We Are Sealed and Secured

In him you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14 CSB

We live in a day where people are greatly concerned about security. How many times do you see a commercial for an alarm company or something to protect your information on the computer from intruders? It seems like there is not a commercial break in a TV show without one.

We want to do all that we can to protect the people and things that we care about most. Where does the desire to protect what we cherish come from? It comes from a deep love for the person or item. In that sense, we see that is a God-given trait to us. God also seeks to protect what He cherishes.

As we look at what the apostle, Paul, writes in this letter to first-century Christians in Ephesus, we see that he takes the time to remind them of this great gift that is given to every person who trusts and follows Christ. In these verses, we see Paul – under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – sharing a doctrine that we call eternal security. 

Eternal Security

The doctrine of eternal security is one that states that a person who has trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation can never lose that salvation. This is an important doctrine of our faith as it reminds us that our salvation is not based on what we do or don’t do. It is based solely on God’s amazing grace. We can never do anything of ourselves to earn salvation. In the same way, we can never do anything to lose that salvation either.

Some have referred to this doctrine as “once saved, always saved.” While in theory that would be correct, it has led to some misunderstandings and misuses of this precious doctrine. Some have thought that as long as they said a prayer, they could go on living any way they want to. They see their “salvation” as fire insurance and a license to sin saying, “I said a prayer at one point so I will be okay.” That is a completely wrong view of this doctrine. 

A better way to look at this is what has been called “the perseverance of the saints.” That is to say that if a person has truly experienced salvation through Jesus, then it will be evident to all that they are a new person. This doesn’t mean that that person is perfect at the moment they trust in Christ, but there is evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in them to make them look more like Jesus. 

Let’s take a look at how Paul describes this beautiful and encouraging doctrine for us in Ephesians 1:13-14.

We are saved

In verse 13, Paul shares how a person experiences salvation. If someone were to ever ask you, “How can I become a Christian?”, then you can point them to this verse as a means of showing them how it happens. 

The first step is that we hear the word of truth. Paul doesn’t leave this vague, but he goes into great detail as to what this “word of truth” is. He says in verse 13 that it is the gospel of your salvation. The gospel is the good news that though we have been separated from God by our sins, He sent His only Son (Jesus) in gracious love to be the atoning sacrifice for anyone who will believe. 

Hearing about this gospel is not all that there is though. Paul shares in verse 13 the other important step = you have to believe in it. This belief is not merely intellectual assent to the gospel. When the Bible talks about believing, it is talking about hinging your entire life upon something. I can say that I believe that a chair will hold me up, but Biblical belief takes place when I place my body in the chair. 

So, we see that a person experiences salvation when they hear the gospel and believe in it or lean on it completely. But how is a person to come to that kind of belief if they never hear about the gospel? 

How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? An how can they hear without a preacher.

Romans 10:14 CSB

I’ve said it before, the term preacher in this verse isn’t talking about a vocation. It is talking about one who shares. While not every Christ-follower is called to be a pastor, we all are called to ones that share the gospel with those who need to hear it. The truth is that some people will not listen to a pastor as much as they would you. 

We are sealed

In verse 13, Paul says that when a person is saved, then they are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. This idea of sealed is very important. The word here literally means “to use a seal to close or make secure.” It is the same exact word that is used in the gospel of Matthew when he shared about how Jesus’ tomb was sealed with a great stone and the seal of the Roman government after He died upon the cross. 

The people of the first century knew about the power of a seal. History tells us that throughout the ages there have been times when something was sealed and only to be opened by the one to whom it was sent. If the seal was broken by anyone else, that person would be punished – even so much as with death. 

God sets a seal upon every person who comes to faith in Christ that marks them as His own. This seal is to show that we are set aside and belong to Him. No one other than God Himself has the authority to ultimately deal with us. We are His. 

We also see that this seal is not done with a stone or even with wax and a ring. No, this seal is the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. At the very moment that a person turns from his or her sin to faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them. We see this all throughout the New Testament.

He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

John 14:17 CSB

Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 CSB

We are secured

It is because of this work of God in our lives and the presence of the Holy Spirit living inside of us that we find the third point of what Paul shares about this identity marker: we are secured. We can be sure that if we have heard and trusted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are a new creation never to return to what we once were. 

Will there be times that we don’t do what we should? Yes, but that doesn’t mean that we lose what we’ve been given. Just as a child cannot change the DNA that he or she receives from biological parents, so our spiritual DNA cannot be changed when we are born again. God doesn’t disown us when we mess up. Instead, He disciplines us as a loving parent would do to help us.

Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?

Hebrews 12:7 CSB

Paul continues to speak about this security that we have in Christ in verse 14. He says that the Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance until it is redeemed. This term down payment can also be translated as guarantee. If you have ever had to put a down payment on something, you know what this means. It means that I’m setting this aside as my own. I will return to claim it and settle the cost. 

The wonderful thing about our eternal salvation is that Jesus paid the full price at the cross. This down payment of the Holy Spirit living inside of us is the guarantee that God will do what He said in our lives and will keep us with Him. 

He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

2 Corinthians 1:22 CSB

By placing this guarantee on us, there is also the guarantee that nothing can separate us from Him.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 CSB

Conclusion

Those who have heard the gospel of Jesus and believed in it, are saved, sealed, and secured for all eternity. That is a reason to celebrate. That is a reason to live this new life that we have received in Christ as a thanksgiving offering to the One who has given it to us. This is not a license to live any way that we desire. This is so much more than fire insurance. This is the power of God on display. 

Can you say that you are sealed and secured? Has there been a time when you heard the good news of the gospel and believed in it? If so, then by the authority of God’s word, you are sealed and secured by the Holy Spirit that is living within you right now. This is part of your DNA right now. You don’t have to live in fear or wonder if God will still have you. You are His child. 

If you cannot say that you have truly believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, then you do have a reason for concern. There is no security system that can help you other than letting the gospel take root in your heart and by faith, trusting in and following Christ. You can do that today by calling out to Him in prayer. Confess your sins and your willingness to turn from them to follow Jesus. If you do that, He will give you that eternal security that we are all looking for.