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You have been sent by Jesus to tell others about the truth of the gospel, which is the saving hope, the securing truth, and the sealing promise.
Ephesians 1:11-14 - 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
The question I raised last time was, what is truth? I shared that the common answer is that truth is relative. It’s the ideas that everyone’s truth is truth, and therefore there is no absolute truth.
Today, on this International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, the question that I have is, if truth is relative and everyone is entitled to their truth, then why is it that Christians have been persecuted around the world through the centuries to the present day for believing in the truth of the gospel?
It's because the world hates the truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the truth.” In John 15:18, Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
The problem is that people cannot handle the truth of the gospel, so they invent their own truth. They need to know that they can hate and persecute believers, but they cannot silence the truth of the gospel.
In Ephesians 1:11-14, the final blessing in a series of blessings that started in verse 3 is the truth of the gospel. It was planned by God the Father, purchased by God the Son, and in Ephesians 1:13-14, is preserved by God the Holy Spirit. The focus shifts from God the Father’s selection and God the Son’s sacrifice to God the Holy Spirit’s sealing and sustaining of our salvation.
As we come to the end of the 200-plus word sentence in Greek in Ephesians 1:3-14, the big idea is that God selects the elect, saves the sinners, and sustains our salvation. What do we do? The only thing that we do is to believe in the truth of the gospel because it is the saving hope (see blog The Final Blessing of the Truth of the Gospel (Part 2) ), the securing truth, and the sealing promise.
The Truth of the Gospel is the Securing Truth (Ephesians 1:13)
The gospel does not only offer saving hope, our salvation, but it also secures it for us so that we can have it permanently. This is done through the agency of God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God, as seen in Ephesians 1:13, “In him [Jesus] you also [gentile believers who had no hope of salvation before the gospel was preached to them], when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…”
Paul reminds believers in Ephesus about the process of their salvation— how they were saved. He describes three steps that are true for all believers: they heard the gospel, they believed in Jesus, and they were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
First, the hearing the gospel. That is the sinner’s first contact with Jesus who is the source, substance, and scope of our salvation. The word “hearing” here in the Greek text is akouo, which means not merely listening to something but rather hearing with attention. It has the built-in expectation of hearing, understanding, and obeying what is heard.
I have four young children. They listen but often do not hear, so when I need their attention, I tell them to hear me carefully which has a built-in expectation of obeying. It involves the ear, mind, and heart. Many of us often listen to God’s Word, but we don’t hear God.
When it comes to the gospel truth, no one can akouo without the Holy Spirit because we are born in sin and therefore, spiritually dead. This is why regeneration is critical to being born again, that is, born of the Spirit. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, God enables spiritually dead sinners to hear the truth of the gospel, understand its message, and accept it as the truth for salvation.
In my small group, one person was sharing how her unbelieving sister gets angry every time she tries to share the gospel. Another person said that it is frustrating when you share the gospel, but they do not listen. Friends, just as physically dead people cannot hear or respond to anything, spiritually dead people cannot hear or respond to anything either. So, we should we do ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and direct you. Ask the Holy Spirit to intervene.
Second, believing in Jesus. Verse 13 tells us that they heard the Word of truth, the gospel, and they believed in Him, Jesus because the truth of the gospel is the truth of God— that He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Many hear this gospel, but they never believe in Jesus. I was listening to a Muslim imam who quoted the message of the gospel and mocked the Christian faith for believing in such a foolish hope. Their minds cannot understand why God would pay the price for the sins of man and why God the Son would die on the cross to save them. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”
This is a matter of faith. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God.” Hearing the truth of the gospel is necessary for salvation but not enough to secure salvation.
It requires believing. This is where human responsibility and God’s sovereignty work together. The Greek word for “having believed” in verse 13 is pisteuo, which means to put faith in someone. It is not just head knowledge but the transformation of the heart that results in a radical change in our conduct. It is to have faith in Jesus. One way that we can understand faith is that God chooses man through election, but man chooses God through faith.
Third, the sealing of the promised Holy Spirit. Before we understand the idea of sealing in verse 13, I want us to understand what the “promised Holy Spirit” is. In John 16:7-8, Jesus said, “7 it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…”
Sometimes I wish that the resurrected Jesus was here so I could touch Him, feel Him, and see Him. I am sure this is how His disciples felt, too. However, Jesus had to go so that the Holy Spirit could descend on earth to begin His ministry to convict our hearts of sin, call us to righteousness, and sanctify us for the judgment day when we will be presented blameless before the presence of His glory.
