God's Holy Fire: 'Marked with His Seal'

When we first came to Jesus, he poured out the Holy Spirit upon us, to live in us as God's gift, presence, and power within us (Acts 2:38-39; Titus 3:3-7). The Holy Spirit is also our proof that we are children of God (Romans 8:9). In today's verse, Paul adds another powerful image - a royal seal - to help us understand who we are because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. In New Testament times, a royal official would use a seal to confirm his or her correspondence. The message would be sealed with wax, and while the wax was still warm, the official used a ring to leave the royal imprint showing the message was true and carried the authority of the wearer of the ring. The Holy Spirit is God's authoritative sign that we are his! He claims us! We are not only his messengers, but also his message, and we are authentic and true.