Spirit Series - Interactive Book Platform

Before we can comprehend the fullness of eternity, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste. He is described in Scripture as the “firstfruits” (aparchē) of our inheritance (Romans 8:23). In the ancient world, the firstfruits were the first part of the harvest, presented to God as a token and a guarantee of the full harvest that was to come. The Holy Spirit, living in us, is the firstfruit of the age to come. He is a down payment, a foretaste, a living sample of the eternal life that will one day be ours in its fullness. 1.1 The Spirit of Adoption One of the primary ways we taste eternity is through the Spirit of adoption. Paul writes, “you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). In this present age, we are still waiting for the “adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23). But the Spirit gives us an experiential foretaste of that future reality. He whispers to our hearts that we are beloved children of God. He gives us an intimacy with the Father that is a preview of the face-to-face communion we will enjoy forever. 1.2 The Spirit of Joy and Peace The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). When we experience the supernatural joy of the Lord in the midst of trial, or the peace that surpasses all understanding in the midst of chaos, we are tasting the very atmosphere of heaven. These are not just positive emotions; they are the fruit of the Spirit, a direct impartation of the eternal reality of God’s unshakeable Kingdom. 1.3 The Spirit of Power Every time we see the Holy Spirit’s power at work—a body healed, a demon cast out, a heart miraculously transformed—we are seeing a preview of the age to come. These are “powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:5) breaking into our present reality. They are signs and wonders that point to the day when all sickness, all death, and all demonic oppression will be banished forever, and the glorious, uncontested reign of Christ will be established. To be filled with the Spirit is to have eternity invade your present. It is to live with a constant, tangible reminder that this world is not your home, and that a glorious, abundant, and eternal harvest is coming.

Eternity with the Spirit

The Spirit as the Firstfruits – A Taste of Forever