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I. The anointing
А. The moving of the Spirit in us
B. Adding the diving element
II. The sealing
А. Indicating ownership
B. Bearing the image of God
III. The pledging
А. A sample and a foretaste
B. Given for our enjoyment
IV. A mutual inheritance
In this lesson we shall consider some symbols that the New Testament uses to describe the work of the Spirit in us. Second Corinthians 1:21-22 says, "But He who firmly attaches us with you unto Christ and has anointed us is God, Who has also sealed us and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts." In these verses we see the Spirit as the anointing, as the seal, and as the pledge.
First John 2:27 says, "The anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things."
[The anointing is very mysterious, but it is also real and experiential. Instead of using the noun "ointment," John uses the verbal noun "anointing." This word refers to the moving of the all-inclusive Spirit within us.] [This Spirit is the fulfillment of the type of the compound ointment revealed in Exodus 30. In this compound ointment there are a number of different elements which are the ingredients of the ointment. Just as paint may have a number of different elements, so the anointing Spirit also has different elements.] These elements include divinity, humanity, the effectiveness of Christ's death, the power of His resurrection, and the ability to bear responsibility.
[When the Triune God reaches us today, He comes as the Spirit. The moving of this Spirit is the anointing within (1 John 2:27). The Triune God dwells in us as the all-inclusive, compound, life-giving Spirit, and this Spirit is the ointment moving within....He is not dormant within us; rather, He is living, moving, acting. This is the anointing, which is the Triune God as the all-inclusive Spirit moving in us to saturate us with God's essence.]
[This anointing adds to us the very essence of God, the divine element. This is similar to the process of painting a table. As you paint the table, the element of the paint is added to the table. Likewise, as the ointment runs through us, it brings the divine element into us. In the Lord's recovery we have the assurance that day by day something is running through us, doing an inward "painting" work. The more this ointment moves, the more it paints us with the divine element. Hallelujah, the divine element is being added to us in the Lord's recovery! This is not a matter of teaching. Something is running over us and through us, and the divine element is being accumulated within us. The more we enjoy the flowing of the inner life and the more we enjoy the Lord together in the meetings, the more we have God within us. Although we may still feel that we are weak, we nevertheless have God within, for the anointing is constantly adding the divine element into our being.]
[After the anointing comes the sealing. The sealing is rather easy to understand. Any kind of painting is also a sealing.]
Ephesians 1:13-14 says, "You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise...unto the redemption of the acquired possession." [To be sealed with the Holy Spirit means to be marked with the Holy Spirit as a living seal. We have been made God's inheritance (v. 11). At the time we were saved, God put His Holy Spirit into us as a seal to mark us out, indicating that we belong to God. The Holy Spirit, who is God Himself entering into us, causes us to bear God's image signified by the seal, thus making us like God. Suppose a brother puts a seal on his Bible. When he does so, his Bible bears the image of the seal. This seal indicates that the Bible belongs to him. Therefore, the seal signifies ownership. When we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Spirit of God sealed us. This signifies that God is our owner and that we belong to Him.]
[Every seal has an image. If the seal is square, then the image is also square. The Spirit as the seal of God upon us bears the image of God. This implies that the seal of the Holy Spirit is the expression of God. When you bear the Holy Spirit as the seal of God upon you, you bear the image of God and the expression of God.] Yet, if you check your daily living you must admit that you have very little expression of God. When you are quarreling with your parents do you bear the image of God?
[Many of us can testify from experience that when we believed in the Lord Jesus, we realized that we had been sealed in our spirit. However, in our mind, emotion, and will there was no sealing. At the time we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Spirit came into our spirit and sealed us there. For this reason the Bible says that we were sealed. However, not every part of our being was sealed, but just one part, our spirit. For a long time after we were saved, there continued to be no sealing in our mind, emotion, or will. But Ephesians 1 says that we were sealed unto redemption.] This is not our initial redemption but the redemption or glorification of our body. [The word "unto" means "resulting in" or "with a view to." Therefore, the sealing in our spirit is with a view to the redemption of our body. This implies that the sealing is spreading within us. It begins in our spirit and it is spreading into our mind, emotion, and will.]
