in whom *ye* also [have trusted], having heard the word of the truth, the glad tidings of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Paul has just spoken of "we who were the first to hope in Christ." Now he turns to "you also," and traces a plain sequence: a message heard, a message believed, then a seal. What is that message? What does the seal mean? And how soon does it come?
"You also" — the Gentiles brought in
The change of pronoun marks a change of people.
As we move from verse 12 to verse 13 we notice a change in the pronouns, from "we" to "you." In writing, "we who were the first to hope in Christ," Paul had in mind believers gathered out of Israel, including himself. The "you" meant believers gathered from the Gentiles.
Those outside Israel came in by a direct route:
The Jews, or those who had been under Jewish teaching, had been for a while in an infant state, an Old Testament condition. But the Gentiles by faith passed straight into the full Christian blessing.
The order: heard, believed, sealed
The verse sets out three steps.
The Ephesian believers were sealed with the Holy Spirit after they believed (see Eph. 1:13). This verse gives us clearly the order that is always followed. First, they "heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation"; second, they believed it; third, they were sealed with the Spirit.
How long after believing does the Spirit come?
The writer well remembers an answer to this question: "After is not a question of time, but of order." Receive the gospel of your salvation, and you receive the Spirit. The second follows from the first. After the blow, the sword cut. How long after? It is simply cause and effect. The moment a man or woman receives the gospel of their salvation, God gives the seal of the Holy Spirit, claiming the believer for Himself for ever.
"The gospel of your salvation"
The word "salvation" here is not one blessing among several. It gathers up the whole.
We now come to a word of very large meaning. It is so large that it can cover other gospel words such as justification, redemption, reconciliation… So in Ephesians 1:13, that one word sums up the whole deliverance that has reached us, in all its parts.
The seal: owned and secured
A seal did two jobs in the ancient world, and both are meant here.
The Holy Spirit given to dwell in believers is Himself the seal. By Him God marks them out, takes possession of them as His own, and declares them to be His property… But the figure is that of a seal. A seal did not only show ownership by the mark stamped on it. It was also put on for protection. So believers are said to be sealed until the day of redemption. The seal keeps them safe until the Lord returns to receive them to Himself.
How far does that claim reach?
God claims the whole believer — body, soul and spirit. Even the body that dies He will claim and change at the coming of the Lord Jesus.
Why "the Spirit of promise"
The title points back to a promise the Father made.
He is called "the Spirit of promise," probably because He is "the promise of the Father, which," says Christ, "you have heard of me." He is also the pledge of the coming inheritance — not a part of it, which would take from His glory.
What the seal rests on
Commentators differ on what a person must grasp before God gives the seal. Some hold that being born of God and being sealed are two different works. The second, they say, waits on faith in the work Christ has finished:
He is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a believer not only in Christ, but in the gospel of our salvation — the work that Christ has done… This explains why there were people born of the Holy Spirit who were never sealed. The Old Testament believers, for instance, all looked for Christ. All were born of God, but not one was sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Others say the seal rests on trust in Christ Himself, and nothing more:
Notice the importance of the words "in Him," found twice in this verse. Their trust was not simply in the gospel, but in the person of Christ, of whom the gospel speaks… It is not a matter of having entered more into the truth of the work of Christ in redemption, but simply of believing in Him personally. The simplest believer therefore shares in the sealing of the Spirit.
Summary
- Heard — it starts outside you, with "the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation," a message that reaches you before you believe it.
- Believed — faith is the hinge; "after" marks order, not delay, like the cut that follows the blow.
- Sealed — the Spirit Himself is the seal, God's stamp of ownership on body, soul and spirit.
- Secured — a seal also protects, so the sealing runs on "until the day of redemption."
- Promised — He is called the Spirit of promise because He is what the Father pledged. He is also the pledge of the inheritance still to come.