The Sealing of the Spirit
A Sermon on John 1:26-33
Originally preached April 4, 1965
Scripture
26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where …
Sermon Description
Scripture teaches that Christ, through having died, risen, and ascended to the right hand of God, has purchased a glorious inheritance that is waiting for all those who believe in Him. But how do God’s people know this inheritance is waiting for them? In this sermon titled “The Sealing of the Spirit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains from John 1:26–33 that God seals His people with His Holy Spirit as a guarantee. This sealing is something most believers would be familiar with in theory, but how many could explain what it actually is? Some base their explanation on their own experience, directly connecting the seal of the Holy Spirit to the work of producing the fruits of sanctification or to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But both of these explanations pose problems to the understanding and experience of the work of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from various pertinent Scriptures, Dr. Lloyd-Jones brings forth the meaning, purpose, and comfort of the sealing of the Holy Spirit in believers’ hearts as a sign of ownership, security, and, ultimately, an authentication and confirmation for the believer of all God has promised.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul reminds the Ephesians of what they have as Christians.
- God's eternal purpose is that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
- We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ.
- God is redeeming the cosmos and making a people for himself out of Jews and Gentiles.
- Paul prays that the Ephesians would know the hope of God's calling and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
- Believing, the Ephesians were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
- The Holy Spirit is the seal and the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.
- Christ purchased an inheritance for us, but we do not yet possess it fully. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee of that inheritance.
- The main meaning of sealing here is authentication or confirmation. The Holy Spirit confirms that we belong to God.
- Sealing with the Spirit is not the same as sanctification. It is something that follows faith and is given to those who walk closely with God.
- Jesus was sealed by God the Father at his baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended on him and the Father declared him to be his Son. This was his authentication.
- The sealing of the Spirit, like the baptism of the Spirit, is a visible, tangible work of God that provides assurance and power for witness.
- The witness of the Spirit in Romans 8:16 is the same as the sealing of the Spirit. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are God's children.
- This witness of the Spirit is not based on our feelings or sanctification. It is an objective work of God that provides unshakable assurance.
- We should seek the sealing of the Spirit rather than dismissing it as foolishness. It brings unspeakable joy.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on the Sealing of the Holy Spirit
What is the relationship between the baptism with the Holy Spirit and sealing with the Holy Spirit according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the sealing of the Spirit and the baptism with the Spirit are essentially the same thing. He states, "I am suggesting to you that the sealing of the spirit and the baptism of the spirit are the same thing. These terms are synonymous, but they're used one here and one there according to the immediate context." He explains that when it's purely a question of witness and testimony, the term "baptism" is used, but when it's put more in terms of our inheritance and the certainty given to us that we are heirs of God, the term "sealing" is used.
What Scripture passages does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use to explain the sealing with the Holy Spirit?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones refers to several key passages: - 2 Corinthians 1:22: "Who hath also sealed us and given us the earnest of the spirit in our hearts" - Ephesians 1:13: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" - Ephesians 4:30: "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" - John 6, where Jesus states that "him hath God the Father sealed" - Romans 8:16: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God"
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe is the primary meaning of "sealing" in the biblical context?
While Dr. Lloyd-Jones acknowledges that sealing can mean ownership or security, he argues that the primary meaning in this context is "to authenticate or to confirm as genuine and true." He states, "The object of the ceiling here is to authenticate this document, to confirm that this is genuine and that this is true." He believes this interpretation fits best with the context of Ephesians 1 and with how the term is used regarding Jesus in John 6, where God authenticated Jesus at his baptism.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use Jesus' experience to explain the sealing of the Spirit?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to John 6:27 where Jesus says "him hath God the Father sealed" as a key insight. He explains that this refers to Jesus' baptism experience when "the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove... and the voice came from heaven saying, 'This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.'" This was God's authentication of Jesus. Dr. Lloyd-Jones quotes Bishop Westcott who wrote that sealing means "solemnly set apart for the fulfillment of a charge and authenticated by intelligible signs." Lloyd-Jones argues that this same pattern applies to believers.
What is the relationship between sealing with the Spirit and assurance of salvation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the sealing with the Spirit as "the highest form of assurance of salvation that anybody can ever receive." He distinguishes between the internal witness we may have through our own spirit crying "Abba, Father" (which he considers a lesser but still valid form of assurance) and the external, objective witness that comes when "the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirits." He says of this sealing, "This isn't something in me. This is something outside me... The stamp is the Spirit. He beareth witness with my spirit that I am a child of God."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones reject the view that sealing with the Spirit is identical to sanctification?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones rejects this view for several reasons: 1. It does violence to the actual words used in passages like Ephesians 1:13 2. The context shows that sealing follows faith, it's not identical with initial faith 3. The pattern in Acts shows people believing first, then later receiving the Spirit 4. Jesus was "sealed" by the Father, but we wouldn't speak of Jesus needing sanctification 5. This sealing is an objective authentication, not just a subjective process of growth
He warns that identifying sealing with sanctification leads to "reducing the New Testament terminology to the level of our own experiences" and "interpreting the New Testament teaching not in terms of the life of the early church, but the life of the church as it has become."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the danger of misinterpreting the sealing of the Spirit?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that misinterpreting this teaching leads to "a quenching of the spirit" because if we conclude that "all that is meant here is that because we are born again and have got the seed of life in us which is growing, our sanctification is proceeding," then people "look for nothing further." He says this is "the danger of interpreting New Testament teaching in terms of the life of the church when she's at her lowest, instead of interpreting it in terms of the church when she's at her highest in periods of revival and quickening and awakening and manifestation of God's glorious power."
Does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe that all Christians have been sealed with the Holy Spirit?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones indicates that not all Christians have experienced the sealing of the Spirit. He quotes Charles Simeon who said regarding the sealing of the Spirit that "this was vouchsafed to many of the saints at Ephesus" (not all of them) and that "there shall always be some in the church who possess and enjoy it." Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts this with the view that identifies sealing with regeneration, which would mean it's true of every Christian, a view he rejects.
How does the sealing with the Spirit affect a believer's witness and testimony?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, this sealing brings both certainty and power. He states, "If we are uncertain, if we are doubtful and hesitant, our witness is going to be affected... But when a man is baptized with the spirit or sealed with the spirit, he knows... And that leads not only to certainty in the individual, it leads to power." He explains that this certainty allows believers to speak with authority: "We don't merely suggest something. Our statements are not contingent and not qualified. We declare."
What is Dr. Lloyd-Jones' final exhortation regarding the sealing of the Spirit?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges his listeners to seek this experience for themselves, quoting George Whitefield: "Oh, that all who deny the promise of the Father might thus receive it themselves. All that all were partakers of my joy." He challenges his audience with the question: "Has the spirit testified with your spirit that you are a child of God?" He encourages them to "seek it until you find it and have it, and are able to say, oh, that the whole world knew the joy that I now know as the spirit fills my life and bears witness with my spirit that I am a child of God."
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.