βIn whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promiseβ (Ephesians 1:13).
Most careful commentaries of the Bible make it clear that the words βafter listening,β in the above verse, actually have an immediate result in view. Upon hearing (or heeding), and upon believing, we are sealed with the Spirit.
What is perhaps even more important to note, is the fact that upon believing βthe gospel of salvation,β we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, not just by the Holy Spirit. There is a difference between the two, which can be simply illustrated.
Imagine someone who is βputting upβ honey or preserves and sealing each jar with wax. Now, the jars are being sealed by the individual, but they are sealing them with wax. Thus the Holy Spirit does not merely cause believers to be sealed and made secure. Rather He Himself is the Seal that keeps us eternally secure as Godβs beloved children. We are sealed, not βby the Spirit,β but βwith the Spirit,β β¦ the Spirit Himself the Seal! source
