“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Our response to the good news about Jesus is to hear and believe. That means that we are open to hearing the truth of the gospel and believe it when we hear it. Those are the conditions for our salvation. The gospel we believe is the good news that Jesus died for our sins and we can place our trust in Him for our salvation.
When we hear and believe the Holy Spirit seals us. In New Testament days Ephesus was located near a harbor. Just as today in the Northwest US, logs would be floated into the harbor and workers would mark the ones their owners wanted. That marking used the Greek word for “seal.” The logs would still be in the harbor but they were already owned and their destinations would be certain.
There is another picture in describing the Holy Spirit as a “deposit.” The same original word is used in Modern Greek to describe an engagement ring. The wedding may be at some time in the future but the bride is already spoken for. When we hear and believe the Holy Spirit marks us as already owned by God and as having been spoken for. Our destiny is not only secured but it has been guaranteed by the Holy Spirit Himself.
