Introduction
‘In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.’ Ephesians 1:13-14
According to this passage, the seal of the Holy Spirit takes place at the point of salvation. It is a promise or guarantee of the Christian’s future, eternal inheritance with Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated as ‘seal’ is ‘shragizo’ which means ‘to set a seal upon, mark with a seal.’
A seal could be used to guarantee a document or letter, Esther 3:12, which indicates ownership, Song of Songs 8:6, or protects against tampering, Matthew 27:66 / Revelation 5:1. The Holy Spirit is our seal in every sense of this word.
1. The Holy Spirit in the believer’s life helps to guarantee he or she is a child of God, Romans 8:16.
2. The seal of the Holy Spirit serves as a mark that we truly belong to Christ, Romans 8:9-10 / 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
3. The seal of the Holy Spirit helps protect against tampering or attack, Romans 8:13.
In a very real sense, God’s Spirit protects us and guarantees our eternity with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 1:22 / 1 John 5:13.
At what point does the sealing of the Holy Spirit take place?
The seal of the Holy Spirit offers a wonderful glimpse of God’s role in salvation. When we receive salvation in Christ, we are given a guarantee, and exchange our ownership for His, and we are protected against forces of evil.
The sealing begins when a person believes and responds to the Gospel, Acts 2:38 / Ephesians 4:30 / 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. At that point, God’s seal offers the promise of eternal life, John 3:16 / 1 Peter 1:3-5.
The Holy Spirit comes to live in a person when they are baptised, Acts 2:38, and He provides the assurance that they belong to God as His children, Romans 8:15–16 / Galatians 4:6.
It’s God who does the sealing, not man and salvation is based on God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not on merit, Ephesians 2:8-9 / Titus 3:5.
This seal should provide wonderful encouragement for the believer against the spiritual battles in this life, Ephesians 6:12, and anticipation for the life to come, 2 Corinthians 5:5 / Ephesians 1:14 / Ephesians 4:30.
Believers in Christ are now God’s possession. He has stamped us with the Holy Spirit and because of that stamping, He declares three things.
1. Our salvation is authentic and genuine, Romans 8:1-2 / 1 John 5:13.
2. We are owned by God almighty, 1 Corinthians 6:20 / 1 Peter 2:9.
3. We carry the authority of Jesus Christ, Matthew 28:19-20 / Acts 5:29.
If you’ve ever considered buying a house, you will know that most people will need to pay a deposit first. The reason for the deposit is to give the seller the assurance that you will pay the rest.
However, the Holy Spirit is a guaranteed pledge of our future inheritance in heaven with God. We have nothing more to pay because Christ paid it all for us, Colossians 1:14 / Revelation 5:9.
He is ‘our deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.’ And because we are sealed by Him, we can be certain that we will have a glorious future and eternal inheritance with God in heaven, 1 Peter 1:4.
