Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 22

Sealed With the Spirit

The sealing of the Holy Spirit is taught by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:13-14, “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, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (cf. Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22). 

Marked out for God’s special care 

The phrase “ye were sealed” denotes a one-time event in the life of a person. It is the seal that marks the salvation of the one who trusted in the truth of Christ’s redemptive work. The believer is a passive party in this process of sealing. He cannot seal himself, for it is done by an external agent, the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. He is sealed “with” the Holy Spirit of promise. 

The verb “to seal” (sphragizo) occurs 26 times in the New Testament (Matthew 27:66; John 3:33; Romans 15:28; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; Revelation 7:3-8; 10:4; 20:3). The meaning of “to seal” in the sense of “secure” or “lock-up” is indicated in Matthew 27:66 with reference to a stone over the entrance to Jesus’ tomb. In Revelation 20:3, it refers to Satan being prevented from deceiving the nations. Elsewhere, the meaning of “seal” is “to bind up” so as to prevent disclosure of divine revelation, as in Revelation 10:4; 22:10. 

“Sealing” the people of God in Revelation 7:3 functions as an ultimate measure of protection against divine judgment. It is used metaphorically elsewhere. In John 3:33, it serves as a guarantee of truth for a particular testimony or validation of the truth of God. John 6:27 affirms that God sets His seal of approval on Jesus Christ in order to validate His status as the Son of God, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” In Romans 15:28, it means “to secure someone; to make sure; to deliver over safely”. 

In the context of Ephesians 1:13-14, God is said to “set the seal” of His Spirit on the hearts of believers in order to guarantee and preserve their status as belonging to Him (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; Revelation 7:3). It gives the believer security. The sealing also has a reference to ownership because believers are God’s inheritance (Ephesians 1:11), and hence they belong to Him. All believers are therefore being marked out as God’s very own, enjoying His special care. 

A permanent seal for future blessings 

Being sealed with the Holy Spirit has a significance that is beyond the initial stage of salvation, even for the eternal preservation of believers. It is a permanent seal for present and future blessings. This is given in Ephesians 1:14, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” 

The phrase “earnest of our inheritance” is a legal and commercial technical term that denotes an advance transaction that guarantees the validity of a contract. In other words, it refers to a down payment, the first instalment or a pledge. When a person believes in the Lord Jesus, he is immediately sealed with the Spirit as a guarantee of his inheritance, a place in heaven. 

Concerning the future inheritance unto which we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, Jesus says in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” 

We have ample evidence in the Scriptures that our sealing with the Spirit for the heavenly inheritance shall never be undone. In Romans 8:38-39, Paul testifies, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Also, Jude 24-25, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” 

Practical implication 

There is a great difference between one who is sealed with the Holy Spirit and one who is not. Only believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Unbelievers are without the seal of the Holy Spirit. Every heart that is sealed with the Holy Spirit will experience the guidance and instruction of the Spirit to abandon the ways of sin and to please the Lord. In Ephesians 4:30-32, the Apostle Paul warned the Ephesian Christians not to grieve the Holy Spirit by wilful sins, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” No one who is sealed with the Spirit is given a licence to sin. 

Sealing is a distinct ministry of the Holy Spirit 

God seals everyone who has believed in Christ for redemption with the promised Holy Spirit when he believed in the Gospel of salvation. Being sealed by the Holy Spirit is not to be confused with the other ministries of the Spirit which are mentioned below. 

The indwelling of the Spirit refers to His permanent residence in every believer (Romans 8:9; 1 John 2:27). The baptism of the Spirit refers to His placing of believers into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The filling of the Spirit is the control of the Spirit over believers’ lives (Ephesians 5:18). All these ministries of the Spirit are seen in the lives of a believer who is sealed with the Spirit. 

In summary, the Holy Spirit is the seal that marks out a person when he believes in the Gospel of salvation. He is then sealed for God’s special care and secured forever as belonging to God. It is also a permanent seal of God’s present and future blessings on the believer. What a tremendous privilege! 

Yours lovingly

Pastor Lek Aik Wee