… with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Summary: Paul takes us on a quick journey to his theological playground, where he wrestles with concepts like predestination, faith, and redemption.
Peeking into Paul’s mind reveals a lot about the mind of God. Prior to his conversion, Paul had spent his entire life studying God’s Word. When he met the Lord on the road to Damascus, he began the second phase of his education. This time, instead of sitting at the feet of Gamaliel, he was sitting at the feet of Jesus.
The complete thought for today’s passage reads:
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
To examine this more closely, let’s break it down.
The first part is that we believers have been “sealed” with the Spirit of God. This seal marks us as belonging to God himself. The seal is similar to the stamp on a passport or the impression of a notary stamp and signature on a legal document. I find it comforting to know we can be set apart for God even while we live in a broken world.
But what are we sealed for?
We are sealed for the “day of redemption.” Jesus said, ”For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17) The “day of redemption” is future tense because our flesh is not redeemed (Matthew 22: 29-32).
When we talk about things like being “sealed for the day of redemption,” we are treading the same ground where words like “predestination” live. There are mysteries of faith that we sometimes wrestle with. Because of the theological abuses of his day, Luther grasped onto the concept of justification by grace which we receive by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3: 23-26). This concept became the keystone of the Protestant movement.
James, in his letter, writes, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). On its face, this seems to contradict Paul’s words. However, as we ponder these words, we find they complement Paul’s writings instead of contradicting them.
Faith is a matter between you and God. There is no human intercessor who can have faith for you. You and only you are responsible for your soul. As Paul’s inspired words point out, we are gifted with the Holy Spirit, God’s own Spirit, to bind us to God and keep us safe.
James wants us to understand that God is no fool. He is not deceived by fake faith. Real faith changes us. Truly having faith in God is life-changing for two simple reasons. The first is that when we accept Jesus as Lord, we accept that God decides what is right and wrong. We give up that responsibility when we accept Jesus’ gift of salvation.
The second reason is that God’s Spirit moves in with us. God himself bonds with our living spirit. This, too, is a life-changing event. Between the two, we become bound up with God, sealed, as Paul says, for the day of redemption when all the shortcomings of the flesh fade away.
Application: Spend time with God in prayer and reading his Word.
Food for Thought: Why do we have to wait for the “day of redemption?”
Why do we have to wait for the “day of redemption?”
I suppose it depends on what we believe about redemption.
At the very core of all scripture is a resounding theme, that God is love, and love is selfless. God’s love seeks to give.
Sin is the opposite, it is selfish and self-centered. Hate seeks to consume.
The two cannot coexist.
It is a fundamental flaw in human reasoning that both love and hate can coexist.
The day of redemption is the day that we are allowed to enter into the presence of God. We cannot do this if we still have sin. The sin must be wiped away. How can you wipe away your sin? Go back in time? Do something good to counteract something bad? How would you know if you did enough? Sounds hopeless.
Oh wait, there is hope.
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
To be fully and instantly redeemed the moment you accept Jesus as your Lord could only bring two possible outcomes: removal from the Earth, or living a sinless life here on Earth. Either way would serve to counteract faith in Jesus. The first person would be fully redeemed and then everything would fall apart from there. People would begin to try and “achieve redemption.” God wants to be with you, and in order for that to happen you have to give your will to Him, so He and you can share in His presence.
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Romans 9:32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
Sin must be judged. On the day of judgement all will be “guilty as charged.” Oh wait, we have a witness! If you have faith in Christ, He will advocate for you. Yes, your Honor, guilty as charged but He has paid the debt. He paid the debt because you believed in God’s love and gave your will to Him. Jesus will testify on your behalf. That in your faith you loved Him more than yourself. Sounds familiar, who else did that? Oh that’s right, God loved us more than Himself, Jesus loved us more than Himself.
Mark 16:16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
John 6:40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
Thank you, Chris!
I especially appreciate your summation of the nature of love and sin. You are right, they cannot coexist! Well said!
Because God made the schedule and I can’t make it happen no matter how hard I try. I might be able to individually make it happen for a single person at a time. But maybe we need to ask you what do you consider as the day of redemption?
TAN,
Good question! What do you think the ‘day of redemption’ means?
07-25-2023, Why do we have to wait for the “day of redemption?”
The Day of Redemption is descriptive of a period of time during which an event occurs. 2 Peter 3:8, But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul writes , But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Redemption and transformation are both a process with purpose.
Galatians 6:10, “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.” Christians are supposed to serve their neighbor, co-worker, family, other believers, and even their enemies.
Romans 8:23 Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
1 Corinthians 12:27, Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.
Redemption means Jesus Christ, through His sacrificial death, has purchased believers from the “slavery to sin.“ He has set us free from that bondage, and we have been given the Holy Spirit, the power to turn from this world and its ways as we live in this world, as witnesses of God’s will for all mankind. We are the body of Christ on this earth.
Ron,
Thank you for pointing us to 2 Peter 3:8 and 2 Corinthians 3:18. Both of those paint a picture of the timelessness of God and the process of redemption.
Blessings!
Yes, my mind went to 2 Peter 3: 8 – 19, which R2T2 already referred to and to which made excellent points. We wait because God is in control, knows what He is doing, and His timing can be trusted and is perfect.
Part of waiting means we are waiting. We are anticipating. We are thinking Maranatha, Lord come! This mindset leads the bride to be excited for the Groom. It also changes what we do and why we do it.
Rich,
You raise an interesting point about waiting for the Lord. There are several verses in the Bible that deal with this. One of them is Micah 7:7 —
“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”
Thank you! 🙂
Great verse from Micah!