Ephesians 1:13, “ye were sealed” — the aorist passive indicative of sfragizw. The word means to be stamped with a seal. It is a culminative aorist. As a result of being saved we are stamped with a seal. The passive voice: the believer at the moment he is saved doesn’t earn or deserve or work for this. The indicative mood is used to indicate both the reality and the main verb for all the aorist participles.

The isagogics of a seal

1. In the ancient world a seal was a guarantee of transaction. Whenever a transaction was to be solemnised the individuals involved wearing rings with their crests or their signatures would put wax in the bottom of the scroll and then stamp the soft wax with the signet ring. Sealing is used for stamping a signature on something with a ring. That indicates eternal security. God the Holy Spirit does the stamping and that indicates that we have salvation forever.

2. It refers to identification of ownership. Seals were often put on things to indicate who owned it. God the Holy Spirit seals us at the moment of faith in Christ to indicate that God owns that believer forever.

3. Sealing is used for the authentication of invoices, contracts, laws, directives, and orders. This is analogous to the doctrine of divine decrees or the plan of God formulated for us in eternity past.

4. The preservation of tombs, libraries and treasuries was handled by the sealing of a king or someone who had great power. Again, this connotes the preservation of doctrine in the right lobe in the ECS.

5. The ratification of treaties. The sealing ministry of God the Holy Spirit is related to the supergrace life which is the expression between the believer and God. There is perfect peace because of His provision in salvation.

“with that holy Spirit of promise” — incorrect. It is “by means of the Spirit of promise.” Then we have “by means of the Holy Spirit” in the text, or “by means of the Spirit of promise, by means of the holy one.” This is the literal translation.

The doctrine of the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit

1. The isagogics of seals. Seals in the ancient world were used in five ways.

a) a guarantee of a transaction. In the ancient world two kings decide to set up a peace treaty between the two countries. Each one has a signet ring. Each king impresses his signet in wax and that is his mark, and each man has then sealed the paper and that meant they agreed to the terms in writing on the paper. It was a guarantee of a transaction.

b) A seal was identification of ownership. It is a guarantee translation — salvation. Identification of ownership takes us right back to salvation when we are entered into union with Christ. Christ has eternal life; we share that life. He has +R; we share His +R. He has an election; we share His election. He has a destiny; we share His destiny. He is an heir; we share His heirship. He is the Son; we become royal sons of God. He has a priesthood; we share His priesthood. He is a King; we are going to reign with Him. We share everything that Christ has. The sealing of the Spirit is a stamp on you, in effect, which says God owns you forever. You can never lose your salvation. c) The sealing of the Spirit is not only an identification of ownership but it is also an authentication. The authentication of invoices, contracts, laws, directives, orders was always by the use of a seal to make them authentic. It is analogous the doctrine of divine decrees with the supergrace paragraph. God in eternity past formulated blessings for the believer and the sealing of the Spirit is the guarantee that they are in writing and the believer can have them.

d) The ratification of a treaty in the ancient world. In this sense the Holy Spirit signs a treaty between the believer and God. This is the doctrine by which the barrier is removed between man and God.

2. The sealing of God the Holy Spirit is the promise of supergrace blessings for the royal family — Ephesians 1:13.

3. Reversionism is incompatible with the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit — Ephesians 4:30.

4. The sealing of the Spirit is the down-payment guarantee of security for the royal family forever — 2 Corinthians 1:22.