Salvation:  How secure is yours?

It is good for us to know that the moment we put our faith in what Jesus Christ accomplished for us through His death, burial, and resurrection we are saved and then sealed by the Holy Spirit.  But what exactly does that mean? Here’s the promise in Scripture that’s given—

Ephesians 4:30

³⁰ And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. [Emphasis added]

A fuller statement is given about this earlier in this Ephesian letter—

Ephesians 1:11-14

¹¹ In whom [speaking of Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

It wasn’t our salvation that is said to have been predestinated as certain false teachers claim, but the blessings we who have believed the gospel message would then get to enjoy in time and in eternity.

¹² That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Yes, we “trusted in Christ” and what He accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection to serve as the basis for our salvation and the many blessings that come with it.  Therefore, He gets all the credit, all the glory for our salvation, not us.

¹³ In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise,

Logically speaking, the sealing occurred after we “trusted in Christ” to gain salvation.  The “word of truth” we heard was the good news “gospel” message about what Christ came into the world to provide through faith in His death, burial, and resurrection.  This salvation is something that would be available to all, not just some.  That salvation we gain by faith alone is then said to have been “sealed” by God the Holy Spirit.

¹⁴ Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. [Emphasis added]

The sealing of the Holy Spirit is here said to be “the earnest of our inheritance,” that is, the guarantee of more to come.  We’ll ultimately be saved to get to enjoy all the everlasting benefits of Heaven.

It has been rightly said that our salvation comes in three phases—

Phase I is what we gain at the initial point of faith in Christ for salvation.

Phase II is the Christian life that begins the instant after we’re saved, during which time we should work to get our thinking lined up with that of our Savior.

Phase III is when at physical death or the occasion of the Rapture [whichever comes first] we check into our home in Heaven.

Our coming “day of redemption” will be the occasion when we’ll gain a new and perfect resurrection body in which we’ll be able to live forever.  This will occur for us on the occasion of what is known as the Rapture.  For more information about this event, please see my article about it—

Rapture:  What is the meaning of this term?

For more information about the attributes of the new body we’ll gain when the Rapture occurs, please see my article on this website about all its wonderful features—

Resurrection:  What will your resurrection body be like?

So, what are we told when we read that our salvation has been “sealed” with the Holy Spirit.  This is a powerful statement to let us know that our salvation is permanent and that nothing we could ever do could ever break or cause that seal to be broken. It is as permanent as anything could ever be.

One of the common reasons some people believe they can lose their salvation is that they’re thinking that their works of righteousness, their performance in life has something to do with gaining and/or maintaining it.  The fact of the matter is that now that we have been saved, nothing we could ever do could separate us from God and the blessings of salvation He’s provided for us.

Romans 8:35-39

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

No matter what the pressure is, our salvation is secure.

³⁶ As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Emphasis added]

As I’ve often told people, just as we didn’t DO anything to gain our salvation, we can’t DO anything to lose it.  Furthermore, our salvation was and is a gift, not a wage for our performance in the past, present, or future.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God:

⁹ NOT of works, lest any man should boast. [Emphasis added]

Also, faith isn’t a “work.”  The “work” is in the Object of our faith.  That’s why we often speak of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as the work of God or the work of Christ that provided for our salvation.  Our part in it was only to accept it by faith.  Nothing more!

Seals of one kind or another have been used for many centuries to make an agreement permanent.  They’ve also been used to authenticate documents, such as letters, deeds, marriages, contracts, and tax receipts.  For example, in the Bible, Israelite Levites and priests would apply their seals to written covenants to show their approval.  Seals were used to indicate that the proper authorities had authenticated the validity of a contract and/or receipts and could also indicate that others had borne witness to the transaction.

In that first passage we noted in this article [Ephesians 4:30] we are warned to not “grieve” the Holy Spirit who sealed our salvation.  Grieving Him is possible because the Holy Spirit is a Person, not a thing.  It would be by sinful and foolish actions on our part that we would do this.  If we weren’t capable of such, there would be no need for this warning or prohibition about such.  But Christians DO sin! In fact, they’re known to think, say, and do all kinds of things that are contrary to the will of God for us as His people.  You can’t name a Christian who doesn’t sin.  Scripture is clear on this even though so many people try to make us think otherwise.  For instance, you probably can’t name a sin that certain believers in the Corinthian church noted in the Bible didn’t commit.  Notice how the apostle Paul addresses them.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

¹ And I, brethren [brothers and sisters in Christ—believers], could not speak unto you as unto spiritual [mature and progressing believers], but as unto carnal [ones living under the influence of their sinful nature], even as unto babes [spiritually immature believers] in Christ.

² I have fed you with milk [elementary teachings], and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

³ For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [and here’s the evidence of their carnality] there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men [meaning they were living as you would expect unbelievers to live]? [Emphasis added]

And please realize that Paul is here talking to sanctified saints of that church.

Please go to my other articles for more information about what this means—

Sanctification:  What does it mean?

Saint:  What does it mean to be one?

Here’s what he says about these believers in the church of Corinth.

1 Corinthians 1:2

² Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are SANCTIFIED in Christ Jesus, called to be SAINTS, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s: [Emphasis added]

These people weren’t “called to be” saints; they were saints.  The phrase “called to be” is nowhere found in the Greek text of that passage.  It was inserted by what appears to be a self-righteous translator.  The fact, again, is that EVERY Christian sins.  Some obviously do more or less than others, but they are ALL guilty of sin to some extent.  That’s why, like all of us, they needed salvation.

