Yes — the Holy Spirit is the 'earnest,' or down payment, of our inheritance, guaranteeing the future redemption of the body.
The Spirit is not the completed transaction but a sufficient down payment that assures God will finish what He started. Les Feldick teaches that the soul and spirit are redeemed at salvation, while the body still awaits redemption. The indwelling Spirit guarantees that body, soul, and spirit will be redeemed together.
Ephesians 1:13-14 — The Holy Spirit is explicitly called the 'earnest of our inheritance' until the redemption of the purchased possession.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 — God sealed believers and gave the earnest of the Spirit in their hearts, linking the down payment to God's sealing work.
2 Corinthians 5:5 — Paul says God has given the earnest of the Spirit in connection with the future new body.
The Holy Spirit is called the 'earnest,' or down payment, of the believer's inheritance. In Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul writes (KJV): 'In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.' In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (KJV): 'Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.' And in 2 Corinthians 5:5 (KJV): 'Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.' The Scripture, therefore, presents the Spirit as the pledge that guarantees the completion of what God has promised.
Les Feldick teaches that a down payment is not the completed transaction; it is given while the rest is still to be consummated. He compares the Holy Spirit to earnest money in a real-estate transaction — a substantial payment so large that nobody is going to walk away from it. God has sealed us, preserved us, and made us His own by giving us the Spirit until the resurrection day, when we receive our new body and are with Him in glory. Les emphasizes that the soul and spirit are already redeemed in full, but the body remains unredeemed, still in the flesh, prone to pain, sickness, and sin. The very presence of the Holy Spirit is God's down payment that He will complete the whole transaction, redeeming body, soul, and spirit together.
The King James Version uses the word 'earnest' in Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, and 2 Corinthians 5:5. The term carries the idea of a down payment — money or a pledge given to guarantee that the full payment will follow. Les illustrates this with a real-estate transaction: earnest money is such a significant payment that nobody walks away from it. Likewise, God's sealing by the Spirit is a guarantee that He will complete the full redemption of the believer.
Les explains that when we are saved, the soul and spirit are redeemed in full, but not the body. The body remains in the flesh, prone to the same pain, accidents, and sin as the unbeliever. The body is still under the curse. The Holy Spirit's presence is God's down payment that the body will also be redeemed, because a human being functions as a complete entity only when body, soul, and spirit are together. The sealing of the Spirit holds the believer until the final 'redemption of the body.'
The down payment guarantees the future resurrection of the body. Les teaches that when this body goes back to the earth, one day in resurrection it will be clothed with a new body from heaven, fashioned like Christ's glorious body. In the eternal state, because 'flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,' the Spirit of God will become the life-giving substance of the new body, taking over the role that blood now has. This is the completed transaction to which the Spirit is the earnest.
The Hope of a New Body
Les teaches that even if this body returns to the earth, in the resurrection it will be clothed with a new body from heaven — the future event the down payment guarantees.
The Spirit as the Down Payment of the Inheritance
Les identifies the indwelling Holy Spirit as a sufficient down payment that guarantees the transaction of redemption will be completed, holding our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.
The Body Is Not Yet Redeemed
Les points out that while believers are redeemed in soul and spirit, the body remains unredeemed, still prone to pain, accidents, and sin; the down payment assures even this body will be redeemed.
The Real Estate Earnest Money Analogy
Les uses the real estate concept of earnest money to show that God's sealing of the believer is a substantial down payment that guarantees He will complete the transaction on the resurrection day.
The Earnest Until the Redemption of the Body
Les explains that the sealing of the Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance until the final redemption of the body, which is still waiting.
Body, Soul, and Spirit Must Be Redeemed Together
Les teaches that the soul and spirit are redeemed already, but the body is still under the curse; the Holy Spirit's presence is God's down payment that He will redeem all three together.
Sealed and Preserved by the Spirit
Les emphasizes that the sealing of the Holy Spirit is both a mark of ownership and preservation, keeping the believer until the redemption and change of the body to be like Christ's glorious body.
The Spirit Sustains the Eternal Body
Les explains that in the eternal state, the Spirit of God will be the life-giving substance of the new body, taking over the role blood currently plays.
Ephesians 1:13-14: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
This is the key verse where the Holy Spirit is explicitly called the 'earnest' of our inheritance.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22: Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
God sealed believers and gave them the Spirit as the earnest—the down payment—in their hearts.
2 Corinthians 5:5: Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Paul connects the earnest of the Spirit to the new body that God has prepared for believers.
1 Corinthians 15:45: And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Paul contrasts the first Adam with the last Adam, the quickening Spirit, which Les points to in explaining the Spirit's future role in the eternal body.
1 Corinthians 15:50: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; the new body requires the Spirit's life-giving work.
Les uses the real-estate concept of earnest money: the Holy Spirit is a substantial down payment, not merely a promise. Because God has sealed us and made us His own, the Spirit guarantees that the full inheritance — including the redemption of the body — will be completed.
Les explains that at salvation the soul and spirit are redeemed completely, but the body is still here in the flesh, prone to pain, sickness, and sin. The body awaits its future redemption, and the indwelling Spirit is the down payment that guarantees that completed transaction.
It is the future event when the believer's unredeemed, mortal body will be changed to be like Christ's glorious body. Les teaches that the same Holy Spirit who indwells us now will be the life-giving substance of the eternal body, taking the place of blood as the sustaining life.
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