“In Him you also trusted, after you heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed,
you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of
His glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14
There are many kinds of seals. There are Ziploc bags that seal food to
prevent it from spoiling. There are
seals on envelopes that keep what’s inside from falling out. But was this God’s purpose in giving us the
Holy Spirit as a ‘seal’ toward His promise of our inheritance in Heaven? Why does Paul choose to use the word ‘seal’ in
the above passage?
Seals have been around for a long time,
beginning with those created in wax. Long
ago a King would seal a decree with melted wax into which he would press a
signet ring that identified the King, and was worn only by the King. The seal not only identify the person making
the seal by the stamp, but they often provided a legal jurisdiction. Other seals were made onto mankind himself
when in slavery. These were often called
a ‘mark’ and placed on the thigh of the slave as a tattoo or iron branding. The mark represented the master of the slave.
The Greek word used in the original text of
the above verse for “sealed with” is sphragizō (Strongs
G4972). It has three base meanings. It is a seal of security, to which Strong’s
adds that it is secured from Satan. It
is concealment, as in the contents of a letter that is sealed until opened
later. It is also to mark a person, such
as the seal put upon a diploma or a legal document such as a marriage
license. It is also used to prove and confirm
the authenticity of something, such as the seal of a testimony or a written
document.
Under the first covenant, sacrificial goods
such as lambs, calves, doves, etc…, to be given to God were often given a seal
to show that it was dedicated to God. The
items of the temple would have a seal that would show that they were dedicated
to God. This marked them so that they
would not be used in any other way, or eaten by the priests household. But under the second covenant, the covenant
of Christ’s righteousness given to us through faith, the seal is the Holy
Spirit, and the seal is within us.
Paul tells us in the above passage from
Ephesians 1:14 that the Holy Spirit has been given to us like a receipt, “until
the redemption of the purchased possession”.
When going to the movies, you pay up front, receive a receipt or ticket,
and then enjoy the movie. If you take
laundry to a dry cleaner, you receive a receipt which you have to bring to
claim your garments when they’re clean.
These tickets are redeemed at the point that you want to receive
something in return. They prove
possession. Ephesians 4:30 says that we
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of God “for the day of redemption.”
Rewind to Genesis 4:15. Cain kills his brother Abel, and God drives
him out of the land and Cain says he will no longer be in God’s presence, and
is worried that someone will do to him as he has done to his brother Abel. Then “the
Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him
should kill him”. The mark in
which Cain received was a mark given because of his sin.
We all were once a slave of sin. In Romans
6:17-18 Paul writes “But God be thanked
that though you were slaves of
sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were
delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness.” A slave to
righteousness is what we are when we are saved because God has given us His
mark, His seal, until the day of redemption.
The mark of slavery to sin is removed, and we are now identified through
the Holy Spirit, our legal seal with jurisdiction in the court of God, the
highest court. It is a seal that changes
our identity from being sons of Adam, as was Cain, to sons of God, as was Jesus
Christ.
Romans 6 goes on to say in verses 22-23, “But now having been set free from sin, and
having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end,
everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” What will we receive
on redemption day, when we meet God with our receipt, the “gift of God”, the Holy
Spirit? We will receive eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord – and the rewards of Heaven!
The “seal
of God” has a second meaning in Hebrew language. It is the word emeth, which means truth. Jesus
Christ proclaimed His own identity when He said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the TRUTH, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Through faith, belief in Jesus Christ, we
receive His Spirit, the seal of God, the truth.
The purpose of the Holy Spirit is then revealed in us. In John 16:13-14 Jesus tells of the coming of
the Holy Spirit and says “when He, the
Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth”, which is the
purpose of His Spirit in us. He leads us
in the path of righteousness, teaching us and guiding us away from our sinful nature and tendencies.
But Jesus also proclaims an identity change
in this passage when He says “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is
Mine and declare it to you.” What
belongs to Jesus Christ will become ours through the inheritance we receive
that changes our identity from sons of Adam to sons of God.
In 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 the truth of Jesus
Christ, His authenticity and therefore the authenticity of His Spirit, is
revealed in us with “Yes” and “Amen” confirmations. Paul writes, “For all the promises of God in Him are YES, and in Him AMEN, to the
glory of God through us. Now He who
establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has SEALED us and given us the Spirit in our hearts
as a guarantee.”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we were
bought with a precious price, and have received our seal. He does lead us into all truth, and leads us
in the path of righteousness “for His name’s sake”(Psalms 23:3). The mark of sin is gone! We are sealed! And upon that redemption day,
we will be heirs with Christ through the Holy Spirit within us, as our legal
and binding seal in the court of God.
Praise be to God! YES and AMEN!
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