So in the sermon I listened to recently the referenced we were sealed in Christ with the Spirit and gave the reference to Ephesians 1:13-14.  I wanted to see what it said, how it was using the reference and if it was a good tie in.  I was impressed with the overtone of how we are sealed with the Spirit in Christ.  How we can know we are saved if we are sealed.  And what was the seal, or when did we get the seal?

Back to:
So you will see I believe a saved person is one who has heard the Word of God, the Gospel (Good News), Believed it’s message, Repented of his past actions – a sinful life, Confessed to God his sins and been Baptized to receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The believer must then grow in Christ, drawing near to God through his life.

Or to put it another way:
‘”By grace” shows that grace is the basis of salvation. “Through faith” speaks of the means by which it is received. “In baptism” indicates the time when it is received. “For good works” makes it clear that the good works of the Christian life are not the basis or means but the result of being saved.’

I also thought this might help, from “The College Press NIV Commentary: Galatians & Ephesians”.  Notice in particular the line “One must conclude that either half of the above verses are in error, or that baptism and faith are meant to go together. the promised Holy Spirit, ” Read through this and think about how you are “sealed” into Christ and “when” you are sealed into Christ!

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Ephesians 1:13-14

1:13 And you also were included in Christ 

“You also” is a dominant theme of Ephesians. The Gentiles were formerly excluded, but are now part of God’s family (2:11-22). They are fellow members of the body (3:6) bound together in the unity of the Spirit (4:3). when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 

When Paul taught daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, Luke reports that “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). The Gentiles were not introduced to God by an accident of birth, but by hearing the good news about Jesus. Paul knows this message to be the “word of truth,” the means by which men are saved. It is called the truth “because it reveals man’s true condition, proclaims and advocates the only true way of escape, and admonishes saved sinners to show true gratitude in their lives.”^E1-32 Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, 

Those who heard, believed. This was not merely a mental acceptance of a theological proposition. It was putting their trust and commitment in Christ. In response to their decision, God marked them with an official seal. This seal, the presence of the Holy Spirit, proved they belonged to God.^E1-33 To seal (σφραγίζω, sphragizō), as with the brand marking the ownership of cattle and slaves,^E1-34 had nothing to do with preservation.

While the coming of the Holy Spirit is sometimes connected with baptism in Scripture (Acts 2:38-39; 5:32; 1 Cor 12:13), other passages base his coming on our faith. (In addition to this verse, see Acts 19:2; Gal 3:2, 14; Eph 3:17). One must conclude that either half of the above verses are in error, or that baptism and faith are meant to go together. the promised Holy Spirit, 

As Peter reminded his Jewish hearers at Pentecost (Acts 2:17), God had promised a time when he would “pour out his Spirit on all flesh” (both Jew and Gentile).

As Peter reminded the Jewish believers at the Jerusalem Conference, the coming of the Spirit on Cornelius was proof that the centurion had been accepted by God.^E1-35 While that event was special and spectacular, all believers have the confirming presence of the Spirit in their lives.

1:14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance 

The “deposit” (ἀρραβών, arrabōn, “earnest money”) which guarantees our inheritance is like the down payment that is made on a real estate transaction. In the early days of trade it was “a commercial word denoting a pledge—some object handed over by a buyer to a seller until the purchase price was paid in full.”^E1-36 The arrabōn guarantees that a person is in earnest about his intentions. Often the deposit is a first installment of similar payments to be made in the future.^E1-37 The presence of the Spirit is thus a foretaste of heaven!

Also interesting is the fact that arrabōn is the word in modern Greek for an engagement ring.^E1-38 It is a lovely parallel that the church, the bride of Christ, should now wear the token of his promise. We have this guarantee of heaven, that we shall share in the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev 19:7-9). until the redemption of those who are God’s possession 

Literally, “unto the redemption of the possession.” While the rsv has “until we acquire possession of it,” the niv and nasb focus on God redeeming and possessing his people. God’s Spirit in our lives is thus God’s promise that he will finally claim us for his own and take us home to heaven. —to the praise of his glory.

How we should praise God for his spiritual blessings! This phrase, now proclaimed for the third time, echoes the words of God in Isaiah 43:20-21,

…my people, my chosen,
the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.

The College Press NIV Commentary: Galatians & Ephesians