THE SEAL OF THE SPIRIT

“In [Christ] 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.”  (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV)

Have people ever told you they loved you, but their actions betrayed their words?  When I was in seventh grade, I thought a boy loved me.  The notes he passed to me in math class said so.  In reply, my notes were always "sealed with a kiss."  But one day my boyfriend saw me being silly with my friends, got embarrassed, and dumped me!  When I grew up I met Skip Heitzig.  He also told me he loved me, but he showed me how much by sealing his love with a ring.  That ring became my guarantee that Skip would do what he said.  It represented the promise that one day Skip would take me as his bride.

Jesus loved you so much that when He made you His own, He put His "seal of approval" on your life.  That seal is the Holy Spirit, who is your guarantee that God will do what He has promised you.  He is completely trustworthy.  Paul said that when you believed, "you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit."  The Holy Spirit's indwelling in your life is your engagement ring.  God intends to marry you, His bride, at the marriage supper of the Lamb.  God's love letter, the Bible, is better than any romance novel, and He made certain it was "sealed with a kiss."

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in “Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians”

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IN THE MEANTIME

“In Christ you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in Him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of His glory.”  (Ephesians 1:13-14 NRSV)

We are living "between the times" -- the time of Christ's resurrection and the new age of the Spirit, and the time of fulfillment in Christ.  Life in the Spirit is a pledge, a "down-payment", on the final kingdom of shalom.  In the meantime, we are to be signs of the kingdom which is, and which is coming.

-- David Kirk


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THE SEAL OF THE TOMB

To protect a letter, you seal the envelope. To keep air out of a jar, you seal its mouth with a rubber ringed lid. To keep oxygen from the wine, you seal the opening with cork and wax. To seal a deal, you might sign a contract or notarize a signature. Sealing declares ownership and secures contents.

The most famous New Testament “sealing” occurred with the tomb of Jesus. Roman soldiers rolled a rock over the entrance and “set a seal on the stone” (Matthew 27:66 NASB). Archaeologists envision two ribbons stretched in front of the entrance, glued together with hardened wax that bore the imprimatur of the Roman government—SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus)—as if to say, “Stay away! The contents of this tomb belong to Rome.” Their seal, of course, proved futile.

-- Max Lucado in “His Name Is Jesus”


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