“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” — 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 (NIV84)

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 43:1: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are Mine.” Immediately my mind races to when Moses went before the burning bush — God called him by name. And when Jesus called Zacchaeus from the Sycamore tree, He called him by name. Last, I think about how the book of Revelation says our names are written in the Book of Life. God loves us so much that He knows us by name. He claimed us as His own, and Jesus says that no one can snatch us out of His hands.

He put His seal on us. In the Roman world, the emperor’s seal was the epitome of authority and ownership. No one dared to break his seal. This is why the Roman seal was put on Jesus’ tomb. It was the declaration that only the one whose seal was on the tomb had the authority to claim whatever was behind it. With that backdrop, Paul tells us that God has placed His seal on us. No one (and God means no one) has the authority to claim us but Him. We are His! He has placed His Spirit in our hearts as our assurance that His seal is on us.

Given the fact that God knows us and has called us by name and that He has placed His seal of ownership on us, may we be confident of our eternal home with Him.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church