Our Seal Of Security

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. 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)

The word seal has many meanings. It could be a sea animal, a wrapping that encloses a container, or an emblem impressed on paper or into wax indicating ownership or authority.

There are also security seals, some made from metal, others made of plastic. And just because a seal is made of plastic doesn’t mean that it lacks security. You know what I mean if you have tried to open certain kinds of plastic packaging.

We have a seal too, a seal that God himself has given us. God’s seal is not metal or plastic, but the Holy Spirit himself, who marks us as belonging to God and who guarantees our inheritance in Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit unites us with the Father and the Son, and transforms us into the image of Christ.

The Holy Spirit reminds us that we belong to Jesus Christ, who is not only our Creator, but also our Redeemer. “All things were made by him and for him,” we read in Colossians 1:16. And verses 19 and 20 continue: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven…”

In Christ, God shines his light into our darkness and defeats our rebellion to reconcile us to himself. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:13: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…”

Throughout Ephesians, Paul writes about being filled with the Spirit, being filled with Christ, and being filled with God. These are not separate events, because to be full of the Spirit is to be full of Jesus, which means to be filled with all the fullness of God.

Our seal, the Holy Spirit, proves that we belong to God, that we are included in the life Jesus Christ shares with the Father in the Spirit.

And there is nothing in heaven or earth that can break that everlasting seal.

Prayer
Great and wonderful Father, Lord God, thank you that you have included me in Christ, and that I belong to you. Thank you for the Holy Spirit of promise, the seal that guarantees my inheritance in Christ.
Amen.

Study by Joseph Tkach