The Holy Spirit Seals Our Salvation

In Ephesians 1:3-14, you have a theological feast of salvation. We see what each member of the trinity does in the salvific process. In vs. 13-14, we see what the Spirit does – “In him 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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

The imagery of “sealing” is can refer to several different things:

• sealing something to make it inaccessible (e.g., the guards sealing Jesus’ tomb in Matthew 27:62-65)

• authorizing or certifying (e.g. God sealing the authenticity of Paul’s apostleship in I Corinthians 9:2-3)

• protection (e.g., God sealing the protection of the 144,000 in the end times from all harm in Revelation 7:3-4)

• security, which is how Paul is using it here in Ephesians 1.

There certainly is a sense in which our salvation is certified and protected and guaranteed, as the shades of meaning suggest.

In his book on the Holy Spirit, Charles Ryrie explains, “Something that is sealed by God is as secure as God’s promise, and in the case of the believer His promise is to keep that believer until the day of redemption, when he shall be fully and forever God’s. So sealing is a promise and guarantee of eternal security. When something is registered at the post office, it is sealed until delivered. Actually only two persons can open registered mail – the sender (if it is delivered back to him) and the recipient. In the case of the believer, God is the one who sends him on the way to heaven, and God in heaven is the recipient on his arrival there. Therefore, only God can break the seal of our redemption, and He has promised not to do so; and the guarantee of that promise is the presence of the Holy Spirit, who is the One by and in whom we have been sealed by God.” (pgs. 120-121)

If something is sealed, it is secure. A sealing indicates it cannot be stolen or taken away. And this explains why assurance of salvation is a promise given to all Christians. “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit” (I John 4:13). The Spirit’s sealing has a by-product: assurance.

If you find yourself struggling with assurance of salvation, you might start here by studying the doctrine of your sealing. “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (II Cor 1:21-22). We don’t need to seek for His sealing; we are sealed!

John Walvoord speaks to the relationship between sealing and assurance – “It is plainly stated that the seal is placed on the Christian with a view to keeping him safe unto the day of redemption – the time of complete deliverance from all sin. The matter is not left in human hands, but is dependent entirely on the power of God. The nature of the seal forbids any possibility of counterfeit or disallowing of the token. The person of the Holy Spirit, possession all the attributes of God, by His presence is a token of God’s abiding grace which could be excelled. As God has promised that His Spirit will abide in the believer, so the Spirit Himself as the seal of our salvation brings all assurance to the believer’s heart.” (The Holy Spirit, pgs. 158-159)

It’s as if the Spirit has made a down payment – or “pledge” (Eph 1:14) for future glory. It’s like the Spirit is a divine engagement ring promising future glory. To doubt one’s salvation is to not understand the power of the Spirit’s sealing.

When you come into the kingdom, it’s “case closed.”

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing can separate you from God. The Spirit seals you for good!