The Spirit as Seal and Deposit

“so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory. And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed in Christ – you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.”

“For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.”

“But it is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed us, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.”

“While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.””

• 1. The Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2) would in dwell His people to help and empower them to obey. He would change hearts from stubborn and unresponsive to obedient and responsive. How will he do this? Through the power of his Spirit.

“Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for me? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his 

Spirit on them!””

““‘I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries; then I will bring you to your land. I will sprinkle you with pure water and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you; I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes and carefully observe my regulations. Then you will live in the land I gave to your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” 

“I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within them; I will remove the hearts of stone from their bodies and I will give them tender hearts, so that they may follow my statutes and observe my regulations and carry them out. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 

• 1. 1. The context is the circumcision of the heart by the power of the spirit is to remove the “foreskin” or stony parts of the heart and in place give people tender, obedient hearts.

““But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the LORD. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people.” Jeremiah 

“The LORD your God will also cleanse your heart and the hearts of your descendants so that you may love him with all your mind and being and so that you may live.” Deuteronomy 

“For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the written code. This person’s praise is not from people but from God.” Romans 

• 1. The Spirit would be poured out prior to the Day of Judgment.

“(3:1) After all of this I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your elderly will have revelatory dreams; your young men will see prophetic visions. Even on male and female servants I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will produce portents both in the sky and on the earth – blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sunlight will be turned to darkness and the moon to the color of blood, before the day of the LORD comes – that great and terrible day! It will so happen that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered. For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who survive, just as the LORD has promised; the remnant will be those whom the LORD will call.” Joel 

• 1. The Spirit will accomplish deliverance and resurrection.

“Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. I will place my breath (Or spirit, likely an allusion to Genesis 2 where Gods breath creates life) in you and you will live; I will give you rest in your own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD – I have spoken and I will act, declares the LORD.’”” Ezekiel 

“Therefore he told me, “These signify the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD who rules over all.”” Zechariah

• 1. Seals and Signets
     1. A seal is an identifying mark often placed on a letter, contract, or another document. It showed that what was in the letter came from the person whose seal was on the outside. In the ancient world, cattle and even slaves were branded with a seal to show whom they belonged. This mark would deter people from stealing them because they had the seal upon them.
     2. Modern day examples would be notary stamps or official seals on documents.
  2. Seals in Scripture
     1. Setting apart or sparing from judgment

“The LORD said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it.”” Ezekiel 

““Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”” Revelation 

“And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” Revelation 

“And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them.” Romans 

• 1. The counterfeit seal

“He also caused everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave ) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number.” Revelation 

• 1. God’s identifying mark

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 

“However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.”” 2 Timothy 

• 1. The Holy Spirit is God’s identifying mark as those who are His and are going to receive the promised Kingdom.

• 1. The inheritance to come: the Resurrection 
     1. The Spirit’s power and activity is directly tied with the bodily resurrection of believers. 
        1. ἀρραβών arrhabṓn (“down-payment pledge”) is the regular term in NT times for “earnest-money,” i.e. advance-payment that guarantees the rest will be given. Arrhabṓn then represents full security backed by the purchaser who supplies sufficient proof they will fulfill the entire pledge (promise). 

“For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life ( cf. “he will swallow up death permanently” Is. 25:8). Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.” 2 Corinthians 

• 1. 1. The Spirit will bring about the resurrection

“Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 

“Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees?” Romans 

“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him, – since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened – so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength. This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” Ephesians 

• 1. 1. The Spirit’s activity is a foretaste of the coming age.

 “For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt.”

• 1. The Spirit is the first installment of the resurrection glory to come.
  2. The Spirit gives us security, confidence, perseverance.
  3. The Spirit does the work. We trust.