What is a seal? In Esther 3:12 we read: "In the
name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with
the king's signet ring." A seal indicates ownership and
genuineness.
This literal concept is used figuratively in a
beautiful way in The Song of Solomon, chapter 8, verse
6: "Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon
your arms; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as
cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A
most vehement flame." Marriage partners belong to each
other and are as seals on each other's hearts and arms,
feelings and actions. And the Song of Solomon itself
depicts an even greater relationship between God and
man.
The idea of proving genuineness is used by Paul in
1 Corinthians 9:2 - "If I am not an apostle to others,
yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my
apostleship in the Lord." The believers at Corinth, who were in the
Lord because of the ministry of Paul, were a proof (seal)
of the genuineness of his apostleship, which had been
called in question by some.
A seal is intended to remove all doubt as to
ownership. As we view the religious world around us, we
are caused to wonder just who does belong to God! This
may be confusing for us, but it is not confusing for
God: "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands,
having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,'
and 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart
from iniquity'" (2 Timothy 2:19).
God set His seal on His Son, Jesus Christ: "Do not
the labor for the food which perishes, but for the food
which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man
will give you, because God the Father has set His seal
on Him" (John 6:27).
When we are sanctified by Christ, God also sets His
seal on us! "Now He who establishes us with you in
Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed
us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit"
(2 Corinthians 1:21,22). From this passage we see that
the seal is the anointing with the Holy Spirit,
referred to in Acts 2:38 as the gift of the Spirit.
This is the seal, the hallmark, of a Christian. This
seal is not some superficial 'wowy' one-time
experience; it is the abiding presence of God in one's
heart. In his first letter, John tells us how we can
know if we have it or not.
"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also,
having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased possession, to
the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13,14). Notice
'in whom'. It is only IN CHRIST that we are sealed with
the Holy Spirit and have the guarantee. We can examine
the many passages which use the expression 'into
Christ' and 'in Christ' to know whether we have the
guarantee or not.
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom
you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians
4:30).
It is only the seal of God that saves us from
doom because of our sins. "Then I saw another
angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the
living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four
angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the
sea, saying 'Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the
trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on
their foreheads'" (Revelation 7:2,3).
And what about those who do not have the seal of
God? "Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the
earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of
the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm
the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any
tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of
God on their foreheads" (Revelation 9:3,4).
Roy Davison