Sealed, as a verb, is the past tense of the word ‘seal.’ A seal is required to authenticate and make contracts legally binding between two or more parties. The seal is affixed by corporations and notaries, indicating the document is validly executed and witnessed. The seal also means ownership, transaction is complete, secured, and without reversal.
In his letter to the Christians at Ephesus, the apostle Paul writes, “In him [Christ] 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.” (Ephesians 1:13).
The Holy Spirit is a divine Person (not an ‘influence’). And He is the third Person of the Godhead — God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Our text says those who believe in Christ were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was promised by God as the prophet Joel says in Joel 2:28,29. Jesus told His apostles. “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7). The ‘Helper’ is the Holy Spirit).
First Corinthians 6:19,20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20).
When a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, immediately the Holy Spirit begins to reside in that person, making the believer’s body a temple of the Holy Spirit. Our text states we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit Himself is the seal, thus guaranteeing eternal security of believers in Jesus Christ. Our salvation is for time and all eternity.
Dr Charles Stanley writes: “The Holy Spirit is not with us temporarily—He lives within us from the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and never leaves us. This is the reason we can be sure we have eternal security. Neither sin nor anything else can cause the Lord to forsake us because His Spirit has sealed us in Him forever—guaranteeing our relationship with Him for all eternity.” (The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible NKJV p. 1414).
Because we are in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, we must endeavor to consistently live godly lives as Paul exhorts us, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30).
Taken in context, Ephesians 4:25-32 details the things that will cause Christians to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Christians at times will yield to temptation by doing or saying things that are not pleasing to the Lord. When that occurs, the indwelling Holy Spirit will guide the sinning believer to the point whereby he confesses his sins to God and repent. God will forgive. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
Every believer is born of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6).
Jesus explains the difference between human birth and spiritual birth. Everyone born of human parents is “blind” to that which is spiritual and will not obey or please God. And they cannot see the kingdom of God. In contrast, everyone who is born of the Spirit receives a new (divine) nature, and becomes a member of God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ. This person will enter the kingdom of God (v. 5). This is what born of the Spirit means.
Christians became members of the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12,13). This means believers are placed in the body of Jesus Christ by baptism of the Holy Spirit.
“The baptism of the Holy Spirit took place on the Day of Pentecost.” Writes William Macdonald. “The church was born at that time. We partake of the benefits of that baptism when we are born again. We become members of the Body of Christ.”
“The baptism of the Holy Spirit is that divine operation which places believers in the Body of Christ. It is not the same as water baptism. This is clear from Matthew 3:11; John 1:33; Acts 1:5”
“The verse goes on to say that believers have all been made to drink into one Spirit. This means that they partake of the Spirit of God in the sense that they receive Him as an indwelling Person and receive the benefits of His ministry in their lives.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary p. 1792).
The Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to believers. Paul says, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12).
May God help us to be totally submissive to the teaching and guidance of the Holy Spirit “Who will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26). Dear beloved in Christ, let us give careful attention to God’s word. Amen.