praise of His glory. Paul continually reminds us of the point to all of this: His glory. It’s right to honor perfection. What He’s done in justly declaring us righteous in love by grace is to be glorified. Included in this process is an honor beyond all honors for believers. You also.