January, 2003

“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.” II Cor. 1:21-22

Though we don’t intend to read Scriptures of the Month during the time of worship, yet I will continue to write them so that we can learn a Scripture verse per month. This year, I plan to choose verses from II Corinthians. I hope this will allow us to learn this epistle with some kind of continuity.

The gospel message that Paul preached is free of ambiguity. Those who believed would experience the dynamic power of God’s affirmation through His stamp. The proper response to God’s gospel message is Amen, which literally means “let it be so.” Those who speak the “Amen” in response to the gospel message will experience firmness and security in Christ. God sees to it that all of us will stand firm in our Lord Jesus Christ.

In these couple of verses, Paul showed us three things God did to guarantee our security. The first thing is that “He anointed us”. In Christ, which means the Anointed One, we are anointed by God the Father. The action of anointing shows one pouring oil from above the head and allowing it to spill over onto the shoulders. The significance of this action results in us being “covered” by Christ. The second thing is that “(He) set His seal of ownership on us.” A seal on a document in the New Testament time identified it and indicated its owner who was to “protect” it. The “seal” represented ownership. We who belong to God the Father have His “mark” on us, and the Devil will not and cannot harm us. In God’s sight, we are His, and He will protect us. The third thing is that “(He) puts His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.” The last seven words in English translation, “a deposit guaranteeing what is to come” are from one Greek word, arrabona, which means a down payment. In the New Testament time, when a buyer forfeited his obligation, he would lose his down payment. We have the assurance that God is absolutely certain He will follow through with His promise by mean of the Holy Spirit as the guarantee.

In these couple of verses, we see the Trinity is fully involved with our Eternal Life. If God is certain about our Eternal Security, we should live with confidence on the one hand and should not hold on tightly to the things of the world on the other. Let loose of the things of this world, and hold tight to the things of eternal.

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