| “He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” | |
| —1 Corinthians 1:22 |
When I was a teenager, I received a gift of a wax sealing kit for use on envelopes. The kit came complete with a stick of wax with a wick and two metal sealers. I would light the wick of the wax, drop wax on the flap of the envelope, and use one of the metal sealers to stamp an image into the soft wax. For me, it served as just a fun way to complete my friendly letters. In ages past, however, seals served as authentic means of verifying documents that came from important people.
In the Old Testament, we read of the Babylonian and Persian kings sealing documents in order to declare the oath written within irrevocable. Once sealed, the decree had to remain in tact. For example, King Nebuchadnezzar signed such a decree and could not reverse the decision to place Daniel in the lions’ den.
In modern times, ear tags are used as seals on farm animals, or a cattleman may brand a cow or horse signifying his ownership. The electric meter outside your house has a lead seal that indicates to the electric utility that no one has tampered with that meter.
In Bible times, a servant who chose to remain with his owner after the six year limit on his servitude, would be marked by a piercing of one ear. 1 This would guarantee him as a servant of the owner for life.
The New Testament tells us, in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, that God has put His spiritual seal of ownership on us—His guarantee that we belong to Him. This seal remains secure forever.
If we have received the gift of salvation that God has offered to us through faith, placed our trust in His Son as our Savior, and answered His call to serve Him for life, He has declared that He cannot revoke this seal on us. In fact, God has given us a seal or deposit—the presence of His Holy Spirit within us.
To experience this branding with God’s own seal requires nothing from us, but our humble gratitude and purposeful obedience. His choice of us as His very own, though too wonderful to comprehend, began before the foundation of the world and came to completion through the accomplishment of Christ’s finished work on the cross of Calvary.
We belong to Him forever. Romans 11:29 gives us this assurance:
“… for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”
Imagine a beautifully sealed envelope with you inside being kept close to God’s heart until the very day that Christ opens the seal in Heaven. He wants us there in Heaven with Him, but He also wants to use us each day as a witness to this world of His glory.
We go forth each day, as chosen vessels of His mercy, grace, and love. We carry the Good News of His Gospel to everyone who crosses our pathway. What joy we should feel that God has chosen us, sealed us, and desires to use us in His service.
| 1 Please see Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-18. |