[We have a living seal in us; it is constantly moving. After the Spirit seals one part of us, He desires to seal another part and then another. He wants to seal every part of our being. Until this is completed, the spreading of the sealing will continue.] [Are you under the Spirit's sealing today? Is it still going on within you? We need to have the assurance that the sealing of the Spirit is spreading in our being. When our whole being has been sealed, we shall be ready for the redemption of the body.]
After the anointing, 2 Corinthians 1 mentions the sealing. Along with the anointing and sealing is the pledging. Ephesians 1:14 says that the Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance.
[In ancient times, the Greek word for pledge was used in the purchase of land. The seller gave the buyer a sample of the soil from the land being purchased. Hence, a pledge, according to ancient Greek usage, was also a sample. The Holy Spirit is the sample of what we shall inherit of God in full.
The Greek word for "pledge" is somewhat equal to today's down payment, which indicates good faith and is a guarantee of coming payments. Pledge, earnest, and guarantee — all these words are about the same in meaning, all referring to a payment that guarantees the balance. But the Greek word in addition signifies a sample, a foretaste. Some translators prefer the word "foretaste." By enjoying the sample we have a foretaste of what is coming. Suppose someone gives me ten peaches from his peach orchard. These peaches are a sample and a foretaste of the produce of the whole orchard. As those who are to inherit God, we have the Holy Spirit as a pledge, guarantee, earnest, and down payment of our inheritance. At the same time the Holy Spirit is also a sample and a foretaste. The foretaste gives us a taste of God; the full taste is yet to come.]
[The pledging of the Spirit is given for our enjoyment. Whenever I am disappointed or depressed, the pledging comes in to uplift me. I experience this pledging daily, even hourly. Pledging also means that something is given to us as a guarantee. Through the Spirit's pledging, we are encouraged and stirred up. Whenever we feel that the situation is hopeless, the pledging fills us with hope.]
[Probably in your whole Christian life you have never heard a message on the pledging of the Spirit. According to my experience, the Holy Spirit is constantly pledging within me, giving me more of God and more of Christ. The more I receive of Christ, the more my appetite for Him increases. Some may admit that they do not have a very large appetite for Christ. The reason for this is that they do not care for the pledging of the Spirit. We need to care not only for the anointing and the sealing, but also for the pledging. We need to say, "O Lord Jesus, You are so sweet. Amen, Lord." If we do this, the sense of the Spirit's pledging will increase within us. What a real experience this is!]
[We need both the sealing and the pledging because in God's work on us two kinds of inheritances are involved. Ephesians 1:11 indicates that we were made God's inheritance, and verse 14, that God is our inheritance. Our inheritance is God Himself. In God's economy we are an inheritance to God, and God is an inheritance to us. This is a mutual inheritance.] [ The Spirit in us as a seal is God's guarantee that we shall be His inheritance (Eph. 1:13); the Spirit as a pledge in us is our guarantee that God will be our inheritance for eternity. The New Jerusalem will be a mutual dwelling place and also a mutual enjoyment in which we will enjoy God as our eternal inheritance and He will enjoy us as His eternal possession; this is the consummation of His being dispensed into us and of our being constituted with Him.]
The anointing, sealing, and pledging describe three aspects of the Spirit's work in the believers. The anointing is the moving of the compound Spirit in us. It adds the divine element and essence to us. The Holy Spirit is also a living seal in us indicating that we belong to God. This sealing continues in us until we fully bear the image of God in our entire being. Furthermore, the Spirit is the pledge, the foretaste of the full taste of the enjoyment of God that we will inherit. The Spirit as a seal in us is God's guarantee that we shall be His inheritance; the Spirit as the pledge in us is our guarantee that God will be our inheritance for eternity.
