Sealed, Ephesians 1:13-14

 

Ephesians 1:13-14

Ephesians 1 repeats “in Him” several times. Verse 7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood.” Verse 11 says, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance.” And then, verse 13 starts with, “In Him you also trusted.” All of these references speak of the blessings that God has bestowed upon us in Jesus Christ our Lord. “In Him” means “In Jesus.” 

Let’s read Ephesians 1:13.

Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV) 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

The gospel of our salvation spoken of in this verse is the truth “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3 gives the account of a religious scholar and leader, Nicodemus, coming to Jesus. Nicodemus acknowledged that Jesus was a teacher sent from God. And Jesus cut right to the chase. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

We must talk about two things in this statement. First, the point of God sending Jesus was that we (humans) could see (enter) the kingdom of God. And second, the whole deal rests on being “born again.” The word translated as “born again” means “born from above” (above, as in heaven). 

Jesus explains to Nicodemus that being “born from above” is as simple as believing in Jesus.

When Ephesians 1:3 says, “…in who also, having believed…” it refers to being “born from above” by believing in Jesus. However, Ephesians 1:3 adds to this truth by explaining that having believed in Jesus, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

To be sealed is to be marked as someone’s property and also signifies the full authority and backing of the owner. This happens when we are “born from above” and is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit marks us as God’s property. Romans 8:16 tells us:

Romans 8:16 (NKJV) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Ephesians 1:13 tells us that the “Holy Spirit of promise seals us.” In several places, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit. John 16 explains some of that promise.

John 16:7–13 (NKJV) ⁷Nevertheless 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 depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

¹²I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

This is a long quote but an important one. It is to our advantage that we have the Holy Spirit and not the physical presence of the Lord that the disciples experience. This is hard to comprehend, but we have the very person (Spirit) of God living in us and teaching us all that we need to know. 1 John 2:27 says we need no one to teach us because we have the Spirit. Acts 1:8 tells us that He is the power of God living within us.

The promise of the Holy Spirit, like the gift of His Son, is an outpouring of the tremendous love and grace of God. Being “born from above” is accomplished by the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell within us. However, that is only the beginning. An additional meaning of the gift of the Spirit is explained in Ephesians 1:14.

Ephesians 1:14 (NKJV) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

This verse says that the Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. In other words, knowing we have the Spirit assures us that we are God’s children, belong to the kingdom of God, and have an eternal home in the heavens.

Just as the Spirit teaches us, empowers us for witness, and testifies to our spirit that we are children of God, He also is given as a deposit or surety on our estate in God’s kingdom (our inheritance).

These are glorious truths and great blessings from God our Father.