S – In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. ¹⁴ The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory

Ephesians 1:13–14 CSB

O -Commentary

The last part of verse 13 is literally, “They were sealed in Him [Christ] with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The word “seal” indicates security (Matt. 27:66; Eph. 4:30), authentication and approval (John 6:27), certification of genuineness (John 3:33), and identification of ownership (2 Cor. 1:22; Rev. 7:2; 9:4). God is the One who seals, Christ is the sphere in which the seal is done, and the Holy Spirit is the instrument of the seal. “The promised Holy Spirit” refers to Christ’s promise to His disciples that He would send the Spirit (Luke 24:49; John 14:16; 15:26; 16:13; Acts 1:5).

The Holy Spirit who seals is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. The “deposit” is more than a pledge which could be returned; it is a down payment with a guarantee of more to come (cf. “the firstfruits of the Spirit,” Rom. 8:23). “A deposit guaranteeing” translates the Greek arrabōn (used elsewhere in the NT only in 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5). It guarantees believers’ “inheritance” of salvation and heaven (cf. 1 Peter 1:4). (See comments on “inheritance” in Eph. 1:18.) In essence, the “deposit” of the Holy Spirit is a little bit of heaven in believers’ lives with a guarantee of much more yet to come.

“Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – When we believe Jesus as our savior, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.  Not only does it signify ownership, it also denotes that we are not owned by anyone else (the devil.). We should walk confident in our relationship with God knowing whose we are and the victory from what we are not.  There should also be a sense of humility – Jesus paid the price for us and we did nothing to deserve it but believe on him.

R – Heavenly Father, you are Alpha and Omega.  Thank you for the price Jesus paid for us.  It gives us security knowing that we are yours and that our relationship is secured by the Holy Spirit.  Help us to walk confidently and in humility with you today.