Verses to review today: Ephesians 1:3-12 (repeat 3x, 3x a day)
New Verses: Ephesians 1:13-14

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. (ESV)

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (KJV)

Greek: 13 Ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ὑμῶν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐσφραγίσθητε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ, 14 ὅ ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν, εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως, εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ.

Transliterated Greek: 13 En hō kai hymeis akousantes ton logon tēs alētheias, to euangelion tēs sōtērias hymōn, en hō kai pisteusantes esphragisthēte tō pneumati tēs epangelias tō hagiō, 14 ho estin arrabōn tēs klēronomias hēmōn, eis apolytrōsin tēs peripoiēseōs, eis epainon tēs doxēs autou.

Literal Word for Word Translation: 13 in whom also you when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also when you believed you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Vocab: ἀκούσαντες, akousantes, you (pl) having heard; ἀληθείας, alētheias, of truth; εὐαγγέλιον, euangelion, gospel/good news; σωτηρίας, sōtērias, of salvation/deliverance; πιστεύσαντες, pisteusantes, you (pl) having believed/trusted; ἐσφραγίσθητε, esphragisthēte, you (pl) were sealed; πνεύματι, pneumati, spirit; ἐπαγγελία, epangelias, of promise; ἁγίῳ, hagiō, holy; ἀρραβὼν, arrabōn, security/down payment; κληρονομίας, klēronomias, of inheritance; ἀπολύτρωσιν, apolytrōsin, redemption/release due to payment of debt; περιποιήσεως, peripoiēseōs, of acquisition/taking position.

Commentary: While the use of “predestination” in previous verses refers to the family of God, that there would be such a family conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29), these two verses tell how one becomes a member of that family – by believing the gospel and then being sealed by the Holy Spirit. Both are required. The Holy Spirit enables belief through the preaching of the gospel. But once it is believed, accepted, and a person turns to Christ for their salvation, they are sealed by the Spirit. The seal of a king on an important document was not to be broken until the one to whom the document was addressed opened it. The Holy Spirit does not remove Himself from the presence of a believer. His presence ensures delivery of the saint to the inheritance of all of God’s rich heavenly blessings. That believer is to be delivered into the possession of God for all etnernity, the one who purchased those He has adopted.

True believers, sealed by the Spirit, will be saved in the end (perseverance of the saints). They will receive their full inheritance of eternal life. But one who claims to be a believer and is not sealed by the Spirit does not have that assurance. These verses make it clear that when one believes, they WILL be sealed by the Spirit. Belief in Christ results in repentance. One who has not repented and turned from a life of sin and focus on self to a life focused on Christ in all that they do, does not exhibit salvific belief and is not sealed with the Spirit. This does not mean that there are not seasons of drifting, but the Holy Spirit, always draws that person back to Christ. Those who ever claim to have lost their faith, and thus their salvation, were never sealed and thus never truly believed in the first place. True belief can never be denied. It can be doubted at times, but never ultimately denied. Peter may have denied Jesus while in the flesh prior to the resurrection and being given the Spirit, but once he was dwelled by the Holy Spirit, nothing could stop him when he claimed the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (1 Peter 1:3-5).