Bible Verses That Deal With Christians Being "Sealed"

THGNT References for the Greek text.

Romans 8:23-24: οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἔχοντες ἡμεῖς καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς στενάζομεν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπεκδεχόμενοι, τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν. τῇ γὰρ ἐλπίδι ἐσώθημεν· ἐλπὶς δὲ βλεπομένη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐλπίς· ὃ γὰρ βλέπει τίς, τί καὶ ἐλπίζει;

2 Corinthians 1:21-22: ὁ δὲ βεβαιῶν ἡμᾶς σὺν ὑμῖν εἰς χριστὸν καὶ χρίσας ἡμᾶς θεός, ὁ καὶ σφραγισάμενος ἡμᾶς καὶ δοὺς τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν.

2 Corinthians 5:5: Ὁ δὲ κατεργασάμενος ἡμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο θεός, ὁ δοὺς ἡμῖν τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος.

Ephesians 1:13-14: ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ὑμῶν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐσφραγίσθητε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ ὅ ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ.

Ephesians 4:30: καὶ μὴ λυπεῖτε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ᾧ ἐσφραγίσθητε εἰς ἡμέραν ἀπολυτρώσεως.

Compare 2 Tim. 2:19; Revelation 7:1-8: 9:4.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that humankind has two destinies: some Christians will live immortally and incorruptibly in the heavens, but others will live forever on a righteous and cleansed earth. Those who will live in the heavens (the 144,00) are sealed by holy spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). However, they have to maintain this seal of the spirit in order to experience the final sealing mentioned in Revelation 7:1-8. Some have compared this process to being sealed with a light mark, by a pencil as it were, then later, Jehovah seals his spiritual children indelibly such that the seal of the spirit will never be erased. The inspired apostle Paul wrote that anointed Christians eagerly await this time (Romans 8:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5).

In a similar vein, NT writers often use the expression "in Christ," which the NWT has rendered "in union with Christ." While the language "in Christ" chiefly entails being sealed by God's spirit, the Bible does not teach that the sealing is necessarily permanent which I indicated above. To the contrary, the Christian sealing of the NT is called τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος, a down payment or earnest money (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:1-5). A Christian not only must be sealed initially but he or she must preserve the divine seal until the day of redemption from the sinful and fallen body (Philippians 3:20-21). Numerous verses speak of the need for Christians to endure and finish the figurative race which they started on becoming Christians. Those who endure and keep their seal will have reason for exultation when the sons of God are revealed.