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Author
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Topic: SEALED WITH THE SPIRIT
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oneinchrist
Advanced Member
Member # 6532
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posted
Hi Wild B,
It may certainly be true that "once sealed, always sealed". It is then imperative that we have examined our hearts before God to assure that we are sincere in our repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. Surely God would not cast any one away who draws near to Him in all sincerity.
With love in Christ, Daniel
Posts: 1389 | From: Wind Lake, WI | Registered: May 2007
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scythewieldor
unregistered
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posted
Dear friends,
The seal, also, was used to prove that a purchase was absolutely complete. In fact, the seal preserved the evidence of the purchase from decay.
quote:
Jer 32:6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.
8 So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
9 And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.
11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open:
12 And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.
13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying,
14 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.
15 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.
As I have pointed out in another post, the 144,000 were sealed before the little book that was given to the Lamb was completely opened. We do not hear about them again until after the false prophet causes that all that would not worship the beast should be killed.
Then, we see them in heaven. The sealing of them which were purchased is, clearly, eternally successful.
Of course, there would be some who say that the 144,000 sealed here are not the people to which Paul was writing. They say this because they do not have a Biblical definition of Israel (read: a definition of Israel that is supported by the things promised by God to Israel through the prophets, and by things promised to Israel declared by God through the apostles as fulfilled).
They would, also, say that this 144,000 is a literal 144,000. But, they, usually, also, say Babylon is Rome showing their extreme loyalty toward literal translations is tossed out the window when they have an ax to grind.
When you have an opinion that tempts you to change the definition of a word chosen by the Holy Ghost, consider changing your opinion first. If you can not, find scriptural verification of the Holy Spirit's other definition. If you can not do that, wait on the Lord.
Sealed evidence of a purchase has been placed somewhere until the purchaser is ready to take possession of that which has been purchased.
This brings us to another point where is misinterpretation is possible.
When the Ne Testament write says, "ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise", he uses the second person plural to determine who is sealed.
In other words, he is saying, "You, in your corporate identity, were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise". This is not the same as saying "Each of you has been sealed," which is the way it is read by people who do not understand that we must relate, properly, to the Body of Christ. Those who do not relate properly to the Body die and get sick.
The way I see, the Lord became the foundation stone of a mighty and glorious house. Each of us which believed became a lively stone set in a wall of that house. When some leprous condition shows up in a stone of the house, the Lord of the house has the right to remove and replace it.
Thus, Jesus bought Israel and Judah. Until recently, the Judean purchase has not shown much affinity for their owner. Therefore, the house remains incomplete and unsuitable for habitation. (There is no Certificate of Occupancy, yet.) The house is payed for. The labor is paid for. And there is no limit to the resources available to complete the house. All we need is to make sure that those who build build according to the specs so that we do not have to see the burning (over and over, again) of construction that does not meet specs.
When the Israelite purchase has done that, through our mercy, the Judean purchase will recognize that God sent Jesus. Then, they will receive mercy and salvation. The construction of the house can be completed. The CO is given and Jesus moves in.
quote:
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 ¶ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
I'm still learnin' (I hope).
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becauseHElives
Advanced Member
Member # 87
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posted
Sealed by the Spirit
In 2 Cor. 1:21-22, we read, "Now he that established us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." In Eph. 1:13-14, we read, "in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, -- in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 4:30 says, "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption."
Calvinistic theologians take these passages to mean that one who has ever believed in the Lord is at that moment granted salvation from sin and its punishment, and that salvation is secured so that there is no possibility of it being lost, for he is "sealed and secured" by God and given a pledge that he can never be lost. It is often styled "eternal security of the believer," or "impossibility of apostasy."
We would have no argument with the idea of the eternal security of the believer if those who use the terms would use them as God does. That is, a "believer" is a faithful child of God who is "walking in the light, as He is in the light (1 Jn. 1:7), a sheep in the fold of Christ who is "hearing the voice of Jesus and following Him" (John 10:27-28). We contend that all the powers of evil on earth or in hell cannot cause a person to be lost who is following the voice of Jesus and doing His will. He has "eternal security." The questions, however, are: May a person who is a believer ever fall away from the faith or cease to be a believer? May a person's love for Christ grow cold? (Mt. 24:12). A person who was a 'goat' ceased to be a goat and became a sheep. May a person cease to be a sheep, and leave the fold? When we consider all the Bible warnings, we know that he can. So, in order to better understand the idea of being "sealed" and having an "earnest of the Spirit," let us examine those terms and see their meaning more completely.
There is little doubt that the term "earnest," from the Greek "arrabon" originally referred to what we call "earnest money" deposited by a purchaser as a down payment, and to be forfeited if the purchase was not complete, or the agreement broken. In the New Testament it is suggested that the Holy Spirit is given to a Christian as a divine pledge or down payment on the future blessings that God has in store for us.
