Again the sealing of the
Holy Spirit refers to His ministry of marking the children of God as His own
possession and guaranteeing their complete salvation. Having discovered
from Ephesian 1:13-14, that this holy sealing transpires at conversion and
primarily signifies that believers belong to God, it is vital that we explore
the significance of this divine act further. In this article we will consider
how spiritual sealing refers to spiritual authority, security, and protection.
So, not only does the sealing by the Holy Spirit denote ownership, but it
further signifies power and safeguarding for every genuine child of God. These
are blessings afforded by the Heavenly Father to every believer without a
single exception. They are not privileges earned through obedience, but given
as pure acts of grace through the Holy Spirit. Note once more what the
insightful Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 1:12-14,
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 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, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.[1]
DIVINE PROTECTION
Spiritual safeguarding
is afforded because the true Christian is sealed by the Spirit. This is God
provided protection and security—it is unparalleled and without equal in
potency. The Roman seal on the tomb of the Lord Jesus carried this meaning of
security and protection rooted in governmental authority (Matt. 27:66). The
tomb was under the protection of Roman authority and was to remain secure and
the seal unbroken. This was the Jewish rulers and Roman officials’ effort to
insure the disciples of the Lord Jesus did not come secretly to steal his body
to then make a false claim that Christ had risen from the dead. Likewise, the
believer belongs to God, and is spiritually safe because he or she is under
divine authority and protection—we are “kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation” (1Pet. 1:5). According to the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit will abide
with the believer forever—He will not break this seal nor forsake this ministry
of safeguarding God’s people (John 14:16-17). Certainly, it is possible for
Christians to grieve the Spirit and thereby lose the blessings of His ministry
(Eph. 4:30). But He does not leave them; in fact, this a far cry from forsaking
believers because of some area of unfaithfulness in the believer. The
Spirit keeps each believer safely and securely in God’s grace and love as He
promised (Rom. 8:26-39). The result is life-long eternal security and spiritual
protection that will never expire! The truth highlighted here is that the Christians
can never…ever…ever be lost again.
Anders (1995, Chapter 3)
gives one commonly used story picturing the power and significance of a seal through
an emissary that Alexander the Great once sent to Egypt. This representative of
the most powerful man on earth at the time traveled to Egypt without weapons or
military escort. He carried only the seal of Alexander, possibly a signet ring
bearing Alexander’s official seal.
The emissary met with
the king of Egypt, who stood with his army behind him, and communicated to him
that Alexander wanted him to cease hostilities against Alexander’s interests.
The king of Egypt, wishing to save face, said that he would consider
Alexander’s request and let him know later what his response would be. At that,
the emissary drew a circle in the dirt around the king of Egypt and said, “Do
not leave the circle without informing me of your response.” Think of
that! The king of Egypt was standing there in full military array, with his army
instantly ready to obey his commands. The emissary was unarmed. Yet the king
dared not harm or defy the emissary without defying Alexander. Whatever he did
to the emissary, he did to Alexander. Realizing that he was facing, by
extension, Alexander himself, after a long, tense moment he said, “Tell
Alexander he has his request,” and stepped out of the circle.
That is the power and
significance of a seal. It carries the full weight of the one who owns it.
Christians have God’s seal, the Holy Spirit, which carries the full weight of
God the Father behind it (2Corinthians 1:22). The entire power and authority of
Almighty God stands behind the believer’s security in Christ! The seal
signifies that believers are God’s possessions; God is for them guarantying
their security. If God is for them, who can successfully stand against them.
BELIEVERS’ ASSURANCE
It should also be
reemphasized that the Spirit’s seal in the believer’s life is meant to be
experiential. The Spirit grants inner assurance that a repentant believer is
indeed justified before the Lord God because of their faith in the redemptive
work of Jesus Christ. Though a believer is sealed but once, the
spiritual blessing can be experienced continually. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1997 p.
260) in God The Holy Spirit taught that this is part of the value in God
communicating this truth to the child of God. The truth is given that
Christians might have assurance, enjoyment and blessed security in the
salvation of the Lord. They are secure until the ultimate complete
redemption and perfection in Christ. There is no need to fear being abandoned
by God for whatever reason. We are blessed with the assurance that we
belong to the Lord and that He belongs to us!
