Sealed

Eph 1:16,17 "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. "

 

Here is the order: Hearing, trusting and believing, salvation, sealing, receipt of our inheritance, God's glory. When God established things before the creation of the world, He made sure that all of these things would occur in His children's life. First we would hear. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." In order for God to give us the gift of faith, we need to hear His word. "How shall they believe in whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent." This hearing thing is huge. People have to hear. We heave to hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation. It is how God does things.

 

Once we hear the good news of salvation, something happens. Trust develops. Faith develops. Belief develops...and salvation comes. Thank God that at some point in time in my life someone opened their mouth and spoke the good news of truth to me. God used this to work in my life and save me.

 

The cool thing is what comes next: Sealing. Guaranteeing. The Holy Spirit is insurance. This is totally a mystery that we will never figure out until we get to heaven, but when we believe God places a part of who He is in us...the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit is there to teach, and remind, and convict, and direct, but He is also there as a promise of what is to come. Once the Holy Spirit is in the believer, He will always be there. He will never leave. And He is the guarantee of our future inheritance that we have in Christ. Since this is a guarantee, since this is a sealing, it cannot be broken. It cannot be taken away. Frankly, once saved always saved. This salvation cannot be lost. It cannot be taken away. It is guaranteed. Our inheritance is guaranteed. God is not fickle. He does not lose what is His. And all who know Him will receive their inheritance...forever.

 

And he is glorified.