Surely every Christian is at least dimly aware that every spiritual blessing he now has in Christ is but a foretaste, a sort of "down payment," of the life and blessings God has reserved in heaven for us "who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation reserved in heaven for us, ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:4-5). Note that we are kept by the power of God, but it is through faith. The basic question with which we are dealing is, "Once the earnest money was given, did it necessarily follow that the thing purchased was unconditionally guaranteed?" The answer should be apparent whether one looks at any purchase today, or how the term applied in either the Old Testament or the New. There were and are terms of any contract, will or covenant. If one party does not abide by the terms, the earnest money that was put down is forfeit. Anyone who ever put up "earnest money" to buy a house may have discovered that.
1 John 3:23-24 is one among many passages that teach that abiding in Christ is dependent upon keeping His commandments. If we grieve the Spirit (Eph. 4:30, quench the Spirit (1 Thes. 5:19), do despite to the Spirit (Heb. 10:29), then we may break the contract or the relationship that existed when the earnest was given.
Now let us examine briefly what is meant by the "seal." The noun "sphragio" and the verb, "sphragizo" are used in various ways to indicate ownership, security, authentication, etc., in a way that is very similar to how we use the word "seal" in the English language. We seal a letter by moistening the glue. A notary puts his seal on a document to attest to the fact that the party or parties involved actually gave the testimony indicated, or that the signatures are valid. When the tomb of Jesus was sealed (Mt. 27:66), it was for the purpose of fixing it so the body could not easily be removed. It was not meant to be broken, but note carefully that although it was not meant to be broken, it was. When we seal a letter, it is not meant to be opened before it gets to its destination, but it can be. When a notary puts his seal on an agreement, the agreement is not supposed to be broken, but it can be.
When God gives the Holy Spirit to His children as an authentication that He has bought us, and we belong to Him, that seals an agreement that we have made with Him that we accept the authority of Jesus as Lord, and belong to Him forever. That in no way implies that we cannot break that agreement, and be unfaithful. When Abraham received "the sign of circumcision, as a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had" (Rom. 4:11) God was attesting to the fact that Abraham and his descendants who kept the ritual properly, and obeyed the law would be His special people. It did NOT signify that they could not break His covenant, be disobedient and be cut off from the blessings promised. Surely no person who reads the history of Israel could logically conclude otherwise.
To summarize: God has put His "stamp of approval" (seal) on us as His children by giving us His Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16). If we demonstrate that we are His by producing the fruit of the Spirit, then this seal shows that we are owned by Him and are under His protection and authority. We may fail to do that, "break the seal" and be lost. Even in the context of Ephesians 4:30-32 when Paul says we are sealed unto the day of redemption, he warns us not to grieve the Holy Spirit, and to be kind and forgiving. Jesus said that God will not forgive us if we do not forgive others (Mt. 6:14-18). So we must conclude that though He has sealed us with the Spirit, and the Lord knows who are His (2 Tim. 2:19), if we do not depart from unrighteousness we will be lost, or as we might put it, the seal will be broken.
The Holy Spirit is both an earnest (a foretaste of what God has in store for us) and a seal, but those terms do not refer to the same function or purpose, for the Holy Spirit as a seal is showing that we belong to Him and are under His authority and care, and the Holy Spirit as an earnest is to give us an idea of what we shall have as a result of belonging to Him.
T. Pierce Brown
Published in The Old Paths Archive
http://www.oldpaths.com
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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WildB
Moderator
Member # 2917
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posted
Once sealed , always sealed.
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That is all.....
Posts: 8775 | From: USA, MICHIGAN | Registered: Mar 2004
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WildB
Moderator
Member # 2917
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posted
by Cornelius R. Stam
"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" (Eph. 1:13).
Most careful commentaries of the Bible make it clear that the words "after that," in the above passage, actually have an immediate result in view. Upon hearing (or heeding) we believed, and upon believing we were sealed with the Spirit.
What is perhaps even more important to note, is the fact that upon believing "the gospel of... salvation," we are "sealed with" the "Holy Spirit," not "by" the Spirit. There is a difference between the two, which can be simply illustrated.
Here is a housewife, let us say, who is "putting up" jam or preserves and sealing each jar with wax. Now, the jars are being sealed by the woman, but she is sealing them with wax. Thus the Holy Spirit does not merely cause believers to be sealed and made secure. Rather He Himself is the Seal that keeps us eternally secure as God’s beloved children. We are sealed, not "by the Spirit," but "with the Spirit," -- the Spirit Himself the Seal!
It is wonderful indeed to know that before the bar of God, the simplest believer in Christ has been fully justified (Acts 13:38,39). But this is a court action, a matter of law and justice. Besides this, the Spirit, who first brought the sinner under conviction, now gives him life -- eternal life. This is why Rom. 8:2 tells us that "the law of the Spirit, [that] of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Thank God for the Spirit, who convicts, regenerates and seals every believer in Christ!
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That is all.....
Posts: 8775 | From: USA, MICHIGAN | Registered: Mar 2004
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