Tagged by the Spirit

When we come into the faith of Jesus Christ, God tags us by placing within our hearts the Holy Spirit as His seal of promise that we’re His. We’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit and are now God’s special possession.

“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.” (Ephesians 1:13-14a)

In ancient times a seal was a mark of possession and authority. As wax was applied to a document or possession, the author/owner pressed his or her signet ring upon it, thus, sealing the deal.

As believers we’ve been purchased by God through the redemption priced paid by Jesus when He took our place upon the cross, and dying the death we all deserve. We are therefore no longer our own, but His, and as His we’re under His protection until the great day of His redemption.

To accomplish this God sets His seal of the Holy Spirit within our hearts. The presence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life seals and guarantees that they belong to God and will escape His ultimate judgment and live eternally with Him.

Further, Paul says the seal of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance.

The word guarantee was used in commercial transactions signifying a down payment. It’s a portion of the price paid in advance to secure legal claim to the item, thus, sealing the deal.

In giving believers the Holy Spirit, God isn’t just promising their final inheritance of eternity, but He’s also giving them a foretaste of what it’ll be like. Therefore, the giving of the Holy Spirit is just the beginning of the fullness of what God has in store in heaven.

God, therefore, tags us with the Holy Spirit as that down payment of so much more to come, including our inheritance of heaven.