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His spirit, washed in His blood—Fanny Jane Crosby (1820-1915)
BELIEVER’S AUTHENTICITY
Another use for the seal
is as a mark of authenticity (Wiersbe 1989, Vol. 2. p. 13) (John
6:27; 3:33). When the Lord Jesus said that God the Father had set His seal on
Him, He meant that God had sent Him and approved Him as the genuine Giver of
eternal life (Jn. 6:27). Christ’s power to give life rested in the authority
which God the Father had vested in him. Thus Christ’s offer of eternal life is
legitimate and real; we are free then to trust Him…to believe any claim He
makes…to regard ourselves safe under His influence and care. The Father set his
seal of approval and authenticity on the Son at his baptism when the Holy
Spirit came upon him and the Father spoke of him. When one sets his seal to
something, it means that they promise that it is true or genuine. God sealed
the Son of Man in the sense that He endorsed Him as the authentic Giver of
eternal life, and the One who spoke the truth. Such clear declarations of the
authenticity of the Lord Jesus connects deeply with our need to trust Him...believe
Him…commit ourselves to following Him. Christ and His message are confirmed by
God; He is real about what He promises. Jesus is free of mere clever
manipulations!
Just as a signature on a
letter attests to the genuineness of the document, so the presence of the
Spirit indwelling believers proves the believer is genuine. There is more here
than a claim to believe…more is involved than participation in religious
meetings, something far weightier is of interest than meager assertions about
being serious about our faith. Paul said, “If any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). It is wise to permit that biblical
statement to persist with the intended strength with which it was given! Wiersbe
(1996, Vol. 2. p. 13) taught it is not simply our “lip profession, our
religious activity, or our good works, but also the witness of the Spirit that
makes our profession of faith authentic” (Rom 8:14-17). This reality
should be well understood and never diminished. Romans 8:16 says, “The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”[2]
Denney says…Our own spirit tells us we are God’s children, but the voice with
which it speaks is, as we know, prompted and inspired by the divine Spirit
itself.”[3]
So the significance of the seal is that it declares divine ownership, provides
eternal security, and testifies to an authentic conversion experience.
EARNEST
The second observation
of the apostle Paul reveals the Spirit’s seal is the “earnest of our
inheritance” (Eph. 1:14). Consider Paul’s affirmation, “…ye were sealed with
that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise
of his glory” (Eph. 1:14). Therefore, receiving the Spirit was only the ‘first installment’
of the spiritual inheritance. This can be seen through a study of the word
“earnest.” And one can be certain “earnest” is a fascinating word! McGee
(1997) indicated in his Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee commentary
that in Paul’s day, it meant the down payment to guarantee the final purchase
of some commodity or piece of property.
Even today one will hear
a real estate agent talk about earnest money to secure a property interest.
Naturally speaking, earnest has to do with the deposit one puts down when
making a sizable purchase. It means one is contracting that they will
certainly pay the rest; they is putting down on account; it is the first
installment, paid as a kind of security (Anders 1995, Chapter 3). It’s
a pledge that one will follow on with something more. Basically
there are two other passages of Scripture that communicate this concept of the
Spirit’s ministry in the believer and they are 2Corintians 1:22 and 5:5.
This seal, the presence of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling believers, guarantees
the final and full redemption of believers (Richards & Richards 1987). It
intimates that the present activities of the Spirit foreshadow the type and
quality of ministry He will do more fully in the new creation, and so the
Spirit with whom God marks them with his stamp of ownership is also
appropriately called the “earnest” meaning “caution-money deposited by a purchaser
in pledge of full payment,” ‘guarantee’, even ‘first installment’ of
believers inheritance (Rom. 8:23; 2Cor. 1:22; 5:5) according
to Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament (Wuest 1997, Vol. 1,
p. 49). Max Anders (1995, Chapter 3) in The Holy Spirit: Knowing our
Comforter adds yet another valuable insight to the concept of “earnest” by
saying, The word earnest also means “engagement ring.” In Greece today you
would find this word being used that way. But, after all, isn’t an engagement
ring an assurance—a guarantee—that the promises made will be kept? Our
relationship to God through Christ is not simply a commercial one, but also a
personal experience of love. He is the Bridegroom and His church is the bride.
