And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
The People of Corinth made accusations about Paul because they didn’t believe him. Paul, along with Timothy wrote them and also addressed a wider audience – the people of Achaia. He wrote them about the faithful Father on whom they have hope, who comforts them; and because they know that comfort, they are able to comfort others. God enables and strengthens in their sufferings Paul/Timothy, the church of Corinth, and all who believe in Jesus. He also provides comfort for whatever they go through because of their faith in Him. Paul underwent grueling pressure and only endured due to His dependence on God’s grace. Since they thought Paul to be unreliable, Paul wrote that he preached to them about Jesus – the Son of God. Because the message affects the messenger, Paul could not remain untouched by Jesus, who was completely reliable and worthy of trust. To add to this, anything we ask in Jesus’ name gets only one reply from His Father, which is ‘yes’. Can God the Father say no to God the Son? So we Believers resound our ‘Amen’ to show our gratefulness for these requests in our prayers. Likewise, all the promises God has made, are “Yes” in Christ. Therefore, through Christ, our “Amen” brings glory to God.
God loves us so. Paul wrote that God anointed them through their faith in Christ. In the Old Testament, God anointed prophets, priests and kings to do His work. This anointing applies to us today as well, which means we are prepared and empowered for service. Through Jesus, we share this anointing of God to intercede with Heaven and to do His work on earth.
In the Old Testament, a bit of wax with a seal indicated the owner through the insignia and prevented others from tampering with the item; the seal was used to identify and to protect. Through Jesus, we have God’s seal on us so in the spiritual realm they know to whom we belong. The Holy Spirit was given to us to identify and to protect us.
Because God is a promise keeping God, He also didn’t forget to give us a guarantee for all the promises He made. The word guarantee means ‘down payment’. God gave, as the first installment to guarantee everything, His Holy Spirit in our hearts so that we have a Guide to lead us rightward to His Heavenly Home. The Holy Spirit is a pledge of greater things to come – the glory of Heaven if we stand firm in Christ.
