Last week we looked at the seal or mark put on us by God through the Holy Spirit, as told in Ephesians 1:13-14. But there’s even more to explore in these two verses, so today’s let’s take a peek at another nugget of truth Paul reveals here about how the Holy Spirit speaks to us.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph 1:13-14 NASB
The word translated “listening” in this passage is the Greek ἀκούω (akouō) and is most often rendered ‘hearing’ or ‘to hear’. This word is used many times in the New Testament in reference to people coming to a saving faith. Paul used it multiple times in Ephesians as he reminded his readers of the beginning steps of their faith and confession. Christ also used this word when opening parables and when counselling those “who have ears, let him hear” (cf: Mark 4:9). And its counterpart ἀκοή (akoē) is in an often-quoted passage that Paul wrote, Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
An interesting observation is that the Holy Spirit seems to speak loudly through our ears, but less so through our sight. In fact, after His resurrection, Christ admonished His disciple Thomas for doubting and refusing to believe until he saw the risen Lord. After revealing His wounds to Thomas, He then says, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” John 20:29
In other accounts, Jesus scolded the crowds and religious leaders for demanding to see signs and wonders. Luke 11:29 records, “As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.”” And Jesus also warned His disciples not to be deceived by what they see. In Matthew 24:24 Jesus said, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
This serves as a good reminder that our eyes can deceive us. Just watch any modern Hollywood movie and almost everything is entirely CGI, but sometimes it looks so real it is hard to dispute. The same is true with the so-called “Deep Fake” videos and photos that put real people in places they never were. Our eyes are incredible gifts from the Lord, but they shouldn’t always be trusted especially when it comes to our spiritual discernments.
On the other hand, we can tell from Scripture’s many references that our faith comes through what we hear, not necessarily what we see. We don’t need to witness miracles or amazing signs and wonders, we simply need to hear the Gospel and believe. The Holy Spirit speaks through the Word of God. While yes, we do read the Bible with our eyes (that’s not what Jesus or Paul were talking about – you should read God’s Word!), we are often edified and blessed even more when a Spirit-filled teacher or pastor explains and exposits God’s Word for us, bringing the truth of the Gospel to life through our sense of hearing.
Personally, this is encouraging as I have always felt my calling in life was to help propagate the Gospel through audio media. As many of us can attest to, a certain song’s lyrics or spoken word from a pastor on the radio can quite literally change and save lives. Yes, visual media can do the same and I’m sure many have been saved through what they’ve seen, but there is something quite special and unique about the aural medium and how God’s Word can penetrate our hearts through our ears.
And it’s upon us to always validate what we see and hear against Scripture. And if what we see doesn’t line up with what we know from God’s Word, trust the uneasy feeling the Holy Spirit gives and close your eyes and your ears!