Our salvation is secured as soon as we hear of the gospel and believe its message, which is that Jesus paid for our sins to save us, and there is nothing that we can contribute to our salvation. However, since we continue to live in this world in these broken bodies, God, in His great wisdom, chose to secure our salvation forever by sealing us with the promised Holy Spirit.
One day, I received a call from a believer who said she was told that since she does not speak in tongues, she does not have the Holy Spirit and that she needs the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you have been told that too.
Application
If you have heard the gospel and believed it by putting your faith in Jesus, you have the promised Holy Spirit in you. You have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The more we fill our hearts with God’s Word, the more we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and the more we experience the Works of the Spirit.
The Truth of the Gospel is the Sealing Promise (Ephesians 1:14)
God not only saves and secures but also sustains our salvation through the Holy Spirit. In last part of verse 13, “[believers] were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” and v.14 continues, “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” Here, the word “sealing” means to be marked. In its historical cultural setting, this word has at least four meanings:
First, a seal showed ownership. Paul wrote this letter to believers in Ephesus. Ephesus was a major trading hub in the Mediterranean region. In that context, a seal of a business or an individual was placed on goods to identify the ownership.
Second, a seal showed authenticity. It was no different from our times. When we see a seal, a logo, or a trademark of a certain company, we know it should be an authentic product.
Third, a seal showed genuineness and protection. It was put on official documents to indicate that the content was protected, therefore genuine.
Fourth, a seal showed authority and power. When a king or ruler put their seal on something, only a higher authority could open it.
The example that I can give is Jesus’ tomb. Pilate put the seal of Rome on the tomb, which meant that no one could break it except for him or an authority higher than Rome. We know what happened— the authority that is higher than all kings and rulers, powers and dominions came back to life on the third day and broke the seal.
God put His seal of the Holy Spirit on believers to identify them as His own possessions, to show that their salvation is authentic and genuine, and that He is the final authority over them. No one can remove this seal except God. There is no power greater than Him. He sealed you and guaranteed that no one will remove this seal.
The Greek word “guarantee” in verse 14 means down payment or foretaste. God gave us the Holy Spirit as His guarantee for what is to come in life hereafter. What we experience here because of the presence of the Holy Spirit is only a down payment or foretaste of what we will experience in heaven.
Application
The end of verse.14 says, “to the praise of his glory.” God saved you, secured you, and sealed you so that you may praise His glory. How do you praise His glory and how often do you praise His glory?
Recently, a couple came to pick up some food from the food pantry. While the wife was collecting a few food items, I began to chat with the husband. I asked if they believed in Jesus. He said they are Catholics, and they go to such and such church. I asked him and his wife if they would go to heaven if they died that night. They looked at each other and said that they hoped so. I said that hoping is wishful thinking and that you want to make sure that you go to heaven.
I asked them if they wanted to be sure that they would go to heaven. They said yes, so I shared the gospel and invited them if they wanted to receive Jesus then and there. They both said yes, and right there, they received Jesus. They heard the truth of the gospel, believed in Jesus, and were sealed by the promised Holy Spirit. If someone here is without receiving Jesus, you heard the gospel. If you believe that Jesus died to save you, you, too, can be saved.
Action Step
Examine your heart and ask yourself the same question: if you die tonight, will you go to heaven? If you cannot answer that with 100% assurance, you need to get saved. Or at least look into why you don’t have that assurance.
Appeal
If you have no doubt that you will go to heaven because you believe in Jesus alone and not any of your own works, then tell others why you are so sure that you will go to heaven.
Do not shy away from checking whether people are born again or not. Romans 10:14-15 says, “14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching ?15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” You have been sent by Jesus to tell others about the truth of the gospel, which is the saving hope, the securing truth, and the sealing promise.
Study Questions
1. What role does the gospel play in securing our salvation?
2. What role do we play in the process of salvation? Consider three elements in Ephesians 1:13— hearing, believing, and sealing.
3. Now that we have studied Ephesians1:3-14, a single sentence in Greek, write a one-sentence summary for these verses in your own words.
Deeper Study Questions
1. Ephesians 1:14 says “sealed with the Holy Spirit.” How can one receive that seal? What must we do to receive this? Think in context of Ephesians 1:3-14.
2. How does this sealing relate to your inheritance and redemption? Make the answer personal as you think of Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30.
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