WE CONSIDER THE rest of the verse: “he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor. 1:22). Those who are established and commissioned are also sealed. What does this sealing mean? It means security and it means authority. When a document or letter is sealed, it is secure. People hesitate to open a letter which has the seal of a high official on it. The seal renders the letter sacrosanct and puts the authority of the sender behind it.
If you go with His seal upon you, you are secure and you are authoritative. You go with the sense of the authority of Another behind you. I was introduced by a black minister to a large audience in these words: “I’m introducing the speaker by quoting from one of his books. He said that the significance of Mahatma Gandhi was not in Gandhi the person, but in the significance of the cause with which he was identified—the cause of India’s freedom. When he speaks, the cause of India’s freedom speaks through him. The significance of the speaker tonight is not in the person, but in the cause with which he is identified—the kingdom of God.” I trembled—and rejoiced at the implication.
“And given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” The guarantee is not a verbal, but a vital assurance; the Spirit in our hearts is the guarantee of security and authority. The guarantee is not a promise; it is a performance. The Spirit within is the guarantee that the promises are being fulfilled. They are being fulfilled by the operation and power of the Holy Spirit. The guarantee is a working fact—working within us and through us.
O Holy Spirit, Thou art our guarantee. Thou dost guarantee the realization of all the promises of God. Thou art the applied edge of redemption. In Thee everything becomes actuality. I thank Thee, thank Thee. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I am sealed with the authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
