Eph 1:13-14; Eph 4:30; 2Co 1:21-22; Est 8:8; 2Ti 2:19; 2Co 5:1-5.
Class Outline:
Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Sunday,
May 29, 2011
Spiritual Gifts Part 124: The Holy Spirit is God’s down payment on our redemption
F. The sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit, ; ; .
The sealing ministry of God the Holy Spirit is God’s final stamp of approval which guarantees that you will be in heaven forever.
Sealing with the Spirit means that God the Holy Spirit, by virtue of the fact that He indwells us permanently, is the seal placed by God the Father upon every believer, …
… marking us with His ownership, approval, protection, and signature guarantee of our eternal security
Whenever you think of the sealing ministry of God the Holy Spirit, think “eternal security”.
σΦραγίζω
sphragizo; to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively)
The noun is sphragis ; a signet; by implication, the stamp impressed (as a mark of privacy, or genuineness), literally or figuratively.
sphragis can refer either to the instrument that makes the mark, or the mark itself - the impression made.
The seal would signify that the document was official. It carried the authority of the king.
God the Holy Spirit is our seal.
The seal was used for legally binding documents such as: wills [our inheritance], bills of sale [our redemption], and marriage contracts [our betrothal to Christ].
1. The seal was a mark of ownership.
In , the sealing of the Spirit refers to God’s making the believer his inviolable possession.
2. To seal was to mark something as authentic or genuine.
God the Holy Spirit authenticates the fact that our faith in Christ is genuine, and our salvation has been placed beyond doubt.
3. It was a mark of privacy, and one which kept the contents hidden and protected things that needed to be kept secret.
4. The sphragis was an emblem of security and permanency.
5. To seal meant to preserve something for safekeeping. As such, it indicated there was a destination for that which was sealed.
6. The seal projected authority, and the inviolability of the contract or agreement.
So no matter what we do, God will not reverse the eternal security of a believer who bears His seal of the Holy Spirit.
7. The seal served as a proof of identity.
The Holy Spirit signifies our identity as adopted sons and daughters of God the Father, and our union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, " The Lord knows those who are His," and, " Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness."
Anything on which God places His seal belongs to Him forever.
