“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 NKJV).
The Holy Spirit serves as God’s seal on believers. When a person hears the gospel of salvation and believes it with his heart, such a person becomes a child of God and a bona fide member of His family. The Father immediately places His Spirit in the believer as a seal both for the person’s identification and security as a member of the family of God. The word “sealed” as used in our text means “to stamp for security or preservation; an attestation.” The seal is used to indicate ownership. A slave, for instance, belongs to the person whose seal he bears. Placing one’s seal on a document also serves as a pledge of one’s veracity that the content of the document is true and binding, as when a man seals a bond, a deed, or a will. The Holy Spirit is God’s seal. The residence of the Holy Spirit in one’s heart is the proof that one belongs to Christ. The Word of God is emphatic on this saying, “now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:9, 14 NKJV). It is not having the membership card of any denomination that makes you a child of God but possessing the seal of His ownership of you, which is the Holy Spirit. This is the principal way heaven identifies its citizens. The Holy Spirit is given to those who believe the truth –the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Holy Spirit is God’s seal, identifies, secures believers. Guarantee of inheritance, protects – nothing separates us from God’s love in Jesus’ name.
The seal of the Holy Spirit attests to our security in the love of God such that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Believers are not only saved, they are safe in Christ. The seal ensures our preservation until we are delivered intact to the Father who is our rightful owner. Our Lord confessed, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day” (John 6:39 NKJV). The Holy Spirit keeps believers safe in Christ until He presents us as trophies of glory before the Father. Peter affirmed, “And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” (1 Peter 1:5 NLT). God is protecting you, “by his power,” from being repossessed by the enemy and the world. He is doing a good job of it. Anchor your faith on this sublime truth that God is protecting you by His power until you embrace the Father in heaven. If God is protecting you, nobody can break through His protection to get at you? Our Lord declared with a note of finality, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29 NKJV). When the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all committed in keeping you, no force can tear you lose from their hands. Nobody can unseal what the Father has sealed.
The Holy Spirit is not only the seal of God upon the believer but also “the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” This means that the Holy Spirit is given to every believer now as the first installment to assure him that his full inheritance as a son of God shall be his in due cause. He is the Father’s pledge of the fulfillment of “all the promises” (2 Corinthians 1:20), which Jesus purchased for us with His Blood. The Bible consistently affirmed that you have “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4 NKJV). The Holy Spirit which has been given to all who believe in Christ is a guarantee that this inheritance will be yours on the last day. He is like the down payment money given by a purchaser as a pledge for the full payment of the sum promised. The Holy Spirit gives the believer the assurance that he or she is not only a child of God but also a joint heir with Christ. The Scripture testifies, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…” (Romans 8:16-17 NKJV). As the blood of the Passover lamb indicated who belonged to God and who did not in Egypt, so does the Holy Spirit today identify God’s children. On the strength of this truth, the Bible warns us to be careful not to offend the Holy Spirit saying, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30 NKJV). God’s grace will empower you to love and respect the Holy Spirit in Jesus name.
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