"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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV)
There is security in salvation. When we put our faith in Christ alone for His righteousness and payment for sin we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. If I may, the Holy Spirit is our receipt, and our proof of purchase is our sanctification, our producing of the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control). God basically approves you (not based on what you've done, but based on what Christ has done for you and in you through the cross and His resurrection) for heaven, and He promises to hold to it. He is the one who saved you. He secures your salvation. He changes your heart to desire Him and enjoy Him. Look at this small passage from the Gospel of John:
"John 10:27-30
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
Those whom God gives to Jesus will never perish! Those who have been saved will never be snatched out of the hands of God. Now look at this verse from the Psalms:
Psalms 117:2
"For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!"
The love of God is steadfast. That means it is unwavering. God doesn't go back and forth in His love for those He has saved. It is unmovable... even when you sin against Him over and over. The other side of this coin is how God's faithfulness endures forever. When God says He's gonna do something He does it and He won't go back on His word. So when He says "they will never perish", He means it. I want to look at one more verse from the Psalms:
Psalm 32:1-2
"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."
Because of Christ's payment for our sin we can claim this verse as our own. We should be so excited when we read this! Why? Because of what Christ has done for us on the cross (and in us through faith in the work He did on the cross) God does not and will never count our sins against us.. ever!
Now look back at what we just uncovered. When we act upon the Gospel and put our faith in Christ alone for His righteousness alone God changes us and seals us with the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our salvation and inheritance of eternal life with God. We established that no one can take us out of the hands of God. We know that God's love is unmoving and that He stands by His word. We learned that the Lord does not hold our sin against us anymore. All of this is possible because of God and He sealed it with the blood of Christ.
Meditate on God's faithfulness and love. Think about how you are secure in your salvation based not upon your own ability but because of God's ability. Remember that "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it..." Just another reason to worship God.
Blessings,
Nick