We know that He will come and claim His bride because He has given us His
promise and His Spirit as the “engagement ring.” What greater assurance could
we want?
GUARANTEE
Then notice the phrase
the “redemption of the purchased possession” (Eph. 1:14); it refers to the full
inheritance. The seal guarantee to believers the Spirit will finish His work
and eventually bring them to glory. Note what Paul stated in Romans 8:23, which
says, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to
wit, the redemption of our body.” The “redemption of the purchased
possession” refers to the redemption of the body at the return of Christ in the
Rapture (Rom 8:18-23; 1John 3:1-3). It speaks of a finished transaction. Even
today when important legal documents are processed, they are stamped with the
official seal to signify the completion of the transaction. The fact that
Christians know the Holy Spirit is living in them is a perfect guarantee of
their ultimate salvation—the redemption glorification (1Cor. 1:30). The Holy
Spirit has been given to them in order that they might have some kind of idea
of what awaits them when they arrive in glory. God has given them the
first fruits.
One also should view the
earnest of the Holy Spirit as having some experiential value for the believer
in Christ Jesus. It seems correct to think that this is afforded to them
to give comfort and encouragement. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1997, p. 260-262)
observed in God The Holy Spirit, that life can be hard and trying and
filled with certain temptations and uncertainties, but God affords Christians
these assurances to help them through this pilgrimage. What they have
experienced of the Spirit is but a foretaste, it is but a sample, a kind of
first fruits of the tremendous heritage God is preparing for them. Again
believers not only take these truths by faith, they are moved by them and their
emotions are touched deep within, their entire being is influenced and stirred
by this truth. Their conduct is curtailed and their actions are guided by this
wonderful guarantee.
The seal and earnest of
the Spirit provide assurance of a finished transaction and a guarantee the
believer will receive the entire inheritance as an heir of God. Finally, Max
Anders (1995, Chapter 3) provides another helpful insight into the seal of the
Spirit by noting how the trucking industry provides an interesting illustration
of the sealing of the Spirit. For certain types of loads, when a truck is fully
loaded and ready for its run, plastic seals are placed around the lock on the
door. Breaking this seal before the truck reaches its destination will have at
the least the appearance of thief and will mean the loss of one’s job. This is
similar to the sealing of the Spirit. The seal of the Spirit cannot be broken
before the Christian reaches his heavenly destination. It is the believer’s
guarantee of reaching the destination God intends for them.
Again, the blessings
Christians receive now are just a foreshadowing: according to Paul, they still
await their “inheritance” in the final and total redemption of the world
by God at the end of time. Ephesians 4:30, re-emphasizes this truth, reminding
them that they are sealed with the Spirit “unto the day of redemption” to come.
Then God’s purpose, initiated in Christ, will be brought to consummation, and
seeing it from beginning to end will evoke all creation’s praise of the
Creator.
So then regarding the
Spirit’s sealing, believers can know they belong to God, is secure in
salvation, and their profession of faith is genuine. Then regarding the earnest
of the Spirit, believers are assured of a finished transaction. They are
guaranteed all the inheritance provisions will be realized fully for each child
of God. If the ‘down payment’ was God the Spirit, what in eternity will the full
payment be! Clearly, these are important matters to the people of God.
One other truth should
be realized. All these ministries of the Holy Spirit to Christians are
simultaneous at the moment of conversion. While the conviction process may be
long and drawn-out previous to salvation, people are not saved without it. It
is still present at the moment of salvation, convincing sinners to repent, to
turn from their previous attitudes about Christ, and to accept Him as their
personal Savior. Regeneration, indwelling, and sealing all happen the moment
one says “yes” to the invitation of Christ. Then a whole new and wonderful work
of God begins in the life of the new convert. Sanctification and spiritual
growth are the next natural considerations following such discussions.
[1] The Holy Bible:
King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900
Authorized Version., Eph 1:12–14). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] The Holy Bible:
King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900
Authorized Version., Ro 8:16). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3]
Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word
studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader
(Vol. 2, p. 135). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
