Ephesians 1: Sealed with The Holy Spirit

This is my fifth post in my mini-series  on discovering our identity in Christ based on the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus.

For my discussion on the meaning of the phrase ‘in Christ,’ click here.

I recommend catching up on the first four posts before reading this one. To be directed to the older posts, click here.

In my last post, we discussed God’s forgiveness and His total acceptance of those who belong to Christ Jesus, which is based solely on His extravagant grace and unconditional love. We ended on the confession that we are blessed, chosen, loved, adopted, redeemed, forgiven and accepted saints in Christ Jesus.

Today’s study will focus on Ephesians 1:13b-14. Grab your bibles and study with me.

Sealed with The Holy Spirit

“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13b-14 NIV

Letters were stamped and secured with seals in ancient times. Molten wax was dropped onto scrolls and a signet ring belonging to a king or person in high authority was pressed into the wax, resulting in an impression of the signet ring on the scroll. (See Esther 3:10-12.) Therefore, a seal is a sign of :

• ownership
• authority
• authenticity
• and it also indicates that a deal has been closed.

 In the verse above, Apostle Paul stated that believers in Christ have been marked and sealed with The Holy Spirit.

So the question is; what does it mean to be sealed with The Holy Spirit and what impact does this have in the life of a believer?

Ownership

The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit. God seals us with His Spirit demonstrating that we are His priced possession. We belong to Him, we are owned by Him and we are His children. Therefore, we can face life with faith and confidence knowing that our lives belong to The Almighty God who will lovingly watch over us and take care of us.

Authority

It’s a sign of Gods authority. It shows that we bear the emblem of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Therefore, we can speak with divine authority and walk with power as children of The Most High God. 

Authenticity

An unbroken seal on a king’s edict was a sign that the enclosed message was authentic and genuine. In other words, it had not been manipulated or tampered with. As children of God who are sealed with the Holy Spirit, we are not fakes! We are authentic children of the All Powerful, All Knowing Creator of the universe. All principalities and powers in the spiritual realm can see and identify us as genuinely belonging to God. Therefore, we should live daily with confidence in the truth that “we are from God and have overcome them” (1 John 4:4).

Proof of a signed contract

It indicates that a contract has been signed and completed.

Just like a down-payment is made by a buyer purchasing a house or piece of property assuring the seller that the rest of the money will be received, The Holy Spirit is a guaranteed pledge of our future inheritance in heaven with God.

He is “our deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” Therefore, we are certain of a glorious future and eternal inheritance with God in heaven. “An inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” 1 Peter 1:4.

“He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV

What an awesome God! What a privilege! HE HAS MARKED AND SEALED US WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!!

Say out loud: I am a blessed, chosen, loved, adopted, redeemed, forgiven and accepted saint in Christ Jesus. I am marked and sealed with The Holy Spirit. That is how God sees me. That is who I am.

I encourage you to continue renewing your mind with the Word and confessing the truth of God’s Word over yourself daily and I pray that God will open the eyes of your understanding that you may know Him and know who you are in Him.

AMEN!