Ephesians 1:13

And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, mid-doxology (vv. 3–14), turning from corporate praise to the concrete experience of his readers. He is looking backward at what has already happened to them.

The words — ἀκούσαντες (akousantes), "having heard," is an aorist participle that fixes hearing as a completed act preceding belief and sealing. The sequence is closed: they did not merely hear, they had already heard.

The thread — 2 Corinthians 1:22 calls the Spirit "a seal" and "a pledge in our hearts," and Ephesians 4:30 warns against grieving the Spirit "in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Why it lands — The verse is past tense and passive: the reader did nothing to earn the seal; it was applied to them. It asks the reader to stop treating salvation as a pending transaction and recognize it as a completed act of God.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Cross-references

2 Corinthians 1:22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we continually thank God because, when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is also now at work in you who believe.
Galatians 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone.
Acts 2:33 Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
Joel 2:28 And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.