When we are saved then it is a one time event. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior then we are forever sealed by the Holy Spirit into that salvation. We then enter in to a lifelong process called sanctification.
Sanctification: the action or process of being freed from sin or purified; to be set apart for special use by God; to be made holy.
After we have truly been sealed in salvation then we begin to feel that sanctification process start. We start to mature in our faith. Some mature quickly and others may take more time but in all of us this process has started.
I once felt like I was sealed in salvation but one day God showed me that I was not. I had never truly made Jesus the Lord of my life. I was only willing to accept the fact that He died for my sins but I was not willing to be set apart from my sins. I was not willing to enter the process of being sanctified. This was a sure sign that I had not been sealed in salvation.
I can tell you there is a huge difference between being sealed and having a false sense of salvation. You feel it the moment you become sealed.
Have you felt that? Have you felt the sanctification process begin in your heart? If you feel unsure, let me ask you a few questions (and these are not condemning questions, these are questions I had to actually ask myself):
Do you joke about your sin and laugh it off? Maybe even laughing and saying “Thank God I’m forgiven!”
Do you joyfully proclaim that “you have needs that need to be met” and fulfill those “needs” in sinful ways?
Do you feel like your sin only affects you and no one else should worry about what you are doing, not even the friend speaking truth to you or the preacher at the pulpit or maybe not even the Bible and God?
Do you even know what the Bible says to even be able to agree or disagree with it? Or do you even realize that what you are saying or doing disagrees with the Bible but you just do it because it makes you or others feel good?
Friend, let me tell you some truth:
Once you are sealed in salvation then sin becomes no joking matter. Not only will your sin be revealed to you but you will not be laughing about it. Instead it will be met with sorrow, repentance, and then joy over the grace and mercy you have received. You will then experience joy that the Spirit is changing (sanctifying) you and you are leaving that sin behind. You will realize that God provides for all of your needs and He will never provide for you in a sinful way. You will realize that you never sin alone and that all sin affects others even if done in secret. You will have a desire to know what God says so when someone has a question you actually have an answer and it is a true answer from God’s true word!
Realizing your sin doesn’t feel good. Seeing how wrong you have been hurts! But the joy set before you because of that sorrow towards sin is so worth going through the pain of having that sin cut away!
Are you forever sealed in the salvation provided by Jesus Christ? If you are unsure and want to talk about it more, I am here! There isn’t much you can tell me that will shock me. Trust me when I tell you I have been through a lot of living in sin before I truly met my Savior. I am here for you. I pray for you. And me and God, well, we kinda think your special and want to spend eternity with you!
Come on over to the light side! Be saved and sealed! Life is lived abundantly over here! ❤️
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8