Holy Spirit:  What does it mean to be sealed?

A very simple but important truth I hope you know is that most of the people in your environment are not saved and Heaven bound.  They could easily get saved but they are not.  Why? Because they don’t know or accept the fact that salvation is a gift and not gained by works of righteousness.  The vast majority believe their works have everything to do with it.  But what does the Bible plainly tell us about this?

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]

I’m quite aware that there are those who would quote Scripture to us about this who claim otherwise.  The problem with that is that they are reading out of a part of the Bible that is not directed to us today.  The book that is usually referred to for refuting this truth is the book of James.  The problem is that they’ve failed to read and believe the opening verse to that book—

James 1:1

¹ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, TO the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. [Emphasis added]

Are you a member of the twelve tribes of Israel? Probably not! Here’s the principle every Bible student needs to master—ALL scripture is FOR us, but it is not all TO us or ABOUT us.  Knowing and applying this one principle will make a huge and wonderful difference in your understanding of what you’re reading in the Bible.

Romans 11:13

¹³ For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [Emphasis added]

If people would just accept what is plainly stated in these verses written by our apostle, the apostle Paul, they would gain such wonderful understanding and blessings.  So many people, even preachers, try to use the teachings of James to override the things spoken and written by Paul, the one who is called our apostle, the apostle to the Gentiles.  Here’s the verse they most often use.

James 2:20

²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? [Emphasis added]

Yes, there was a time when people had to manifest their faith by their works to get saved.  Circumcision, ceremonial washing, and other works of the Mosaic Law were all required.  But that is not true in our time.  God Himself has not changed, but many of His policies have.

Romans 4:4-5

⁴ Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

⁵ But to him that WORKETH NOT, but BELIEVETH ON HIM that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. [Emphasis added]

Could Paul have said it any plainer? This is what he tells us throughout his writings.

Titus 3:5

⁵ NOT by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; [Emphasis added]

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]

Certainly, good works are to FOLLOW our salvation, but they are not a part of the MEANS to gaining our salvation.

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. [Emphasis added]

So many people are determined to believe that their works play a part in the attainment of their salvation and even in the maintenance of it.  They refuse to accept the fact that the matter was settled forever the moment they accepted Christ alone as their Savior, if they ever did that.  One of the reasons we know that is that the Bible tells us their salvation was SEALED by the Holy Spirit the moment they were saved.

Ephesians 4:30

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

1 Thessalonians 5:19

¹⁹ Quench not the Spirit. [Emphasis added]

As per these verses, we can certainly grieve or quench the Holy Spirit by our sinfulness, but never lose our salvation because of it.  This “day of redemption” spoken of is the day we step into eternity by physical death or by what is called The Rapture, whichever comes first.  For more information about The Rapture, please see my articles about it.  Here’s the name of one of them—

Rapture:  What is the meaning of this term?

Some confuse this event with what is called The Second Coming of Christ.  There, too, I have an article about it that I hope you’ll see as a help about this—

Rapture:  How is this different from the Second Coming?

What a wonderful Savior we have! How very blessed we are by Him! What a great blessing it is to know that our salvation is perfectly and permanently sealed and secure! Our sinfulness and our personal spiritual failures do not affect it. Such can certainly affect the rewards we’ll receive in Heaven, but not our salvation and our entrance into Heaven.  We are saved and Heaven bound because of Christ’s work and not ours. 

2 Corinthians 5:21

²¹ For he [God the Father] hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. [Emphasis added]

It is having this righteousness of God that gains us entrance in Heaven, not anything we’ve done to earn it.  The fact that Christ paid the full penalty for our sins through His death, burial, and resurrection and because we have accepted by faith His payment for us, we’re saved now and forever.  Furthermore, we are plainly told that the matter was then sealed forever by the Holy Spirit the moment we were saved.

Ephesians 1:12-14

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

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,

Then we find that the Holy Spirit Who was given to us was like earnest money on what we’ll eventually get in Heaven.

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

Again, this whole matter of our salvation is said to have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.  This is but one of the many blessings we enjoy today that believers in times past did not have.  This is but one such thing that’s been revealed to us through the writings of the apostle Paul.

Again, Ephesians 4:30

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

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

²¹ Now he which stablisheth [BEBAIOO = to confirm] us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

This confirmation of our salvation isn’t something a church or church leadership does, but something God Himself does at the point of one’s faith in Jesus Christ ‘s work for our salvation.  It is through this and that which is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit that we become members of what is called the Body of Christ.

²² Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. [Emphasis added]

Altogether this adds up to the fact that once you accept Christ as the sole basis for your salvation that salvation is made permanent.  There’s nothing that will ever change your status with God.  You then become a citizen of Heaven, and it is there that you’ll have a home forever.

Philippians 3:20-21

²⁰ For our conversation [POLITEUO = citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: [Emphasis added]

Seals of one form or another have been used for centuries to finalize and secure agreements.  In this case we’re talking about your greatest possession, your salvation and guaranteed entrance into Heaven at some point in the future.  What a blessed people we are as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ for our everlasting salvation!