Holy Spirit - Part 9: The Seal of the Holy Spirit
In Ephesians 1:1-14 Paul lists for us the wonderful blessings we have as children of God. We are blessed by being chosen, predestined, accepted as redeemed, and most importantly of all, forgiven. God also makes His will known to us and gives an inheritance to us.
In verse 13 Paul talks about the Christian being “sealed” with the “Holy Spirit of promise”.
Eph 1:13
“... after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise”.
First, we must hear the gospel:
Rom 10:14
“... how shall they believe in him in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
Next we must become aware that our sins separate us from God.
Isaiah 59:1-2
“... and your sins have hid his face from you and he will not hear...”
Then we must believe in Jesus Christ as God's plan for our salvation as so well explained in John 3:16. After we believe, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
In the Bible days the seal was used primarily as a stamp of ownership. Roman merchants would travel to Ephesus, purchase goods, pack them for shipping and place a mark seal from their signet ring in wax on the packaging so as to show who owned the goods as well as to assure they arrived secure (if the seal was unbroken).
Once we believe, God claims us as His own possession. The seal of God's ownership is the Holy Spirit indwelling our lives.
2 Cor 1:22 also deals with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Speaking of God, Paul says, “Who hath also sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”. The use of the word “earnest” here means the same today as it did then, a deposit to show intention of ownership and the beginning of the payment to transfer the item purchased to the new owner, in this case, us, as His purchased possession.
In Ephesians 4:30 we are told “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption”. Ephesians 1:14 also speaks of the Christian being sealed “until the redemption”. God declares His intention of completing our redemption by giving the Holy Spirit to us, His down payment until that last day.
Our redemption will not be fully complete until we are freed from our mortal and sinful bodies. Paul speaks of this matter in 2 Cor 5:4 when he teaches of the believer being “burdened” with a body, and all of creation is groaning , waiting for the redemption of our bodies.
Rom 8:22-23
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travail in pain together until now.
… even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body”.
Paul also teaches us that our new bodies God will give to us will be a “building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor 5:1)
In Rev 5 John describes the scene in heaven as Jesus completes the redemption. Jesus purchased the earth with His death on the cross and then sealed all those who accepted His promised salvation, only given through Him.
For now we are waiting for God to finish His work of redemption in us, hopefully to arrive very soon.