“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

When we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, we find a Lord who holds us and makes us stand firm through this relationship. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) This security is ours because of what God gives us in salvation.  “He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 2:21b-22)

Jesus, who is God in the flesh, is the promised one, the Messiah in Hebrew and the Christ in Greek, which means the Anointed One. He is God’s anointed with the task of securing our salvation, which He did through His incarnation, life, death, and resurrection. Now, the Anointed One comes to anoint us with the task of following Him and making disciples. John speaks of this anointing, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.” (1 John 2:20) Knowing the truth of our salvation where we find forgiveness, transforms how we live because we can now live in the freedom to follow Jesus. “Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31-32)

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, He places a seal of ownership upon our lives. We are now our God’s own. “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) The presence of the Holy Spirit in us is our guarantee of our eternity with God, just as Jesus promised. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John10:28)

When we are given the Holy Spirit, He is our seal, but He is also a deposit into our lives. In Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, He said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16-17a) The Holy Spirit will be with us forever. He is our guarantee of our inheritance.

Living in the security we have in Jesus, we are now to stand firm in our faith following Jesus. We stand firm in the challenges which comes from living in a sinful world, but also as we live in this world as witnesses to God. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:14-18)

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block