2 Corinthians 1:22 - Paul's Change of Plans

placed His seal on us
In ancient times, a seal was a mark of ownership and authenticity. It was used to signify authority and protection. In the context of 2 Corinthians 1:22, the seal represents God's ownership and the believer's security in Christ. This concept is echoed in Ephesians 1:13, where believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit. The seal signifies that believers are set apart for God, much like a king's seal would mark a document as official and protected by the king's authority. This sealing is a divine act, indicating that believers are under God's protection and are His possession.

and put His Spirit in our hearts
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a central theme in the New Testament, signifying the new covenant relationship between God and His people. The heart, in biblical terms, often represents the center of one's being, including mind, will, and emotions. The Holy Spirit residing in believers' hearts indicates a profound transformation and ongoing relationship with God. This indwelling is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, such as Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God promises to give a new heart and spirit to His people. The presence of the Holy Spirit empowers believers to live according to God's will and to bear spiritual fruit.

as a pledge of what is to come
The term "pledge" in this context is akin to a down payment or earnest money, guaranteeing the full inheritance to come. This concept is also found in Ephesians 1:14, where the Holy Spirit is described as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. The pledge signifies the certainty of God's promises, including eternal life and the future resurrection. It assures believers of their future glorification and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. This assurance is rooted in the faithfulness of God, who has begun a good work in believers and will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6). The pledge of the Spirit is a foretaste of the eternal communion with God that believers will experience in the fullness of His kingdom.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Paul
The apostle who authored 2 Corinthians, addressing the church in Corinth with teachings and encouragement.

2. Corinth
A major city in ancient Greece, known for its diverse culture and significant Christian community to whom Paul wrote.

3. Holy Spirit
The third person of the Trinity, given to believers as a seal and guarantee of their inheritance in Christ.

Teaching Points

Seal of Ownership
The Holy Spirit marks believers as belonging to God, signifying divine ownership and protection.

The Spirit as a Deposit
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is a foretaste and assurance of the eternal life and inheritance promised to us.

Assurance of Salvation
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit provides believers with confidence in their salvation and future hope.

Identity in Christ
Understanding that we are sealed by the Spirit helps us live out our identity as children of God, influencing our daily actions and decisions.

Living by the Spirit
As recipients of the Spirit, believers are called to live in accordance with the Spirit's guidance, producing spiritual fruit in their lives.

Lists and Questions

Top 10 Lessons from 2 Corinthians 1What does confirmation mean?What are the Spirit's firstfruits?What are the Spirit's firstfruits?What does "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" mean?

(22) Who hath also sealed us.--Better, who also sealed us. The thought thus expressed is that the gift of the Spirit, following on baptism or the laying on of hands, is as the seal of the covenant which God makes with His people, attesting its validity. (Comp. Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30; and, for the Jewish use of seals, Jeremiah 32:10.)

And given the earnest of the Spirit.--Better, for the same reason as before, gave. The Greek word for "earnest" (arrhabon), which occurs here for the first time, and is used only by St. Paul in the New Testament (2Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:14), has a somewhat interesting history. Originally a Hebrew word, from a verb meaning "to mix," "to change," "to pledge," and so used, as a cognate noun, with the last of the three senses, it appears simply transliterated in the LXX. of Genesis 38:17-18. It would seem to have been in common use among the Canaanite or Phoenician traders, and was carried by them to Greece, to Carthage, to Alexandria, and to Rome. It was used by the Greek orator Isaeus, and by Plautus and Terence among the earlier Latin writers. The full form came to be considered somehow as pedantic or vulgar, and was superseded in Roman law by the shortened "arrha," the payment of a small sum given on the completion of a bargain as a pledge that the payer would fulfil the contract; and it has passed into Italian as "arra;" into modern French, as "les arrhes;" into popular Scotch even, as "arles." As applied by St. Paul, it had the force of a condensed parable, such as the people of commercial cities like Corinth and Ephesus would readily understand. They were not to think that their past spiritual experience had any character of finality. It was rather but the pledge of yet greater gifts to come: even of that knowledge of God which is eternal life (John 17:3). The same thought is expressed, under a more Hebrew image, in the "firstfruits of the Spirit" in Romans 8:23. Grammatically, the "earnest of the Spirit" may be taken as an example of the genitive of apposition, "the earnest which is the Spirit." . . .

Verse 22. - Who hath also sealed us. We cannot be deconsecrated, disanointed. Still less can the confirming seal be broken. He continues to dwell on the conception of the unchangeableness of God and of the gospel into which he had been incidentally led by the charge of "lightness." The earnest of the Spirit. The promises which we have received are not mere promises, they are already so far fulfilled to us and in us as to guarantee hereafter their plenary fruition. Just as in money bargains "earnest money," "money on account," is given, in pledge that the whole will be ultimately discharged, so we have "the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 5:5), "the firstfruits of the Spirit" (Romans 8:23), which are to us "the earnest" or pledge money that we shall hereafter enter upon the purchased possession (Ephesians 1:13, 14). We now see the meaning of the "and." It involves a climax - the promise is much; the unction more; the seal a still further security (Ephesians 4:30; 2 Timothy 2:19); but beyond all this we have already a part payment in the indwelling of the Present of God (Romans 5:5; Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6). The word arrabon, rendered "earnest," has an interesting history. It is very ancient, for it is found (עַרָבון) in Genesis 38:17, 18, and comes from a root meaning "to pledge." It seems to be a Phoenician word, which had been introduced into various languages by the universality of Phoenician commerce. In classical Latin it is shortened into arrha, and it still exists in Italian as aura, in French as arrhes. The equivalent Hebrew figure is "firstfruits" (Romans 8:23). Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

placed His seal
σφραγισάμενος (sphragisamenos)
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4972: To seal, set a seal upon. From sphragis; to stamp for security or preservation; by implication, to keep secret, to attest.

on us,
ἡμᾶς (hēmas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

put
δοὺς (dous)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1325: To offer, give; I put, place. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give.

[His]
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Spirit
Πνεύματος (Pneumatos)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

our
ἡμῶν (hēmōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

hearts
καρδίαις (kardiais)
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2588: Prolonged from a primary kar; the heart, i.e. the thoughts or feelings; also the middle.

as a pledge of what is to come.
ἀρραβῶνα (arrabōna)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 728: Of Hebrew origin; a pledge, i.e. Part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest.

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2 Corinthians 1:22 Catholic BibleNT Letters: 2 Corinthians 1:22 Who also sealed us and gave us (2 Cor. 2C iiC 2Cor ii cor iicor)