I Rest In Christ, 6: Sealed by the Spirit
In first century Roman society slavery was common with some 10-15% of Roman society considered to be servants. Everyone was familiar with the system and familiar with the Roman practice of marking a servant with a tattoo to show ownership. The use of a seal was like putting a lock on a door, because in the 1st Century Roman society seals indicated authority and ownership. Another way to look at it is that a seal indicated proof of origin of a document. Paul uses this concept in his writings to describe our relationship with our Father.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
2Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
2Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
So being sealed with the Holy Spirit appears to be some sort of indication that we belong to God. But what does that mean exactly, and what are its implications in our lives?
When we accepted Jesus as our personal Savior, we entered into a covenant, a contract, with God. Just like in any human contract, both parties have to indicate agreement with the terms of the contract. Our ‘signature’ is our willingness to follow Jesus. God’s signature is the placing of the Holy Spirit inside of us. And like the seals of Roman society, the seal of the Holy Spirit indicates certain things have been permanently established.
The seal of the Holy Spirit forever establishes that we are owned by God. He Who made the heavens and the earth and all they contain is announcing to the physical and spiritual realm that this person is His and all the powers and authorities are to keep their hands off.
The seal of the Holy Spirit is a deposit indicating the person is temporarily ‘on loan’ in this time and place, and that Jesus will one day return to bring us to the permanent home He has prepared for us. It guarantees our inheritance.
Ephesians 1:13b-14 When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
The seal of the Holy Spirit indicates that our names are permanently written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, sealed against alteration to remain there until the Book is opened at the End of Days.
The Holy Spirit is a foretaste of eternal glory, and by experiencing the Spirit’s presence in our lives we can be confident that all God’s promises given us are true.
The Holy Spirit is in each believer to lead, to reveal Christ to each believer, and to witness to each believer that he or she belongs to Christ.
The seal of the Holy Spirit guarantee of the eternal nature of our salvation. It cannot be taken away. At the point of our salvation we were saved by God, and no one can reverse that. Because of the protection afforded by the seal of the Holy Spirit, I NEVER need fear that I will lose my salvation. I never need fear that somehow, I might stumble and end up lost again. No, the seal of the Holy Spirit protects me and secures me from hell and judgment for all eternity and guarantees my reservation in heaven.
The phrasing of the above points might lead one to believe the Holy Spirit places a seal on us to achieve those promises. No, the Holy Spirit doesn’t place a seal upon us, He is the seal.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
The Holy Spirit is placed in us rather than on us because, contrary to all other religions which require and adherents to obey external rules and regulations, Christianity is based on God himself. The Holy Spirit is placed in us to guide us from the inside working to help and empower us. But since the Holy Spirit has been placed inside us to guide, shape, and mold, we should at least be willing to listen and obey, because this guiding is for our own benefit.
1Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
So if we were bought with a price, that is the Son’s sacrificial death om the cross, and if we were sealed for eternity with the Holy Spirit, then I think it appropriate to give our thank to our King through worship and obedience to His ordinances. Here’s a few things that seem important:
We should do our best to live a life of holiness. All of us have sinful desires that should be kept under control.
We should not forsake the assembling together with other believers. The easiest target Satan has is the ‘lone ranger’ who thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips. The guy who is accountable to no-one is the guy most easily taken down.
We should be honest and truthful.
We should be kind, tenderhearted, loving, and forgiving.
We should not be covetous of material things. I’ve had 6-7 cars in my life and every single one of them was bought thinking it would be the last. Things wear out and don’t last. God never wears out.
We should tithe a portion of our income. I’m aware there are many materialistic ministries out there who manipulate every last dime out of the pockets of the vulnerable. They will answer to the Lord for that. But each of us should help the poor, downtrodden, widows, and orphans out of the blessings God has given us.
We should invest out time in things that count for eternity.