So how secure is our “sealed” by the Holy Spirit salvation? Answer: Perfectly and Permanently! Such has always been the case with the use of seals.  For instance, in Esther 8:8 we read that the king of Persia ordered that a decree be issued, and commanded: “seal it with the king’s ring.” When hot wax was dropped on the document the king’s ring was then pressed into it.  This was done to make the decree of the document binding and permanent.  The sealed scroll then bore the imprint that identified it with the king. Similarly, when we put our faith in Christ’s work for our salvation we were then baptized [identified and brought into union] with Christ.  We were then intimately united with Him forever. Therefore, to this day we as believers bear the unseen imprint of the Holy Spirit.  The Esther 8:8 verse also tells us that a decree sealed with the king’s ring “may no man reverse!” How encouraging and reassuring it is to know that no matter how or how much we grieve the Spirit, God Himself cannot reverse the eternal destiny of every believer who bears His seal.

Still another example of the use of seals is found in the life of the prophet Daniel.  When he was locked in a lion’s den, the king sealed it with his own signet “that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.” [Daniel 6:17]

A “seal” of some sort has been used for many centuries to speak of the security and permanency of something.  Therefore, when the Scriptures tell us our salvation has been sealed by the Holy Spirit, this tells us the same thing.    As a believer, your salvation couldn’t be any more secure than it is.  This should not only give us a sense of relief, security and confidence, but one of thanksgiving.  This wonderful blessing along with so many others should cause us to want to express our thanks to God by our service to Him.  We see this principle as a part of the introduction to what is usually the second half or portion of Paul’s letters.  A perfect example of this is seen in this next passage—

Romans 12:1-2

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God [because of all these blessings God has provided for us], that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [DOKIMAZO = to test for the purpose of approval] what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. [Emphasis added]

These two verses serve as an introduction to what some call “the practical section” of the epistle—chapters 12-16.  Here the idea is presented that since we are the beneficiaries of all these spiritual blessings associated with our salvation, here in what follows is an example of the manner in which we should now conduct our lives.  The chapters that then follow contain some of these directives.  Altogether this adds up to the fact that the way we conduct our lives should reflect who we are in Christ.  More examples of this are seen in Paul’s other epistles.

Colossians 3:5-10

⁵ Mortify [THANATOO = put to death] THEREFORE your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Here he’s saying to STOP doing these things because of who you now are in Christ.

⁶ For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Here he’s pointing out that there are bad consequences that come from doing these things and living such a life.

⁷ In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

⁸ But now [now that you are saved and have become the beneficiaries of God’s grace blessings] ye also put off all these [as you would take off dirty garments]; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

⁹ Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

¹⁰ And have put on the new man, which is renewed [ANAKAINOO = made new] in knowledge after the image of him that created him: [Emphasis added]

None of the sinful things mentioned affect the foundation of our salvation because it has been sealed forever, but they all produce suffering of one kind or another that can and should be avoided.  Therefore, Paul spent a lot of time warning believers about this, even though their salvation always remained perfectly secure.

2 Timothy 2:19-22

¹⁹ Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

²⁰ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

Here he’s reminding us that there are all kinds of believers in God’s household—both obedient and disobedient.

²¹ If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet [AXIOS = fit] for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

²² Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. [Emphasis added]

Still another blessing our having been sealed by the Holy Spirit speaks of is “the perfection and the completeness” we now all have.  None of us have this experientially, but we all certainly have it positionally because we’ve now been made one with Christ, being permanently united with Him. Knowing this should give us all a complete sense of security concerning our salvation and our future.

We learn even more about the meaning of the word seal in what is believed to be the condition of Satan when he was first created as an angel of God called Lucifer.  We’ve been given descriptions of him in his original state.  Here we have comments that begin in what were first comments made to a king but evolve into ones made about the cherub known as Lucifer.

Ezekiel 28:12-15

¹² Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

¹³ Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes [speaking of his voice] was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

¹⁴ Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God [speaking of his home was in Heaven]; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

¹⁵ Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. [Emphasis added]

Here we find that something that’s sealed is something designed to be perfect and complete.  There was nothing that could have been added to Lucifer to make him wiser and more beautiful.  In a similar way, nothing needs to be added to us as believers today.  We are said to be complete IN Christ.

Colossians 2:10

¹⁰ And ye are complete [PLEROO = made full or fulfilled] in him, which is the head of all principality and power: [Emphasis added]

Having been created in a lower state than the angels of God we now reside positionally in a higher state.  Experientially we’ll be in a higher state when we step into Heaven with a resurrection body with all the perfect features the resurrected and ascended Christ has in His body.  And it was the blood of Christ, His sacrifice for our sins on the cross that made all this possible for us.

Ephesians 2:13

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. [Emphasis added]

Just because we can’t SEE this seal that’s upon each of us doesn’t mean we don’t have it.  We only know about it from the revelation given to us in the writings of the apostle Paul.  There’s nothing about it anywhere else in Scripture.  We are truly a very blessed people.

There are other cases in Scripture of the use of seals to speak of protection and security for God’s people—

–Noah was told to seal the ark “within and without with pitch.” [Genesis 6:14]   Then the Lord sealed them in so that no water could get in until He later broke the seal and released them into the new world. [Genesis 7:16]

–The 144,000 Jewish evangelists of the coming time of The Tribulation. [Revelation 7:1-4; Revelation 12:5]

Conclusion—

More examples could be cited about this, but these should suffice.  Probably the most important thing for us to know about seals is the fact that our salvation in this present Dispensation of Grace has been made perfectly secure by this “sealing work” of the Holy Spirit.  If you’ve accepted Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection as the sole basis for your salvation, you’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit.  This means you are now saved and always will be.  Nothing you or anyone else can do, including God Himself, will ever change this.  Believing this should give you peace of mind and one of many other reasons to express thanks to God by a life of obedience to His Word with an ongoing desire to serve Him any and every way you can.  Blessings such as this make it much easier to obey the following command—

1 Thessalonians 5:18

¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. [Emphasis added]