“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill all your good pleasure for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
2 Corinthians 1:22
“… and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
– 2 Corinthians 1:22
Main Thought: Many consumer-based companies in our day speak of their guarantees as an inducement for consumers to buy their products. These guarantees, however, always have end dates and loopholes that make it difficult for people to get their money back or their product serviced. Here the apostle Paul tells us of a guarantee by God, one with no loopholes and one with no limits with time. Paul reminds these Corinthian believers first that God has “put his seal on us” as His children. While we may not quite understand what a seal has to do with God’s promise of salvation, the believers of that day did. Kings and queens, when making a proclamation of law or an edict, would seal the document with wax, and then press their ring with their royal crest upon the wax seal, which indicated the ruler’s authority. In the same way, Paul is saying that God has declared our salvation in Jesus Christ and has set His seal of authority upon us.
Rulers in that day would come and go, so their authority might have been overthrown and the ruling reversed, but not so for the child of God for he has been sealed by the One whose rule and authority are omnipotent and everlasting. In 1 Timothy 1:17, it is declared that our God is “The King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God…forever and ever.” His seal and dominion are eternal. Not only has God put His seal of authority on us as the guarantee of our salvation, but He has given us the Holy Spirit within us as a guarantee. We have the written guarantee of His seal upon us in His Word, and we have the living presence of the Holy Spirit to continually assure us that our salvation is guaranteed for eternity. Romans 8:14-17 reminds us that the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God, and causes us to cry out to God, and “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” If you have a continual yearning in your spirit for God and know God’s presence in your life, then that is God’s living assurance and guarantee to us that we are His eternally. How wonderful and gracious our God is to give us both a written guarantee of His salvation, and give us the living presence of the Holy Spirit to assure us of our salvation. May we rejoice today as His children in the guarantee of our salvation.
David Webber
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
More from David Webber
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Matthew 16:6
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” – Matthew 16:6
Philemon 1:7
“For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” – Philemon 1:7
Hebrews 12:5-7
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He flogs every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” – Hebrews 12:5-7
Isaiah 28:15-16
“Because you have said, ‘We have cut a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made a pact. The overflowing scourge will not reach us when it passes by. For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have hidden ourselves with lying. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” – Isaiah 28:15-16
Psalm 84:11-12
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” – Psalm 84:11-12
Psalm 84:1
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!” – Psalm 84:1
Hebrews 2:1
“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” – Hebrews 2:1
John 4:13-14
“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'” – John 4:13-14
Matthew 4:17
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17