Lesson for February 7, 2021
The Book of Ephesians
Chapter 1:13-14
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s ownpossession, to the praise of His glory.” Faith is a non-meritorious system of thinking. Since faith is non-meritorious thinking, there must be an object of faith which has the merit. Faith in salvation: the object of faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 18:27; Romans 4:16) There is no merit in believing, whatever merit there is always occurs in the object of faith. Salvation is accomplished by the object; the subject merely puts his/her faith in the object and placing one’s faith is thinking.
The sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit is our assurance from God of a secure future. The word in Greek for sealed is “sphragizo” and means to secure, to signify ownership, or to authenticate. We must always interpret Scripture in the time in which it was written. In the ancient world a seal was a guarantee of transaction. Whenever a transaction was to be was to be official the individuals involved wearing rings with their crests or their signatures would put wax in the bottom of the scroll and then stamp the soft wax with the signet ring. Sealing is used for stamping a signature on something with a ring. That indicates eternal security. God the Holy Spirit does the stamping and that indicates that we have salvation forever.
Sealing refers to identification of ownership. Seals were often placed on things to indicate who owned it. God the Holy Spirit seals us at the moment of faith in Christ to indicate that God owns that believer forever. Sealing is used for the authentication of invoices, contracts, laws, directives, and orders. This is analogous to the plan of God formulated for us in eternity past. A perfect illustration of this is found in the Book of Esther in the Old Testament. In this story the king sends his ring with his servant, which is to be used as the seal of authority. Even though it was used by a servant (who has no authority himself), it carried the authority of the king. It is the person behind the seal that has the authority, the seal being authentication that the king has authorized the transaction.
In the same manner, God seals the believer at salvation with His seal. God’s seal is not a ring, but rather the Holy Spirit Himself. “The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16) What exactly does the Holy Spirit seal for the believer? Here in Ephesians 1, Paul outlined certain spiritual blessings that belong to all believers. In verse four he states that we are the elect (chosen for privilege) of God and that we are made holy (set apart) and blameless before Him (a reference to our position in Christ). In verse five we are told that we have been predestined (a predetermined plan for each of us) and that we have been adopted into the family of God. Verse six tells us that we have been accepted in the beloved. In verse seven we learn that we have been forgiven and redeemed and in verse eight and nine we are told that God’s will has been revealed to us. In verses ten, eleven and twelve we find out that we have an eternal inheritance as a result of being in union with Christ. And finally, here in verse thirteen we are told that God places His seal on us guaranteeing all the above blessings.
The reason God the Holy Spirit is our seal is that He is the One Who is able to search and know the “heart” of man. The heart in Greek is the word “kardia” and refers to the soul, which is a compartment in the mind of a person. It refers to the center of man’s will, intellect and emotions. It is not referring to the pumping organ. The reason the word for heart is used to designate the soul is that the physical heart circulates blood to the entire body. In like manner the soul circulates information. It is doctrinal information circulating in the soul that the Holy Spirit uses to teach and guide the believer.
Every believer is sealed at the moment of faith in Christ (salvation). We know this from an examination of Scripture in the original language. The correct translation, for example, of Ephesians 1:13 is “In whom ye trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also having believed (not after you believed) ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” The sealing work of the Holy Spirit is immediate and simultaneous with our faith in Christ.
We know from Ephesians 4:30 that every believer is “sealed,” not just a select few. The Apostle Paul is writing to all believers in Ephesus, not just certain ones. In this verse he tells them not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we all have the potential of grieving the Holy Spirit. This means that all believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit, regardless of their spiritual health.
The sealing of the Holy Spirit provides security for the believer. Since the sealing is permanent, no believer can become “insecure.” Ephesians 1:13 makes the statement that we are sealed until “the day of redemption.” The “day of redemption” is a reference the Rapture of the Church when the ultimate redemption. At the moment of Christ’s return, all believers of this age are “caught up” to meet Him in the air where we will realize the fulfillment of the fact that we have been redeemed.
At the Rapture, believers are going to be a changed. Each of us is going to receive a glorified body fashioned after Christ’s body. This will be an instantaneous change as we are being “caught up” to meet Christ in the air. Ultimate sanctification will be a reality for all believers regardless of their spiritual status. All believers will receive a glorified body and will spend all of eternity in perfect happiness. (Philippians 3:20-21)
“Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” The Greek word for pledge is “arrabon,” which means earnest-money, down payment or a promise, like an engagement ring. So, God the Holy Spirit is our down payment for salvation and all current and future blessings from God. This is the Father’s pledge that His own possessions (us) are in His plan both now and for all eternity. Residing in the plan of God brings praise to the glory of God.
The Greek word for possession is “peripoiesis” and means acquiring or obtaining something. Upon faith in Jesus Christ as Savior we become the possession of God having been purchased from “the slave market of sin.” The Greek word for praise is “epainos,” which is the strongest Greek word for praise. It is super-praise of the glory of God in saving us and sealing us as a pledge of our future eternal inheritance in Christ!
The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit begins immediately at salvation and is a permanent seal of our seal of our eternal salvation. This ministry is unique to the Church Age in which we live. It is this ministry that assures our royal status, since all believers regardless of their spiritual health, are equally indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This ministry also creates a temple in the body of each believer for the indwelling of Christ, the Shekinah Glory. “Shekinah” literally means “dwelling.”
It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that sets up the potential for the believer to understand spiritual truth, to glorify Christ, to be comforted, to be guided through life and to witness for Christ. It is still up to the individual believer to use his volition (free will) to choose to allow God the Holy Spirit to control his life. (Galatians 3:2-3; 4:6; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16-17; 6:19-20; John 14:16-20; Colossians 1:27)
In the time in which we live the Holy Spirit is often being glorified. Anytime the Holy Spirit is glorified, a “red flag” should immediately go up for the believer. Jesus made it perfectly clear that when the Holy Spirit came to earth that He (the Holy Spirit) would not speak of Himself but would testify of Christ. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit, as God, is any less divine than Jesus Christ. He is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. However, in function He never seeks to glorify Himself, only Christ. We must remember that it is Christ Who is the focal point of all that God is doing on behalf of mankind. Therefore, all glory has been given to Christ. (John 16:13-14, 17:1-5; II Peter 1:16-18)
The word in Greek for comforter, a term Christ used for the Holy Spirit, is “parakletos” and means to call to one’s aid. It is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit to bring comfort to the believer in time of distress. Originally a legal term for an advocate or defense attorney, the word for comforter came to mean much more. Its meaning was expanded to include consolation, encouragement, alleviation of grief, a soothing solace or giving comfort; things perhaps an advocate would do for a client. It is this word that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to use to describe His ministry. (John 14:16,26, 15:26; 16:7; Philippians 2:1-2; II Thessalonians 2:15-16; I John 2:1)
How does the Holy Spirit comfort the believer? Since God does not speak directly to human beings any longer, there must be a way in which He communicates this comfort. It is very clear from Scripture that God the Holy Spirit uses the Bible doctrine that we have stored in our souls to bring comfort, encouragement, alleviation of grief and solace. The Holy Spirit guides us to the truth that we need at a particular moment in order to accomplish His ministry of comfort. The key, of course, is to have this information stored so that we have a frame of reference for the purpose of using the Faith-Rest Drill, which involves reaching a doctrinal conclusion and proper application. (John 14:26, 16:12-13; Galatians 4:6; Hebrews 1:1-2)