Aren't we sealed for eternity by the Holy Spirit?
This was written in response to a good question. I'm including my answer here, based on what I've seen in the scriptures, for those who would like to consider it.
The question was asked regarding the scripture that states, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” in Ephesians 4:30.
Question: I recently heard someone say, once someone accepts Jesus they were then "sealed for eternity" through the Holy Spirit. Since you all have studied this topic extensively, what is your take on this? How would you explain it?
Since we know that all scripture must fit together as true, and because the scriptural evidence that a believer can fall away is so extensive, it serves as the backdrop to the scriptures about being sealed.
There’s a similar passage in Ephesians 1:13 that refers to the seal as a down payment. It says:
"And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory."
Again, that speaks of God’s faithfulness. By way of example, in human terms however, a down payment does not guarantee the transaction if one party backs out even though we tend to use the term guarantee for such a practice. For example, you can put a down payment on a house. If you follow through with the purchase, your down payment goes toward the purchase price. If you back out, you can lose your down payment. I see this as parallel to John 10:28, “no one will snatch them from my hand.” This indicates that no one can take our salvation. According to the broad warnings in scripture, we can fall away, and that reality does not compete with the point that no one else can make that happen.
Coming back to the reference verse, the warning not to grieve the Holy Spirit seems significant.
Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
As the late Dr. Michael Heiser pointed out; our modern take on grieving doesn’t seem too threatening, but according to Isaiah 63:10, it is threatening to grieve the Holy Spirit. It says:
“But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;
So He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
And He fought against them.” Isaiah 63:10
There’s another verse in Jeremiah that shows us insight. In chapter 14:10, God described the people in this way:
“They truly love to go astray.
They cannot keep from running away from me.
So I am not pleased with them.
I will now call to mind the wrongs they have done
and punish them for their sins.”
Now read Jeremiah 16:5 concerning these who love to go astray:
“Moreover I, the Lord, tell you: ‘Do not go into a house where they are having a funeral meal. Do not go there to mourn and express your sorrow for them. For I have stopped showing them my good favor, my love, and my compassion. I, the Lord, so affirm it! Jeremiah 16:5 NET (idiomatic and literal). He stopped showing them his good favor, love and compassion.
The NLT (paraphrase) says it like this:
“This is what the Lord says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy.” Again, you can see he took away his protection, peace, unfailing love and mercy. God still possesses these qualities and blessings, but these who had gone astray would no longer be their recipients.
Though it speaks of God removing his love, it was notable to see it wasn’t that his love was failing. In fact, the NLT calls it "unfailing love." It's that he took it away from them because in vs 11, “they have rejected me and not obeyed my law.” They essentially failed to remain in him as John 15 teaches. "When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love." John 15:10
Romans 6:22 is succinct in making the point that salvation is the outcome because we derive our benefit from having been freed from sin and enslaved to God. I will show you both a literal translation and a paraphrase so you can see for yourself that the message is the same.
"But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life." NASB (literal)
The paraphrased translation clarifies the point being made:
“But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.” NLT (paraphrase)
We have to become "slaves of God" to be free from the enslavement of sin which is true freedom. We will be enslaved to one or the other (see Romans 6:15-19). We are declared righteous by faith (Rom. 5:1) and God is setting us free from the power of sin so that we can “do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.” This is not earning our salvation, but scripture does teach responsibility is assigned to the believer. Romans 8:12-13 is one of numerous ways scripture demonstrates this truth:
“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.” Romans 8:12-13
Did you observe the contingency? "IF through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live?" We are empowered with the Spirit and commanded to action. And if not, in the second sentence of the passage, regarding your "sinful nature," you can see there is another contingency--that "if you live by its dictates, you will die."
My observation of the scriptures as a whole lead me to this conclusion; that marking us with a seal demonstrates God’s faithfulness to follow through but does not obligate him to violate his own requirements of us as laid out in the rest of scripture (many which have been made known throughout this website).